Chapter two #2
He opened it slowly, tilting his head around the door as he pulled it open. Marcus’s breath hitched in his chest when he saw a tall, sturdy built man with great posture standing there. He had dark intense eyes that seemed to bore right into him—right into his soul.
Their eyes locked until Marcus remembered himself, shaking his head slightly to break the spell he was momentarily cast under.
He dropped his eyes to the large German Shepherd standing close to the man’s legs, who he noticed was unusually tense, as his body was rigid, his ears pricked up and twitching, and his tail almost ramrod straight.
‘Atlas? Marcus enquired, already knowing the answer. At the mention of his name, Atlas’s head jerked up, his body weight shifting backwards.
Marcus slowly offered the back of his hand for Atlas to sniff.
Atlas’s focus flicked from Marcus’s hand to the doorway, and then out to the way he and his owner had come.
‘Yes, this is Atlas.’ The man’s calm voice drew Marcus’s attention back to him.
‘As you can see, he’s not too good at the moment.
He needs grooming. A bath, a brush, and his nails clipping.
But... I’m having problems. He... He won’t let me do it.
I’m not even sure if he’ll let you do it, but I’ve heard good reports about this place, so I thought.
.. Well, Atlas needs help, and I... I... He just needs help.’
Marcus could see the man was not big on communication, he was tense, as if worried he was being judged by Marcus. Marcus would even describe him as being closed off, as if he’d put up a protective barrier, shielding himself, and maybe Atlas too, from the world.
Marcus smiled warmly. ‘Well I certainly hope I can. He’s a very handsome man.’ Marcus wasn’t sure which male in front of him he was referring to. ‘I’m Marcus, and you are?’
‘Rowan.’
Rowan made no attempt to shake hands and Marcus suspected it wasn’t from rudeness, but something to do with Atlas.
Marcus decided he needed to proceed carefully. Slowly, he bent his knees, going down onto his haunches, until he was level with Atlas. But the dog’s wide shoulders immediately stiffened. Marcus could sense his owner was equally as tense. Atlas’s eyes were darting back and forth.
Marcus looked up at Rowan, and silently scolded himself in a moment like this, for noticing how long Rowan’s eyelashes were from the lower angle.
Flashing Rowan a toothy grin, he said. ‘I don’t think we should groom Atlas today.
I think we should just let him exist. Let him get used to the smells leading up to the parlour, sniff the door, hear the sounds surrounding and coming from inside.
You know your dog best, so read him, and leave before it becomes too much.
’ Marcus watched Rowan’s reaction to what he’d suggested.
He was surprised by how much he cared about how Rowan perceived him, by how much he sought Rowan’s approval in this first meeting.
Rowan didn’t give much away, but one thing Marcus picked up on, was his patience.
Marcus continued, wanting to explain why he’d suggested not attempting to groom Atlas today.
‘Then next time, we’ll see if we can get him to go in a bit further—get him comfortable with just being here first.’
Rowan nodded and they both watched Atlas in silence, the minutes stretching out, until Atlas timidly took a step towards the door.
Marcus couldn’t contain the grin that appeared.
But there was suddenly movement heard from inside, as Georgina finished with her last client, and Cherry, the Cocker Spaniel barked as Georgina made a vocal fuss of her.
Atlas instantly retreated, and Marcus noticed the blatant look of disappointment on Rowan’s face. A knot twisted in his stomach, and he judged his own small failure, but he immediately pushed it away, he knew this wasn’t defeat, and enforced his belief vocally.
He looked up and met Rowan’s dark eyes. ‘That’s actually progress.’
Rowan nodded. ‘I suppose it is. Thanks for your time. I’ll call to book a similar session. You can add your time today onto our first bill.’
‘Sure, no problem.’ Marcus flashed Rowan a charming smile.
Rowan dipped his head, before turning and walking away.
Marcus watched him go. He recognised the swirl in his chest, as he watched the quiet man who undoubtedly had a strong internal presence, until he was out of sight.
Rowan was a puzzle, an enigma he was curious to find out more about.
And Atlas—he just wanted to help the gorgeous dog.
Closing the door, Marcus turned around to see Georgina watching him, an enormous grin on her face.
‘He was handsome. It’s a good job I have my Matt, otherwise I don’t think I’d be able to stop myself from fluttering my eyelashes at him the next time he comes back.
’ Marcus chuckled. Georgina look solemn. ‘You were very impressive out there.’
‘You were watching?’
Georgina nodded. Cherry whined, drawing Georgina’s attention back to her. ‘Your owner will be here soon, Cherry.’ Georgina sneezed.
‘You get yourself home, G. You’ve worked hard today, I’ll wait with Cherry for owner to collect her.’
Georgina handed Marcus Cherry’s lead. ‘Okay, thanks, Marcus. I’ll see you tomorrow.’ She grabbed her belongings and gave Cherry another stroke, before fluttering her fingers in a farewell gesture at Marcus. ‘Bye.
‘Bye, G.’
TEN MINUTES LATER, the dog-grooming parlour was locked up for the evening. Marcus had intended heading for The Cheese Wedge and Pickles, but he was done in—physically and mentally—so instead, he headed home.
At the beginning of Keeper’s Lane, Marcus could see a group of people standing in a circle, halfway down the lane. One of them was a blonde-haired woman with her back to him, waving her arms dramatically as she spoke to the group.
He didn’t recognise any of the faces in the group and surmised they must be tourists or holidaymakers.
Curious, he willed his tired legs to pick up speed.
As he neared the group, he recognised the voice.
It belonged to Veronica. He didn’t know her well, he’d seen her in Christine’s salon a couple of times, and had only ever said hello to her.
All he knew was, she was around Pippa’s age.
Veronica was attempting to make her voice sound macabre. ‘They say the keeper still walks this lane when the sea mist rolls in...”
Marcus smiled to himself. He’d seen a poster on the noticeboard in Tammy’s Tearoom, advertising ghost tours around Seagull Bay.
The event had intrigued him, because according to Christine, the bay was steeped in history, from smugglers stashing secret hoards in the bay, which were apparently still buried somewhere around the cove, to an infamous lighthouse keeper.
So Veronica was the person who was conducting the ghost tours. Marcus made a mental note to book himself on one. He wanted to find out more about the place he now called home—of Seagull Bay’s history, after all, he was becoming part of it.
Taking in the group as he passed, he saw couples holding hands, or with arms around each other’s shoulders, giving comfort to each other as Veronica amped up her spooky tale.
His smile fell away. He really wanted to do the ghost tour, but who would he draw comfort from?
Why was he always the friend cheering on everyone else’s happy ending.
Sighing inwardly, he headed home.