Page 7 of Never Too Late to Date

‘One of our goals is to get these animals new homes in Greece, throughout Europe and beyond. It’s always sad to see them go, but it’s the only way to keep things running. We also let tourists pay a small sum to take the healthy puppies for a walk and ride the two donkeys we’ve got here, Bill and Ben.’

Maeve looked straight at the group, suddenly fierce.

‘I hope no one has a problem with this. We wouldn’t do it if there were any other way.’

Vicky shook her head in time with the others, and Maeve’s frown turned into a smile.

‘I want you to enjoy your time here, but just be aware, it’s a constant worry, finding the funds to look after these animals. One huge plus is our local volunteer, Maria, who organises the naming of each of our cats and dogs, takes photos and does all our social media, which helps enormously with the adoptions. You’ll see her around taking shots.’

Vicky let out a sigh of relief. Thank goodness she wouldn’t be expected to grapple with social media herself. The odd Instagram or Facebook post was about her level. She’d wondered who did all the gorgeous pics of the animals.

‘Of course, some of the animals here will never be able to leave us…’ The tremor in Maeve’s voice showed Vicky how much this woman really cared. ‘They are too ill or damaged to be adopted, but we give them somewhere to stay for the rest of their lives, however short. We can only cope with a certain number though, and we’re pretty close to maximum at the moment. But our motto is that any animal that’s suffering will find a home with us.’

There were actual tears in Maeve’s eyes now, and Vicky could feel herself welling up too.

‘But enough of this sad stuff…’ Maeve turned to walk back to the cluster of buildings. ‘Let’s put you all to work.’

As a newcomer, Vicky was paired with a young Swedish woman called Astrid, who spoke excellent English and showed her the best way to feed and groom the animals and clean out the cages, as well as how to administer simple medicines for everything from eye infections to coughs.

Eventually, Astrid decreed Vicky could be trusted. She was left to get the tangles out of the matted fur of a large, long-haired grey cat, whose tag told her he was a male called Apollo, who’d been living rough for quite a while.

It was painstaking work, and she was trying her best not to hurt him, although she couldn’t help but wince at the occasional little yelp coming out of his mouth.

‘Sorry, Apollo, old boy.’

A shadow fell over the cat’s body.

‘You don’t want to do it like that.’

Vicky looked up to see a man looming above her, frowning.

‘Give him here. You’ll be there all day. And cause him unnecessary pain.’

Shocked into handing the cat over, Vicky watched as the unknown man bent down and effortlessly worked on the knots with the utmost care, even getting Apollo to purr loudly.

‘You need to brush him like this.’

His gentle touch with the cat was completely at odds with his brusque manner towards her. From his accented English, she marked him out as Greek, and although not one of the young volunteers, he was considerably younger than her. He was tall and dark-haired with wide shoulders and a beard shot through with salt and pepper, and some people – OK, a lot of people – might find him attractive, but his overbearing manner was a turn-off for her. Not that she was looking anyway.

The irritated sigh escaped before she could stop it. She might have only been there a couple of days, and he was probably a seasoned volunteer, but there was no excuse for rudeness. She was trying her best.

Ignoring the cat’s traitorous cries of ecstasy, she looked across at the man so intent on his task.

‘Thank you so much for showing me the right way to do things. I’m really grateful to you, and I know that Apollo is too. Your experience at the sanctuary must be invaluable to others.’

Her smile lasted for the whole of her speech, and eventually the man raised his head and stared straight at her, brown eyes unsure for the first time in their brief exchange. He handed back the cat, who looked treacherously up at her as if to say, Why aren’t I staying with him?

Vicky made the cat comfortable on her lap.

‘Thank you again. And I’ll be sure to follow your method from now on.’

What an insufferable jerk. She was trying to goad him into speaking, but with a brief nod he turned on his heel and walked out of the building. She rarely resorted to sarcasm, and she never normally behaved like this. Winding Ian, her ex-husband, up would never have ended well, and she’d learnt to keep quiet over the years, to make herself smaller and less noticeable. But this man made her hackles rise.

She hoped she wouldn’t be on a roster with him any time soon. She was certain he hadn’t been at the welcome party or breakfast; she’d have noticed him. He wasn’t someone you’d forget in a hurry.

After a hard morning’s work, the new volunteers were asked to meet back at the rudimentary operating theatre in the main building for a chat with the vet.

Vicky was looking forward to seeing Angeliki in action in her natural environment. It made her feel slightly closer to her daughter. She conjured up a vision of Tasha out in the wilds of New Zealand attending to an injured kiwi bird, putting a splint on its broken leg. That was more or less all she knew about creatures native to the country that might need attending to. She’d have to do some research.