Page 1 of New Beginnings at the Cosy Cat Cafe
Chapter 1
Tori stared at the luggage carousel as the bags from Flight 231 were carried around the conveyor belt with a hypnotizing quality. She squeezed between two men who were at least twice her size and pretending not to see her to avoid losing their spot at the front of the crowd. They were clearly poised and ready to pounce on their luggage as soon as it appeared.
‘Excuse me,’ she said loudly, making her presence known.
‘Oh, sorry, love,’ the larger of the two men replied, as he moved sideways to let Tori through. ‘Didn’t see you there.’
‘No worries,’ Tori replied with a half-smile, thinking that the man most definitelyhadseen her there but had simply chosen not to move. She could hear the ear-crunching thud of bags hitting the conveyor belt as the baggage handlers sorted through the luggage behind the flimsy plastic curtain that was shielding them from view.
‘Honestly, can’t they be more careful? Some of us have got breakables in there, you know,’ she muttered, runningher hands through her long brown hair and scooping it back into a ponytail with the hairband she had around her wrist.
‘Oh, you’d think they were throwing around bags full of rocks, the way they carry on.’ A woman’s voice came from behind her. Tori turned her head to see who had spoken. It was a woman in her late fifties, with jet-black hair and the brightest red lipstick Tori had ever seen. ‘When we came back from Marbs, my miniature sherries were smashed to pieces by the time that lot were through with them,’ the woman continued, folding her arms. ‘I was livid, wasn’t I, Gary?’ A short, balding man, standing next to her, nodded silently.
‘Nightmare,’ replied Tori, giving the woman a vague nod of agreement.
‘Well, I hope you don’t have anything breakable in there? I’ve learnt my lesson, haven’t I, Gary?’ Gary nodded again. Tori got the sense that he knew there was no point in arguing. ‘All my breakables are right here, safely tucked away,’ she said, tapping her pink shoulder bag proudly.
Tori smiled weakly; she didn’t feel like getting involved in a conversation with anyone right now, not in the mood she was in. This had been one of the worst weeks of her life. She couldn’t believe things with Ryan werereallyover. When they’d set off together on the adventure of a lifetime just over a year ago, things between them couldn’t have been better. She’d thought their future together was mapped out. She’d been so excited to see the world with Ryan, before they returned home to start their life together in Blossom Heath, the East Sussex village in which Tori had grown up.She’d had it all planned out. They’d come home, save for the deposit on a house, move in together and get engaged. It was the perfect life plan. She even knew exactly the type of wedding she wanted; she’d been planning it since she was a little girl. She’d done everything she was supposed to do, she’d done everythingright.
When Ryan had broken the news to her a week ago that he wasn’t going to return to England, she had been shocked, but it wasn’t the end of the world if he wanted to stay in Thailand a bit longer. When he’d told her that he didn’t plan on coming backat all, that he wanted to end things between them because he wasn’t a ‘relationship guy’, the bottom had fallen out of her world.Not a relationship guy?What did that even mean? They’d already been together for just over four years, after meeting on a night out in London; if that wasn’t a relationship, she didn’t know what was.
Tori turned her head back towards the luggage. Still no sign of her bag. She let out a long, deep breath. Where was her rucksack? There were less people clambering for a spot at the side of the carousel now the number of bags had reduced. Eventually there was just a single bag left, a bright pink wheely suitcase covered in gold flamingos, circling around unclaimed. Tori looked around her and realized that she was the only passenger from Flight 231 left in the baggage reclaim hall. She pressed her fingers into her temples; she could feel the beginnings of a headache forming at the base of her skull. Her bag wasn’t coming, was it? She sighed. Why did this kind of stuff always happen to her? If she’d knowna bag was going to go missing, she would have placed a bet on it being hers. As if she wasn’t already exhausted from the flight home and the emotional turmoil of being dumped, now she was going to have to deal with a visit to the lost luggage desk. Great. Just great.
Tori fired off a quick text to her mum, Joyce, who she knew would be waiting for her in the Arrivals terminal.I’m back safe and sound! Can’t wait to see you!!! Got to detour to lost luggage first, I’ll be as quick as I can xxTori felt slightly queasy when she thought about the prospect of breaking the news about Ryan to her mum. She hadn’t told anyone about the break-up yet, not even her friends from her business degree course at university. With the split coming out of nowhere, she hoped there was still a chance that Ryan would come to his senses, change his mind and follow her home, telling her he’d made a terrible mistake. That was still possible, right? What was the point of upsetting everyone when there could still be a chance of things working out? She didn’t want her mum’s opinion of Ryan to be clouded in the future, and she knew if she told her about the way he’d behaved this week, it would be. She loved her mum dearly, but she wasn’t one to forgive and forget, particularly when it came to men. When Joyce had asked her why Ryan wasn’t flying home, she’d invented an excuse about him having found some temporary work and said that he’d be joining her in Blossom Heath in a few weeks. She felt dreadful lying to her mum; it wasn’t something she’d usually do, but surely these were exceptional circumstances? If she didn’t say the words out loud, she couldstill pretend that it hadn’t really happened, that she wasn’t single. That just felt easier somehow.
Tori had hopped straight on a plane the day after Ryan had broken the news that their relationship was over. There was no way she was hanging around to see him embark on his newly single life.No way in hell. Even though she hoped their split was just a blip and Ryan would feel differently once he’d got whatever this was out of his system, she couldn’t wait to get back home. Tori knew her mum would worry when she discovered that things hadn’t worked out as planned for her and Ryan. They were supposed to be arriving hometogether, ready to get started on the next chapter in their lives. Finding work… moving in together… perhaps even a wedding. She shook her head. There was no point in going over what might have been, she needed to stay positive; she was sure if she let things settle, she could speak to Ryan… convince him to change his mind. And if not, well, she’d have to choose her moment wisely and tell her mum when the time was right. She couldn’t cope with seeing the disappointment on her face when she found out.
Tori followed the signs from the baggage hall leading her to the lost luggage desk and she knew she was in the right place as soon as she spotted a queue of people who looked irate and exhausted simultaneously. Oh well, at least she wasn’t the only unlucky passenger in baggage reclaim today. She could hear the man at the front of the queue shouting at the attendant behind the desk.
‘What’s the point of paying for first class if you can’t evenbe trusted to get my bags here? Do you know how much this flight cost me?’ the man shouted, turning redder and redder in the face.
Tori bristled slightly and found her grip on her handbag tightening. Whatever had happened to this man’s luggage, she was pretty sure that screaming at the woman behind the desk wasn’t going to make it appear any faster. Honestly, why are some people so rude? No onewantsto lose their luggage but it’s not the poor girl behind the desk’s fault. Tori decided to make sure she was as nice as possible to the desk clerk when it was her turn; it was the least she could do to make up for her having to deal with that dreadful man. As she stepped forward to speak to the luggage clerk, she made a mental note to never apply for a job on a lost luggage desk. Think of all those angry people you’d have to deal with every day. She shuddered.
As Tori made her way out of the Arrivals gate, she spotted her mum instantly.
‘Mum!’ she shouted, as she ran towards her with her arms outstretched.
‘There’s my girl,’ said Joyce, engulfing her daughter in a hug. ‘Oh, I’ve missed you. Come on, let me have a look at you,’ she said, taking a step back to examine Tori full in the face. ‘You look gorgeous as always, a bit too skinny and your hair has got so light,’ she said, ruffling her daughter’s long brown hair.
‘Ah, that’ll be all the sunshine in Thailand,’ Tori replied, smiling.
‘Well, it suits you, love, it’s a very… sun-kissed look.’
‘Thanks, Mum.’
‘What a shame about your bag, though. What did the lost luggage people say?’
‘Oh, I’ve filled out a form and they’ve given me a reference number. Fingers crossed they’ll be able to track it down. They’ll send it on to the house if they find it, so I won’t need to come back.’
‘That’s something at least,’ Joyce replied. ‘It’s such a shame that Ryan couldn’t fly back with you, love. I bet you’re going to miss him.’
‘Oh, yeah,’ she said, not quite meeting her mum’s eye. ‘I miss him already.’
‘What is it you said that’s keeping him out there?’
‘Just some bar work, but it’s really good money,’ she added quickly, ‘and what with us saving up for a place of our own, he couldn’t really turn it down,’ she lied.
‘Of course not, love. It’s good that he’s thinking about your future – you’ve found yourself a good one there.’
