Page 13 of New Beginnings at the Cosy Cat Cafe
‘I’ll hold it steady,’ said Ted, ‘just take it slow and try not to spook him.’
Tori nodded and took a deep breath. She’d been rock climbing on her travelling adventures so a medium-sized tree should be easy enough.
‘Piece of cake,’ she said under her breath. As she climbed the ladder, she whispered to Ernie encouragingly, ‘Come on, little man, just a bit closer.’ She stretched out an arm. Ernie yowled and shifted his weight awkwardly. ‘That’s it, this way…’ But Ernie turned his back and, much to Tori’s frustration, climbed even higher up the tree. ‘Seriously, Ern? You do get I’m trying to rescue you, right? I’m not climbing this tree for fun,’ she muttered. Finally admitting defeat, she made her way back down. ‘We’ll have to think of something else. Whether he’s scared or just being bloody-minded, there’s no way he’s coming down.’
‘That’s cats for you,’ laughed Rose. ‘Fickle.’
‘I think we’re going to have to call the fire brigade out on this one,’ said Maggie.
‘You’re not serious?’ said Tori, half laughing.
‘I think Mags is right,’ agreed Ted.
‘But surely they’ve got actual emergencies to be dealing with. Won’t they think this is a waste of time?’ said Tori.
‘I bet you’d be surprised how often they deal with things like this,’ Ted explained. ‘Honestly, Tori, they’ve got the right equipment to get high enough and they’ll have Ernie down in a flash. The last thing you want him to do is panic and injure himself.’
‘Well, I guess so,’ said Tori.
‘Grace!’ shouted Rose, in the direction of a woman in her late twenties, wearing skinny jeans and a T-shirt, striding across the green towards them. Her hair was pulled back into a messy bun and she was waving as she approached.
‘Grace?’ asked Tori.
‘She’s the local vet. She helped me when I found Scout last year,’ said Rose.
‘Hi, all,’ said Grace, smiling, ‘I was just popping out for a coffee – what’s going on?’
‘It’s Tori’s cat, Ernie. He seems to have got himself well and truly stuck,’ explained Rose, pointing up to the branches of the tree.
‘Should I call the fire brigade?’ asked Ted.
‘I’m guessing that ladder won’t reach him?’ Grace asked, craning her neck to look up.
‘Afraid not,’ said Tori.
‘Officially speaking, the fire service will only come out if the RSPCA call, but they owe me a favour so I’ll see what I can do,’ said Grace, pulling her phone out of her pocket.
‘Brilliant, thanks, I’d appreciate that,’ replied Tori.
‘Who would have thought a cat could cause this much trouble?’ said Ted.
‘You should introduce Ernie to Scout,’ said Rose, smiling. ‘Honestly, if I had a pound for every time she managed to get herself in trouble…’
‘All part of owning a pet,’ replied Mags. ‘You should hear some of the near misses Grace has to deal with. Ernie will be fine,’ she said, giving Tori’s arm a squeeze.
‘They’re on their way,’ said Grace, putting her phone away. ‘I’ll hang on if you like, give him a once-over when they’ve got him down to put your mind at rest, Tori.’
It wasn’t long before Tori heard sirens approaching and she spotted a fire engine closing in on the green.
‘Did they really need to switch the sirens on?’ said Tori; she could feel her face burning hot. ‘It’s not exactly a life-or-death situation, is it?’
‘Maybe it’s a quiet day,’ replied Grace with a shrug. ‘Come on, I’ll introduce you.’ She grabbed Tori by the arm and walked with her towards the fire engine. ‘Hi, Leo,’ she said, waving at one of the firefighters.
‘Hi, Grace,’ replied one of the most attractive men Tori had ever seen. Leo was at least six foot four with broad shoulders, piercing blue eyes and a mop of curly brown hair peeking out beneath his firefighter’s helmet. ‘Let me guess? You’ve got a cat stuck in a tree for us?’
‘You’ve got it in one,’ laughed Grace. ‘This is Tori, Ernie’s owner. Tori, this is Leo Walker.’
‘Thanks for coming out so quickly,’ Tori stammered, her face burning hot. ‘I know it’s not exactly a real emergency, well, compared to what you usually deal with, I mean…’
