Page 18 of New Beginnings at the Cosy Cat Cafe
‘I thought I’d mix things up a bit, and it’s one of the few things I know I can make. Do you think people will go for it?’
‘Definitely! In fact, I’m putting my lunch order in now, so you better save me some,’ Rose laughed.
‘Consider it done.’
‘Wow, that Vicky sponge looks impressive – I wouldn’t have spotted Joyce hadn’t made it.’
‘Really?’ said Tori. ‘I’ll take that.’
‘Right, let’s do this,’ said Rose, taking a deep breath and stepping out from behind the counter to take her first order.
Rose and Tori worked non-stop through the lunchtime rush and their system worked perfectly. Rose took and delivered orders, cleared tables and kept the customers smiling, while Tori focused on making coffees and getting orders out of the kitchen. Just as Rose had predicted, the smashed avocados on sourdough had been a huge hit. Before they knew it, the pair of them were working together seamlessly and they’d almost made it through the busiest part of the day.Almost.
‘Hey, Tori. Could you speak to that woman over in the window seat for me?’ said Rose.
‘Oh God,’ said Tori, looking over.
‘What?’
‘That’s Violet Davenport,’ Tori groaned.
‘And that’s bad because?’
‘Because she’s Vicious Violet, literally the fussiest woman in the world. Even Mum can never get anything right for her.’
‘Do you want me to speak to her? She did ask for you by name, though.’
‘No, it’s fine, I’ll go,’ said Tori, walking over to Violet’s table. Tori forced her face into a smile. ‘Mrs Davenport, hello. What can I help you with?’
‘It’s this cheese scone. It’sdry,’ Violet said, picking the scone up and then dropping it back onto her plate. ‘Are you sure it’s freshly baked?’
‘Quite sure, yes. I baked it myself this morning,’ said Tori, doing her best to keep her smile in place.
‘Youbaked it?’ replied Violet, screwing her face up to inspect the scone more closely. ‘Well, that explains it. You clearly don’t know what you’re doing.’
‘I’m sorry, Mum’s out of action today, so it’s just me running things, I’m afraid,’ said Tori, trying her best to be pleasant. ‘Can I get you something else instead?’
‘No, thank you,’ said Violet, pushing the plate away from her. ‘I’d like a full refund. I can’t imagine anything else you’ve baked is edible either.’
‘Oh, erm, right, sorry,’ said Tori, feeling flustered. She noticed a few of the other customers had turned to look. ‘I’ll just get that for you, Mrs Davenport.’ Tori walked towards the cash register. It was taking every ounce of self-control she had not to lose her rag and remain professional. She collected the money and returned it to Violet. ‘I’m sorry you didn’t enjoy your scone. Mum will be back soon and I’m sure you’ll find everything will have returned to normal.’
‘I certainly hope so,’ said Violet, scooping the change into her purse and standing up abruptly to leave.
‘See you next week, then,’ said Tori, doing her best to muster a cheery wave as Violet departed. ‘It’s no wonder everyone calls you Vicious Violet behind your back,’ she muttered under her breath as soon as Violet was out of earshot.
She turned as she heard a voice whisper, ‘Viciousis a bit harsh. She seems more of an old prune to me.’
Tori spun around to find herself face to face with Leo. ‘Make a habit of eavesdropping on other people?’ she said, her suppressed annoyance towards Violet suddenly spilling over.
‘God, no, sorry, that’s not what I was doing,’ said Leo, holding his hands up and taking a step backwards. ‘I just thought I’d lighten the mood a bit, that’s all.’
‘Oh, I’m sorry. I’m just angry with Violet – I didn’t mean to take it out on you, Leo,’ she said, her tone quickly softening.
‘Forget it,’ said Leo, his face reddening. ‘I thought I’d pop in after we met, I thought we…’ His voice trailed off and he looked away.
‘Ah, okay,’ said Tori awkwardly.
‘I thought we got on, that’s all, and, after you invited me here…’
