Page 2 of New Beginnings at the Cosy Cat Cafe
‘Yeah, I have,’ Tori said, trying hard to blink away the tears that she could feel pooling at the backs of her eyes.
‘What’s wrong, love?’
‘Oh, just my allergies,’ said Tori, wiping her eyes with the back of her hands. ‘I think the air conditioning on the plane has flared them up.’
‘Here, use this,’ said Joyce, passing Tori a pack of tissues from her handbag.
‘Thanks, Mum,’ said Tori with a sniff.
‘Now, would you like to grab a coffee here or head home and I’ll make you one of my hot chocolates?’ Joyce was the owner of Blossom Heath’s only tearoom, the Cosy Cup, and her calorific cakes and treats were legendary.
‘With all the trimmings?’
‘Obviously. Cream, marshmallowsandchocolate sprinkles.’
‘Like it’s even a choice, Mum,’ said Tori, taking her mum’s arm.
‘Home it is, then,’ Joyce laughed. ‘I can’t tell you how good it is to have you back for good, love. It’s such a relief to know that you’re safe and sound, and you and Ryan are here to stay.’
‘Hmm, yep… me and Ryan,’ Tori said, nodding in agreement. Her hands felt shaky as they walked back towards the car. She really hoped she wasn’t going to have to break it to her mum just yet that things between her and Ryan were over. She knew how much her mum loved Ryan and how upset she’d be that things hadn’t worked out for the pair of them. She wanted to wait a while in case there was a chance of her and Ryan getting back together. Why worry her mum if it wasn’t really necessary? As she put her bags into the car, she realized that her return home was going to be harder than she thought. Much harder.
Chapter 2
The drive from the airport whizzed by. Tori had so much to tell her mum about; she hadn’t seen her for just over a year and the pair of them had always been close. Tori’s dad had left when she was fifteen and he hadn’t kept in touch much since. She got the obligatory Christmas and birthday cards and the odd phone call, but they hadn’t seen much of each other over the past few years. Tori had found it hard to forgive him after he left Joyce for another woman and her dad had made little effort to stay in contact with her. The way she saw it, if he couldn’t be bothered to make the effort then neither could she. Perhaps he was embarrassed about the way he’d treated her mum and was too ashamed to show his face? Either way, they were better off without him; things were easier, just the two of them against the world.
As they pulled up outside the Cosy Cup, Tori smiled. It felt good to be back with her mum again, to be back in Blossom Heath, even if it wasn’t in the circumstances she’d hoped for.
‘It’s so good to be back, everything looks exactly the same,’ said Tori as she walked into the tearoom and eyed the cakes behind the counter. ‘How come you’re closed this afternoon? I thought Cathy would be holding the fort?’
‘Oh, I thought I’d told you, love – it must have slipped my mind. Cathy left a couple of weeks ago – she met a new man and moved to Northampton. I’ve been on my own since. As it’s Sunday, I thought I’d close early.’
‘On your own? But Mum, that’s way too much for one person – you can’t possibly manage to bake, serve and keep up with all the orders at the same time,’ said Tori, her brow furrowed.
‘I manage. I’ve reduced the opening hours and I’ve scaled the menu back a bit. Anyway, I only needed to get through a couple of weeks until you were home and I’d have reinforcements.’
‘Oh, I see,’ said Tori, exhaling. She wasn’t sure that working at the Cosy Cup was exactly what she had planned for her future now she wasn’t with Ryan.What exactly was her plan?She felt her heart beat slightly faster when she realized that she didn’t know. She hadn’t thought that far ahead.
‘Now you’re back for good, there’s no need to worry about hiring someone new. It’s all worked out perfectly,’ Joyce said with a smile.
‘Perfectly, yes.’ Tori nodded, feeling a queasy sensation in her stomach, she really didn’t know how long she’d be staying in Blossom Heath. ‘Ooh, you’ve got coffee and walnut cake,’ she said, keen to change the subject.
‘You could give me a chance to get my coat off,’ Joyce laughed. ‘You know where everything is – grab yourself a slice and I’ll get to work on the hot chocolates.’
Tori threw her handbag down on her favourite chair by the window, picked up a plate and cut a huge slice of cake. She was ravenous. The meal she’d had on the flight had been awful, congealed pasta with a sauce that had some kind of meat in it, although she couldn’t tell what. She picked up a fork and sat down at the window table. It had always been her favourite spot as she could see all the comings and goings on the village green and over the years, she’d spent countless hours watching the world go by. She was just getting comfy when she saw a large ginger cat, around the size of a small dog, appear at the café door, meowing frantically, hoping to be let in.
‘Ernie!’ cried Tori, jumping up from her seat.
‘You know the rules – he’s not allowed in here,’ Joyce called out. Tori and Joyce lived in the house next to the Cosy Cup and one of the rules was that Ernie was never allowed in the tearoom.
‘Oh, come on, Mum, it won’t hurt just once. He hasn’t seen me for a year!’
‘Go on, then,’ Joyce said, relenting. ‘As long as it’s just this once.’
Tori opened the front door and scooped Ernie up in her arms, which was no mean feat considering he was a Maine Coon who weighed in at just over eight kilograms. Tori rubbed him gently under the chin and the cat immediately began purring contentedly.
‘Oh, I missed you, Ernie, I’d forgotten just how adorable you are,’ she said as she popped him down on the floor so he could begin exploring. Tori looked around the little tearoom fondly; she loved how warm and inviting the place had always been. Although, she had to admit, it was starting to look a little dated. The pretty gingham tablecloths, intricate handmade doilies and mismatched boho furniture were all looking tired and in need of replacement. Tori took a huge bite of her cake. ‘Mmm, I can’t tell you how much I’ve missed your baking, Mum,’ she said, closing her eyes as she savoured the rich frosting.
Joyce laughed. ‘Well, now you’re back home you can eat all the cake you want, love. You can stand to gain a few pounds, you know.’
