Page 33 of New Beginnings at the Cosy Cat Cafe
‘Honestly?’
‘Honestly. Especially if it means you’ll be staying in Blossom Heath.’
‘It does.’
‘Well, I’m all in then. Why don’t we go back to the kitchen, and you can tell us all about it. It’s exciting news.’
‘As long as you promise not to play matchmaker.’
‘Pinky swear,’ said Rose, her little finger outstretched.
‘Deal,’ said Tori, hooking her own finger around Rose’s and shaking.
‘Tonight’s just four friends having dinner. No pressure.’
‘No pressure sounds good,’ agreed Tori, standing up.
‘Now, let’s get some food dished up, shall we? I’m starving!’
‘When aren’t you?’ said Tori, laughing, as she followed Rose out of the bathroom.
After her initial surprise at Leo’s arrival, Tori had an enjoyable evening catching up with her friends. She chuckled hearing Jake talk about Rose’s disastrous attempts at cooking, which led to Rose suggesting he take full responsibility for all the meals they ate in the future. Tori talked about the plans for the cat café and her friends shared in her excitement and made offers of help. Tori found that she enjoyed Leo’s company, he was witty and good-humoured, and she was surprised at how much they had in common. He’d travelled a lot and they’d visited many of the same far-flung locations; he was an animal lover too and they had the same taste in music, with his album collection ranging from the Spice Girls to AC/DC. She liked how genuinely kind he was; he’d even offered to drop by the Cosy Cup and help her with fire regulations. Rose had been right: it couldn’t hurt to be friends with Leo, could it?
As Leo drove home from Harper Farm, he found himself smiling. When Rose had called him that afternoon to ask him to join them for dinner, he wasn’t sure how Tori would react. He had thought they were getting on well when he’d seen her last night in the pub, but she couldn’t get away from him fast enough when he’d fudged an attempt to ask her out. He really couldn’t read her.
When he’d arrived at Jake’s farm, he could tell that Torihadn’t expected him to be there. Jake had said as much when she fled to the bathroom. He didn’t know much about Tori’s past, he didn’t want to pry, but Jake had told him that she’d just got out of a long-term relationship with the boyfriend she’d been travelling with. It seemed as though things were still pretty raw, and he wanted to make sure he didn’t come on too strong.
Tonight was different, though. He sensed that Tori felt more at ease in his company. The conversation between them had flowed naturally and, if he hadn’t had an early shift the next day, he’d still be at the farmhouse listening to stories of her adventures. He loved how passionate she was when she told him about the plans for the Cosy Cup too; her face had been so animated when she’d talked about it and her enthusiasm was infectious. A cat café in Blossom Heath! What an idea! He really hoped that Tori could make it work. And he was happy to do whatever he could to help her. As he pulled his BMW onto the driveway of his terraced house on the outskirts of the village, he spotted his cats sitting on the doorstep waiting for him, their green eyes shining brightly in the reflection of the car’s headlights.
‘Hey, you two,’ he said, as he got out of the car. ‘Waiting for dinner?’ Tinkerbell ran over to him meowing. ‘I know, I know, don’t worry, food’s on its way.’ He opened the front door and the cats darted across the threshold. ‘Okay, okay, at least give me a chance to take my shoes off,’ Leo laughed as they yowled at full volume. ‘Honestly, anyone would think I never feed you,’ he said, picking their empty food bowlsup from the kitchen floor. Each pink bowl had the word ‘Princess’ and a tiny golden crown embossed on the side of it. They had been chosen by Leo’s eight-year-old niece, Lara, as a Christmas present for his feline duo. Lara loved the cats just as much as he did and was always begging her mum for a cat of her own, without success. Leo grabbed some cat food and Tinkerbell’s patience ran out when she spotted the sachets being opened and she jumped onto the kitchen worktop. ‘Honestly, Tinks, patience young lady,’ said Leo, placing her back on the kitchen floor. ‘There you go, girls,’ he said, putting the bowls down as the cats dived in eagerly. Tallulah was purring while she ate. ‘Tally, I swear you have the loudest purr ever,’ he said, reaching down to stroke her on the back.
Leo, loosening the belt on his jeans, grabbed a beer from the fridge and settled himself on the sofa. He fired off a text to Jake.Thanks for tonight, mate. Great to see you both. Jake had been a good friend to Leo since he’d arrived in the village almost a year ago. They’d met when Leo had signed up for the local Sunday league football team, Rye Rangers, and they discovered they were both Spurs fans. Jake had been quick to include Leo in his circle of friends and they’d often go to the Apple Tree together or hang out and watch the footie. As he reached down to finish his beer, his phone buzzed.Our pleasure. See you at football next weekend. Next weekend? Leo had almost forgotten. Their upcoming match was the biggest of the season, against Ashford Albion. The two teams were fierce rivals and Rye hadn’t beaten them in the last coupleof matches. Leo hoped that the next match would put an end to their losing streak. He typed out a reply:Deffo. We’re due a win!!!Perhaps Rose would come and bring Tori too. Since Rose and Jake had been together, Rose would usually come to matches and cheer Jake on from the sidelines. Leo had often wished he could find his ‘Rose’, someone he could talk to, maybe even settle down with? Although he’d never been short of dates, finding his ‘person’ was something that had eluded him so far. There had been girlfriends, but no one that he’d ever felt he wanted to commit to, build a life with. Maybe he just wasn’t ready to settle down yet? He took another sip of beer. Tallulah hopped up onto the sofa and quickly made herself comfortable in his lap, purring away contentedly.
Tori seemed different to most of the women he had dated. He couldn’t quite put his finger on it, but there was something about her that intrigued him. She was obviously gorgeous with her green eyes and beautiful smile, but it was more than just that though… She had a certain spark about her that he couldn’t quite quantify, but it drew him to her. Maybe he should ask Jake for her number? Was that too much? He didn’t want to come across as pushy… To hell with it, he fired off a text:No worries if not mate, but do you think I could have Tori’s number?
As Tori was about to turn off her bedroom light, she heard her phone vibrate on the bedside table next to her. She had a message from a number she didn’t recognize.Hi Tori, it wasgreat to see you this evening, I can’t wait for the cat café to open! Leo xxSurprising herself, Tori found that she was pleased to hear from him. It was pointless denying it, therewassomething there between her and Leo and she’d be a fool if she didn’t explore it. She replied:Lovely to see you too, next time you’re passing the Cosy Cup, pop in and say hi, the coffee is on me xxBefore she’d even managed to put it back down, her phone buzzed again.I’ll hold you to that xxShe smiled, flicked off the bedside lamp and fell into the most contented sleep she’d experienced since she’d been back in Blossom Heath.
Chapter 12
The following week passed in a blur. Tori was busy running the café single-handedly as Rose had been kept busy at school, and she collapsed into her bed after every shift, exhausted. She didn’t know how her mum had managed to run the place alone since Cathy had left. It all meant that she hadn’t made as much progress with her plans for the cat café as she would have liked, but she’d get there. She had a long to-do list and she was determined to spend Sunday night at home, working through it. Her mum wasn’t due back at the café until the following Monday as Tori was adamant that she wasn’t to return until her medication had properly kicked in and she was feeling better. Despite this, Joyce made an appearance on Saturday morning.
‘Mum! What are you doing here?’ Tori asked, as she spotted Joyce walking through the door. ‘You’re not supposed to be back until next week?’
‘Oh, I’m feeling so much better now, love. There’s nosense in me sitting at home twiddling my thumbs while you’re rushed off your feet, is there?’
Joyce did look so much better than she had a couple of weeks ago. The medication was clearly kicking in as her energy levels were virtually back to normal.
‘Well, only if you’resureyou’re feeling up to it?’ Tori stared at her mum, eyes narrowed.
‘I am,’ replied Joyce, ‘I promise.’
Tori got the sense that, whatever her objections might be, her mum was going nowhere. She sighed. ‘Okay then, but I’ll be keeping my beady eye on you and any signs that it’s getting too much too soon and I’m sending you home. Deal?’
‘Have you forgotten thatI’mthe parent?’
‘Deal?’
‘Okay, fine. Now where do you want me?’
