Page 38 of New Beginnings at the Cosy Cat Cafe
‘Sorry?’
‘I said, what’s on your mind? I can tell you’re miles away – you’ve barely touched your dinner.’
‘Sorry, Mum. I’m thinking about the business plan. It’s so much more involved than I thought. There’s a lot of work to do to make sure we’ve got everything covered. I don’t want to get too far ahead of myself, though, while we’re still waiting for the go-ahead from the council.’
‘Why don’t you talk me through things? That might help make it all a little clearer?’
‘Hang on, let me grab my notebook,’ said Tori, pushing her plate of spaghetti aside. She leafed through a few pages until she came to the checklist she’d made that afternoon. ‘We need to make sure the café is escape-proof. I was thinking an additional set of doors, almost like a kind of lobby area.’
‘Okay, that sounds doable. What else?’
‘We need to create quiet spaces for the cats away from customers. Other cat cafés have shelves and hidey-holes high on the walls so they can sleep undisturbed.’
‘That seems easy enough.’
‘We should put some walkways up too, like rope bridges suspended from the ceiling. Something like this maybe?’ Tori reached for her phone and pulled up some pictures she’d spotted online.
‘How clever!’
‘We’ve got to make things as cat-friendly as possible.’
‘Agreed. Why don’t you let me have a chat with Greg Ellis? I’ve always used him when I’ve needed work doing on the tearoom and his prices are fair. Let’s get him out to have a look and once we have his quote, we’ll know what we’re dealing with.’
‘If you’re sure? I can show him some of the designs I’ve seen online and see if we can have something similar.’
‘I’ll call him this evening.’
‘I’ve not had a chance to speak to Izzy at New Beginnings yet, so I’ll try her mobile tonight. She might be able to advise us on the welfare side of things too?’
‘Let’s finish dinner, we’ve got calls to make!’
After their meal, Tori sat at the dining-room table with her notebook at hand and dialled Izzy’s number. She picked up on the first ring.
‘Hello?’
‘Hi. Is that Izzy?’ Tori asked.
‘Speaking.’
‘I’m Tori Baxter, from the Cosy Cup. If you’re the same Izzy Sullivan I’m thinking of, then you might remember me from school?’
‘Hi, Tori! Yes, of course I remember you! It’s been ages!’
‘How are you? I don’t think we’ve seen each other since the school-leaving ball!’ said Tori.
‘It’s been forever, hasn’t it? I never thought I’d end up back in Blossom Heath running a rescue, but here I am!’
‘Well, you always loved animals; I remember those kittens you helped your mum to hand-rear when we were kids. She brought them into school once, remember?’
‘Oh, yes! I’d forgotten about that,’ said Izzy.
‘I hope you don’t mind but Grace suggested I give you a call.’
‘Grace was here yesterday; she mentioned your plans for the tearoom. It certainly sounds like an interesting project.’
‘Thanks. I’ve been doing my research and I’d love for the café’s residents to be rescues looking for homes. I wonder if you might consider teaming up with us?’
‘Can I be totally honest with you, Tori?’
