Page 39 of New Beginnings at the Cosy Cat Cafe
‘Please.’
‘I do have some reservations. The welfare of the cats in my care comes first. I’m not interested in them being used as a gimmick. I’d want to make sure they get more enrichment than they’d get here at the centre before finding them forever homes.’
‘I totally get that. Of course, for us, ultimately, it’s about adding something different and unique to the Cosy Cup, but I want to be able to help the cats in the process too.’ There was silence at the other end of the phone. Tori’s grip on it tensed. Had she said too much? Could Izzy be convinced her motives were genuine?
After what seemed like an eternity, Izzy finally spoke. ‘Well, Grace seems to believe in you, so that definitely goes in your favour. How about the pair of you come and visit this week, meet some of the cats and then we can take it from there.’
‘Perfect. Thank you, Izzy.’ Tori punched the air as relief flooded through her. ‘I’ll bring some plans along with me, so you can have a look at the designs and see if there’s anything you think we should add or change. I really want to work with you on this, Izzy, you’re the expert and I promise I’lltake your advice on board. If you’re not happy with what we’ve got planned, I totally respect that too.’
‘That sounds like a good starting point. I’ll check with Grace, and we’ll fix a time. It’ll be good to see you again.’
‘Thanks, Izzy. I can’t wait.’ As Tori hung up the phone, she couldn’t remember the last time she’d felt so excited.
Things tended to happen quickly once Joyce was involved in something, and, true to form, by four o’clock Monday afternoon, Greg Ellis was knocking on the door of the Cosy Cup just as they were getting ready to close for the day.
‘Greg!’ said Joyce, shaking his hand firmly. ‘Thanks for coming out so quickly, I really appreciate it.’
Greg was a tall, stocky man in his early sixties with a full head of bright white hair. He was dressed as you’d expect a builder to be, in scruffy jeans streaked with paint, with a red plaid shirt. He carried an A4 notebook, a tape measure and a calculator.
‘Happy to help, especially if there’s a cuppa in the offing,’ he said.
‘Of course; let me throw in a sandwich too. I’m guessing you’ve not had lunch?’ asked Joyce.
‘I have, but there’s always room for one of your special ham and pickle sarnies,’ Greg replied.
‘Oh, stop!’ replied Joyce, blushing.Was Tori imagining things or was Joyce flirting?‘I’ll make you up a plate and I’ll let Tori talk to you about her plans.’
‘Good to see you again, Tori,’ said Greg, shaking her hand.
‘I’m guessing Mum’s told you a bit about our plans?’
‘A cat café,’ he said, whistling. ‘Can’t say I’ve ever heard of anything like it before.’
‘We’ll be the first in Sussex, but there are a few dotted around the UK. Let me show you what we’re thinking.’
Tori sat down with Greg and took him through some of the designs she’d found for the café. He listened patiently and added some thoughts of his own.
‘Well, I certainly think it’s doable. It’s just a case of getting the design right and looking at materials and pricing. Have you got a budget in mind?’ He directed his question at Joyce.
‘I was thinking along the lines of five thousand; I really don’t want to go much over that,’ said Joyce, taking a sip of her milky tea.
‘I think we should be able to come in under that,’ replied Greg. ‘Let me get some measurements and that will give me a clearer idea.’ He stood up and walked towards the front door with his tape measure. Tori followed. ‘We’ll need to put up a stud wall next to the entrance here, to create that lobby area that you wanted. There’ll be a second door here,’ he said, stepping back and outlining the shape in the air with his arms, ‘and that will lead through to the main café. That’s going to be the biggest expense. I’ve been doing some research into cat cafés online since Joyce told me about your plans and we could put a cat flap in this wall and create an area for litter trays so they’re concealed from the public, but the cats can access them whenever they need to. Is that what you were thinking, Tori?’
‘That’s exactly it.’
‘Adding the shelves and walkways higher up shouldn’t be too difficult. I’ve got a fantastic carpenter working for me and he’ll be able to build anything you’d like.’
‘And what about timescales?’ asked Joyce.
‘You’re in luck there,’ said Greg. ‘We’ve just had a big job cancel on us that was booked in for a few weeks’ time, so we can pencil you in while you’re waiting to get the go-ahead from the council.’
‘Wow! Really? I didn’t expect it could all happen so quickly,’ said Tori, her heart rate quickening. ‘We’re still waiting to hear from the council; they’ve said they’ll aim to respond within four weeks, but I’ll ring them to see if we can get an answer any sooner.’
‘Might as well strike while the iron’s hot,’ said Joyce. ‘How long do you think we’ll have to close, Greg?’
‘Around a fortnight, could be quicker, but it’s hard to say for certain until we get started.’
‘What do you think, Mum?’ Tori swallowed hard.
