Page 4 of New Beginnings at the Cosy Cat Cafe
‘What? Jean’s niece, from Jasmine Cottage? Wow! I thought she was engaged and living in London…’
‘She was, but she came back last spring to help out when Jean had her fall—’
‘Jean had a fall? Is she okay?’
‘She’s fine now; she fractured a hip but she’s fully recovered. Anyway, Rose came down to help out and ended up falling for a local lad and breaking up with her fiancé.’
‘Seriously? Who?’
‘Jake Harper!’
‘Jake! No way!’
‘They fell head over heels for each other by all accounts. Rose’s living with Jean at Jasmine Cottage but I don’t think it’ll be too long before she’s moved in at Harper Farm with Jake.’
‘Wow! That’s amazing, I can’t believe Rose is back for good. I’ve not spoken to her properly since I went to Japan; being on the move all the time makes it harder to stay in touch.’
‘She’s got a job locally too, teaching up at the school. I told her you’re back this weekend and she’s dying to see you.’
‘I can’t wait to catch up with her. I’ll drop her a message – it’s been too long.’
‘Just you wait until Ryan flies back and then the four of you can go out on double dates!’
Tori felt her mouth go unbearably dry at the mention of Ryan’s name.
‘Oh, yeah, maybe.’
‘He’s a lovely lad is Ryan – I’m sure he’ll get on well with Rose.’
‘Uh-huh,’ Tori agreed, nodding. This was ridiculous. She needed to tell her mum the truth; she’d never lied to her mother before and it wasn’t a habit she wanted to get into. It was one thing not wanting to tell her over the phone but another to keep it from her now she was home. She needed to be brave, she took a deep breath and—
‘You know, I was thinking. I know it’s early days as you’ve only just got back and Ryan’s not even here yet but, well, I’ve got a bit of cash put by and I’d like to help you out with the deposit on a house.’
‘Mum, no, we couldn’t accept anything like that,’ Tori said quickly, her voice catching.
‘Now, let me stop you there, love. I know how hard it is for young couples nowadays getting their foot on the property ladder. Iwantto do this for the pair of you, so just let me, will you? No arguments?’ Joyce took Tori’s hand again and locked eyes with her. ‘Please, love? Let me help?’
Tori felt physically sick. What could she say?Sorry Mum, but the man you think is the perfect boyfriend dumped me a week ago and isn’tflying back to England at all. In fact, I’ve pretty much wasted the last four years of my life with him. No. It would break her mum’s heart. She’d have to bide her time before she broke the news. If there was any chance of a reconciliation, any chance at all, she needed to keep her lips sealed.
‘Sure, Mum, that would be great,’ she said, blinking back tears.
‘Oh, come here, love,’ said Joyce, standing and flinging her arms around her. ‘You know we could even go and have a look at a few places before Ryan gets back? Just see what’s available? They’re building some lovely starter homes up on that estate past the school. Jake’s sister Kate bought one recently and it’s lovely apparently.’
‘Why not?’ Tori agreed. What was wrong with her?Why was she saying yes? She was just digging herself a deeper and deeper hole that she’d have to find her way out of eventually. She couldn’t keep lying forever.
Chapter 3
Tori woke up the next morning feeling refreshed yet sad, after one of the best night’s sleep she’d had in over a year. There really was nothing like your own bed after months spent sleeping in youth hostels and budget hotels.
‘Morning, Ernie,’ she said, reaching down to scratch the cat on the top of the head. There was something comforting about Ernie’s presence at the foot of her bed; she hadn’t got used to sleeping alone again – her break-up with Ryan was so recent.Ryan.She sat up and placed her head in her hands. Why hadn’t she told her mum the truth about him when she’d first stepped off the plane? Putting off breaking the news to her mum had seemed easier when she was still in Thailand, but now all she’d done was create even more problems for herself. She knew deep down that clinging to hopes of a reconciliation was, at best, a long shot. Now her mum was offering the pair of them cash for a deposit on a house and they weren’t even together anymore.Oh God! She slumped back onto the bed and covered her head with thepillow. Her mum even wanted to go to look at houses with her this week. What a mess.
Tempting as it might be, staying in bed all day wasn’t going to fix anything, she told herself. No, she needed to face things head-on. Tori could hear her mum moving around in the kitchen below. She decided to take action. She took a deep breath, threw back the duvet and pulled on her dressing gown. She’d go downstairs right now and tell her mum the truth. Honesty really was the best policy. As she descended the stairs, she could hear her mum in the kitchen singing along to the radio.
‘Since when did you become a Ronan Keating fan?’ Tori giggled, pulling up a chair at the kitchen table.
‘It’s a catchy tune and, anyway, I’ve got a good singing voice.’
‘I know, I’m only messing,’ said Tori, smiling. ‘What’s all this anyway? Looks like you’re cooking up a feast.’
