Page 44 of New Beginnings at the Cosy Cat Cafe
‘It has to be Violet. She came in yesterday and said I was going to have a fight on my hands. Just because she doesn’t like the idea of a cat café, she’s going to try and turn the rest of the village against the idea as well!’ Tori felt the urge to cry and bit her lower lip hard in an attempt to stop herself. She couldn’t, she wouldn’t let Vicious Violet ruin things for her before she’d even got started.
‘Just because there’s a meeting doesn’t mean everyone’s going to be against you. I’m sure there’s plenty of people in the village who will love the idea.’
‘I hope so, Mum. I really hope so. I couldn’t bear it if—’
‘That’s enough with the what-ifs,’ said Joyce, gripping Tori’s hand firmly. ‘I’m sure if you explain things, everyone will see how great it’s going to be. We’ll both go along tonight and show everyone the plans. I’ve lived here a long time and this is just what village life is like. People care when they think things might change.’
‘Do you think people will listen, though, Mum? What if we can’t convince them?’
‘I’m sure we can, love. It’ll take more than Violet to stop us.’
‘You’re right,’ said Tori, standing up quickly and grabbing her phone. ‘I’ll get in touch with Grace and Izzy and see if they can come along. We’ve already got their support and if anyone has any concerns about the welfare of the cats, it would be great to have their expert opinions in the room. We can cover all the new additions to the menu we’re planning but reassure everyone that the essence of the Cosy Cup isn’t going to be lost just because we’re having cats there.’
‘Great idea, love. I’m sure having Grace and Izzy there and on board will hold a lot of sway in the village. People trust their judgement and know they’ll have the cats’ best interest at heart.’
‘I wonder if we should have a chat with the other business owners? It would be great if they could come along tonight and show their support. I’m hoping most of them will be in favour of our plans.’
‘That’s the spirit, love. Let’s get started – we’ve got work to do.’
As Tori searched for Grace’s number in the Contacts list on her phone, she was certain of one thing. She wasn’t going to give up on her plans that easily.
Chapter 16
As Tori walked with Joyce into the packed village hall just before eight o’clock, she tried to quash the nerves that were building inside her. What if the rest of the village took Violet’s side? Would the cat café be doomed before they’d even been given permission to open its doors? As they walked towards the row of chairs at the front of the hall, a hush descended around the room.
‘Don’t worry, love. Just be calm, share the plans as thoroughly as you can, and I’m sure it won’t be as bad as you think,’ Joyce whispered.
‘I really hope so,’ said Tori. She spotted Grace and Izzy waving at her from their chairs, and she hurried towards them, eager to escape the limelight.
‘We thought we’d get here early, see what we’re dealing with,’ said Izzy.
‘I didn’t think there’d be so many people here,’ replied Tori, her eyes darting around the room. ‘I don’t even recognize half of them.’
‘It’s the new-build estate; we’ve got so many more people in the village now than we did when you left. It might not necessarily be a bad thing, though,’ said Joyce.
‘Don’t worry,’ said Izzy, ‘you know what this place is like – it doesn’t mean people are against you.’
‘What else is there to do in Blossom Heath on a Tuesday night?’ Tori looked up to see Rose, followed by Jake, Kate and Leo, taking their seats in the row directly behind her. Rose leant forward and gave her an encouraging smile. ‘It’s going to be fine.’
‘Exactly,’ said Joyce. ‘It’s either this or watching a repeat ofMidsomer Murders.’ Tori let out a weak laugh.
Violet Davenport stood up in her front-row seat and turned to face the assembled crowd. She coughed and the audience looked up at her expectantly.
‘Good evening, everyone. I’m sure many of you are aware of the shocking news for the plan to open a cat café here in our village. No doubt most of you were as horrified as I was to hear about it. A cat café will likely bring even more tourists to the village and create utter chaos on our roads.’
Tori heard a few shouts of ‘Hear, hear!’ from the crowd. She threw Grace a panicked look. Violet beamed and nodded approvingly.
‘A cat café in Blossom Heath will attract all sorts of strange people to the village. The place will be full of millennials wanting to takeselfies.’ She put great emphasis on the word and shook her head. ‘Our roads will be clogged up withtraffic. Just think how parking around the village green will be affected. It’s bad enough, without hordes of tourists cluttering up the place.’ A murmur of agreement reverberated through the audience.
‘This is bad,’ Tori whispered to Grace through gritted teeth. ‘Look! Everyone agrees with her.’ She cast her eyes around the room, pointing out all the heads that were nodding thoughtfully at Violet’s words.
‘They’ve not heard your side yet,’ said Kate. ‘Don’t panic.’
‘I don’t know if I can get up there in front of everyone,’ Tori said quietly, sliding further down into her seat. ‘Maybe this reallyisa crazy idea…’
Izzy had clearly heard enough and jumped up from her chair.
‘Seeing as we’ve listened to Mrs Davenport’s concerns, how about we hear Tori and Joyce’s point of view?’
