Page 49 of New Beginnings at the Cosy Cat Cafe
‘God, this is worse than getting my exam results,’ she said to Ernie, who had just jumped up on the kitchen table to greet her. Tori tickled him under the chin, and he began purring instantly. ‘I know the café might be full of cats soon, but you’ll always be my number one, you do know that don’t you, Ern?’ Ernie continued purring contentedly. ‘Good, just checking.’ She nodded. ‘Well, here goes nothing,’ she said, picking up the letter and tearing it open. She took a deep breath before unfolding the sheet of paper in front of her.Dear Ms Baxter, Thank you for your planning application in relation to the Cosy Cup tearoom, Blossom Heath. We are pleased to inform you that your licence to turn the premises into a cat café has been granted.Tori stared at the letter. She scanned it againto ensure there was no mistake…pleased to inform you… licence… granted… there could be no doubt. The Cosy Cat Café had officially been given the green light. She ran next door to the café, the letter firmly clutched in her hands.
‘Mum! Mum!’ she cried, as she entered the kitchen. ‘It’s a yes from the council!’
‘Oh, love, that’s brilliant news, come here,’ said Joyce, throwing her arms around her daughter.
‘So, this is really happening, then?’ said Tori, taking a step back.
‘It really is, my darling, it really is.’
Tori pulled her phone out of her jacket pocket and fired off a text to Leo.The cats are officially a go! Fancy coming along to the rescue to help me choose some kitties?
Chapter 18
Tori sat across from her mum at the kitchen table that evening with bated breath.
‘What do you think?’
‘Hang on, love. I’m on the last page, let me finish,’ said Joyce, as she leafed through Tori’s business plan.
Tori had worked so hard putting the business plan together. She wanted to make sure that she’d thought of everything, covered all the bases. She wanted to impress her mother, to let her know she’d be right to trust her with the tearoom’s future. Tori knew the key to success was in seamlessly merging old with new; the last thing she wanted to do was erase all trace of the Cosy Cup’s roots. It was important that the new café offered all the old favourites, as well as her new additions to the menu, and that customers could still expect the same friendly atmosphere and warm welcome. She ran through the plan again in her mind; she’d included cash-flow forecasts, a marketing plan, expenditure, strategies to diversify and grow the business. Was there anything she’d forgotten?
‘I can certainly see the work you’ve put into this,’ said Joyce, closing the spiral-bound presentation book. ‘I’m impressed,’ she continued, taking off her reading glasses.
‘You are? Seriously?’ said Tori, who was perched on the edge of her seat.
‘I am. You’ve got some great suggestions here; I love all the ideas for expanding the menu, and bringing in some healthier options…’
‘You do?’
‘Absolutely. And the idea of a child-friendly morning and reaching out to clubs and groups in the village is great. I don’t know why I’ve never thought of it before, to be honest – the WI are always moaning about how bad the coffee is at the village hall. Having gifts too – I’m sure that would go down well; mugs and bags people can buy.’
‘Exactly, and I was thinking we could always give a percentage of the profit from the merchandise to New Beginnings, so people wouldn’t just be buying stuff, they’d be helping the rescue at the same time.’
‘I like it,’ said Joyce, nodding. ‘The idea of having bakes inspired by your travels is brilliant… I’ll research Japanese recipes. I’ll really enjoy that too.’
‘I’d love that, Mum! I’ve been looking at ways we could support local makers. I’m going to speak to Jake and see if any of his farm contacts could supply us with their cheese, milk, yoghurt and bacon, for example, and we could do a “local” ploughman’s, with everything coming from local farms, or a Blossom Heath Apple Pie, from the crop of Pippins at theApple Tree,’ said Tori, almost in one breath. ‘Really make the café part of the village. What?’ she asked, aware that Joyce was staring at her.
‘I was just wondering, that’s all.’
‘What?’
‘When exactly did you grow up and become so smart?’
‘So, does that mean you’re okay with the plan?’ asked Tori, holding her breath.
‘One hundred per cent, love. Now we’ve got the go-ahead from the council, I’m going to call Greg and sort out the deposit to get the work started.’
‘And you like the new name too?’
‘The Cosy Cat Café? I do. You’ve kept the “cosy” but given it a new twist – it’s very clever, love.’
‘I wanted to give a little nod to the café’s history and everything you’ve done here. It has a certain ring to it, don’t you think?’
‘The Cosy Cat Café,’ Joyce repeated. ‘You’ll get no arguments from me. The Cosy Cat Café it is.’
A few days later, Tori was driving back up the bumpy road to New Beginnings Rescue Centre. When she pulled into the car park, she saw that Leo was already there. He was with a young girl of around seven or eight years of age. Her hair was styled in a long plait, and she was jumping up and down excitedly, clapping her hands together. Tori pulled into the parking bay alongside his car and the girl ran over and tapped on her window.
‘Are you Tori?’ the girl asked.
