Page 59 of New Beginnings at the Cosy Cat Cafe
‘That’s the thing, though, I feel like I can’t trust my gut after Ryan. I got him completely wrong. How can I trust my own judgement?’ Tori took a deep breath in.
‘Here,’ said Rose, passing her a box of tissues. ‘Don’t beat yourself up – everyone feels like that after a break-up. It’s only natural that you’re wary about getting involved with someone again so soon.’
‘I guess,’ said Tori, blowing her nose hard.
‘You know, it was a big risk for me to take a chance on Jake. I had my whole life mapped out in London. A job, ahome, a fiancé. Moving here and dating Jake definitely wasn’t thesafeoption…’
‘But it was the right one.’
‘Exactly. And look how everything’s worked out – I’ve got a job I love, a wonderful home here with Aunt Jean and a future with the man I love.’ Scout let out a short, sharp bark. ‘Oh, and the best dog in the world,’ she laughed.
‘She really is the best, aren’t you, girl?’ said Tori, tickling Scout under the chin. She looked up at Rose. ‘So, what do you think I should do?’
‘It’s got to be your decision, Tori, but I think you should give Leo a chance. Even if things don’t work out, at least you can say you tried.’
Tori was immediately reminded of the advice she had given to Jess earlier:You’ll only kick yourself in the future if you don’t give it a shot now. Perhaps it was time she stopped overthinking things and started listening to her own advice?
Chapter 21
Tori decided to take a drive that evening to clear her head. She needed to pick up a few bits for the café that weren’t stocked at Harrison’s, so she headed for the retail park on the outskirts of the village to go shopping. As she locked the car, she scanned the shopping list:litter trays, cat litter, dry kibble and wet food, scratching posts.She’d put in a bulk order for supplies online, but who knew when that would arrive. Grabbing a trolley, she wandered the aisles, filling it as she went. As she rounded the corner,bang– she shuddered as she slammed into another trolley.
‘Hey, careful,’ said the man stood in front of her.
Tori looked up, straight into the eyes of Leo. ‘Oh God, I’m so sorry. That was totally my fault.’
‘Tori, don’t worry about it, I wasn’t looking—’
‘No, it was me, honestly I—’
Leo started to laugh.
‘How about we share the responsibility? I wasn’t looking where I was going…’ said Tori.
‘And I wasn’t paying attention?’
‘Exactly.’ Tori wasn’t sure what to say next, but she was relieved to see that Leo was smiling. ‘Listen, about that text I sent you yesterday…’ she started.
‘Forget it,’ he said, waving a hand dismissively. ‘I asked, you answered. There’s no need to explain.’
‘That’s just it, though, Iwantto explain,’ Tori continued. ‘I panicked when I got your message, to be honest. It took me by surprise and I… kind of, well… reacted. It’s not that I don’t want to go on a date, it’s just that I’m…’
‘Not ready?’ said Leo. Tori nodded. ‘Don’t worry, I understand,’ he said. ‘I guess my timing wasn’t great?’
‘I do like you, Leo, really, I do. That’s not the problem,’ she said, blushing. ‘I’m just not sure I’m ready to date anyone yet.’
‘That’s fair enough, the last thing I want to do is pressure you,’ he said, rubbing the stubble on his chin. ‘How about this? Let’s just hang out, see where things go? I promise not to ask you out again, and when you’re feeling ready, you can ask me – if you want to, that is?’
‘What? On a date?’
‘Exactly. If you want to… in the future I mean,’ he said quickly, ‘you ask me.’
Tori thought about it for a moment. Her face broke into a smile. ‘I like it,’ she said, nodding in agreement. ‘When I’m feeling ready to date again, you’ll be the first to know.’
‘Deal,’ said Leo, holding his hand out for her to shake.
‘Deal,’ agreed Tori, taking his hand in hers.
‘So, what are you shopping for?’ asked Leo, surveying the contents of her trolley.
