Page 84 of New Beginnings at the Cosy Cat Cafe
‘Obviously!’ replied Lara, rolling her eyes. ‘I am, aren’t I, Tori?’
‘Oh yes, of course,’ replied Tori, giggling, ‘my absolute favourite. Now, let’s get you sat down, shall we?’ Tori led the way through the café, grabbing a couple of menus from behind the counter en route to the table that Cora had left empty. ‘Let me get these out of your way,’ she said hurriedly, reaching for the untouched scone and half-full teacup. ‘You’re not at school today then?’ she asked Lara.
‘Teacher training day,’ replied Leo.
‘Mum’s at work,’ said Lara cheerfully.
‘So, Uncle Leo’s stepped in,’ Leo explained as Tori passed him a menu.
‘Ah, that means Rose will still be at work then,’ said Tori.
‘Who’s Rose?’ asked Lara.
‘You know, Rose,’ said Leo, ‘she’s your teacher.’
‘What?’ replied Lara, open-mouthed. ‘You mean Miss Hargreaves is calledRose?’
‘Yes, didn’t you know that?’ said Leo, looking confused.
‘I can’t wait to tell everyone in class,’ said Lara, clapping her hands together delightedly. ‘We’ve been trying to guess her name for ages.’
‘Uh-oh,’ whispered Tori, ‘I’m guessing it’s not common knowledge among her pupils then. I’ll be for it when Rose finds out.’
‘Remind me never to tell you my secrets…’ said Leo.
‘Leo’s secrets… Now thatisa topic I’d like to find out more about,’ said Tori, laughing. ‘Now, what can I get you, Lara?’
‘Hot chocolate with cream and marshmallows, please,’ said Lara, closing her menu.
‘Good choice. You can never go wrong ordering cream and marshmallows, Lara,’ said Tori, casting a smile in her direction.
‘And are you planning to order any food, Lara, or is it just cream and marshmallows today?’ said Leo, raising an eyebrow.
‘And a tuna panini, please,’ replied Lara, giggling.
‘Green tea for me and a ham sandwich,’ said Leo, passinghis menu back across to Tori. Their hands touched for the briefest of moments and she felt a flash of electricity jolt through her. Leo’s piercing blue eyes locked onto her and her insides turned to jelly. What was it about this man that the briefest of touches had such a dramatic effect on her?
By the time Tori returned to their table with drinks, Lara was playing a game of chase with Norris and Angel and a long piece of pink ribbon.
‘Hey, Tori?’ asked Lara, as she skipped around the café trailing the length of ribbon behind her. ‘Where’s Daisy?’
‘Daisy? Oh, she’s around here somewhere,’ said Tori distractedly as she passed Leo his tea and he touched her arm discreetly.
‘She’s not,’ replied Lara. ‘I’ve looked everywhere.’
‘She’s probably just sleeping in one of the hidey-holes. Don’t worry, I’ll find her.’
Tori looked everywhere, but there was no sign of Daisy.
‘See, I told you she’s not here,’ said Lara, who was now sporting a foamy milk moustache.
‘She must be,’ replied Tori, although she could feel a rising sense of panic. ‘There’s no way she could have got out, she must be here somewhere.’ Tori made her way back through to the kitchen, her pace quickening. Perhaps Daisy had followed her through when she’d had the door open? ‘Mum, is Daisy in here with you?’
‘Daisy, no, why would she be?’ said Joyce, shaking her head. ‘She’s not allowed in here anyway.’
‘She’s not in the café, she must have got through to the kitchen somehow.’
‘I’ve not seen her, but let’s double-check.’ Joyce and Tori moved around the kitchen, looking under the worktops and opening cupboard doors to make sure Daisy hadn’t snuck into somewhere she wasn’t supposed to be.
