Page 89 of New Beginnings at the Cosy Cat Cafe
‘Mum’s cream teas are the best,’ said Tori with a smile.
‘In the whole of Sussex! Right, I’ll go and see what’s happening with Mr Wiggles.’ Just as Tara turned to leave, Grace entered the room.
‘Tori, there you are. Everything okay?’ Grace asked. ‘You look pale.’
‘I’m fine now, I just had a bit of a panic attack. Tara’s been looking after me. I feel fine now, honestly,’ she replied, taking another mouthful of tea.
‘Are you sure? I can always give Dr Marshall a call?’ said Grace, taking a seat next to her.
‘No need, honestly, I’m fine,’ Tori reassured her, ‘but what about Mr Wiggles? How’s he doing?’
‘Right, well, from the symptoms you described, it could be a few things. It could be as simple as a touch of dehydration right through to something a bit more serious.’
‘Oh God, that sounds bad…’
‘Well, let’s not panic just yet. I’d like to keep him in this afternoon to run a few basic blood tests, if that’s okay? He does seem a little dehydrated and, like I said, it could be that simple. Kelly’s with him and getting him hooked up to a drip, but right now he seems fine, like nothing ever happened.’
‘Okay, well, please do whatever you need to to get to the bottom of it, Grace. I don’t care how much it costs.’
‘I’ll give you a call once we’ve got the blood work back as that will give us a clearer picture of what’s going on. There’s no point speculating until we’ve got all the facts. I’ll fill Izzy in for you too.’
‘I can’t tell you how much it means that you were able to see him so quickly, I know how busy you are. It’s just such a relief to know he’s in good hands.’
‘Ah, don’t mention it, it’s all part of the service.’
‘Shall I head back to the café and wait for your call?’
‘Please. I know it’s easier said than done, but try not to worry. You making yourself ill too isn’t going to be any use to Mr Wiggles, you know.’
‘I’ll try,’ said Tori as she got up to leave. ‘I’ll keep everything crossed for some good news later and thanks again for all your help.’
The bad Google reviews certainly didn’t appear to have affected business that morning. If anything, they seemed even busier than normal. All the regulars were in, as well as some new faces Tori didn’t recognize. Perhaps the social media posts were starting to have an impact? Tori began to think that maybe it wasn’t worth confronting Violet Davenport after all. The door to the café chimed and Tori looked up to see Cora waiting in the lobby. She picked up her order pad and hurried over to greet her.
‘Cora! How lovely to see you! I wanted to apologize for—’
‘Apologize? If anyone needs to say sorry, it’s me,’ said Cora as she followed Tori to her usual table and sat down.
‘You? But I—’
‘You were trying to be kind, Tori, and I jumped down your throat,’ said Cora, hanging her head.
‘I just thought that—’
‘I know what you thought. You’re right, I do love the cats and you thought adopting one of them might be a bit ofcompany for me?’ Tori nodded. ‘Listen, if you’ve got time, can you get me my usual and perhaps today you could make it tea for two? If you can join me, that is?’
‘I’d love to. Just give me a minute and I’ll be right back,’ said Tori as she hurried through to the kitchen to get Cora’s order ready. She thought she’d mortally offended her yesterday and now the mysterious stranger who had shied away from revealing anything about herself was offering to have tea with her.
‘How’s Mr Wiggles?’ Joyce asked, as Tori walked into the kitchen.
‘Grace is running some tests; we should know something soon. She’s said not to worry.’
‘That’s easier said than done.’
‘I know,’ said Tori, nodding. ‘Let’s try and keep busy, though.’
‘Is that Cora?’ asked Joyce, glancing up to the window in the connecting door. ‘She’s right on time as usual, I’ve got her order ready.’
‘Thanks, Mum – could you throw an extra teabag in the pot? She’s asked me to join her!’
