Page 64 of New Beginnings at the Cosy Cat Cafe
When Saturday morning arrived, Tori drove up the now-familiar track to New Beginnings, with Rose beside her.
‘Wow, these potholes need serious attention,’ said Rose, grabbing the seat to steady herself. ‘I’m glad we’re risking your suspension, not mine.’
‘Well, technically it’s Mum’s car,’ Tori laughed. ‘I just hope that those cupcakes she baked are still in one piece!’
‘Have you spoken to Izzy about the barn dance idea yet?’
‘No, I’ll talk to her about it today.’
‘It does sound like fun. What a great idea of Leo’s!’ Rose paused. ‘Honestly, when are you going to agree to go on a date with him?’
‘Not quite yet,’ said Tori, shaking her head. She had to admit it, whatever her unresolved feelings towards Ryan, she did enjoy spending time with Leo.
Tori parked up next to a white New Beginnings van and spotted Izzy waving at them from behind the reception window.
‘I can’t believe the day’s finally arrived,’ Tori whispered to Rose, her voice catching a little. ‘There’s going to be actual cats living at the Cosy Cat Café today. Am I completely crazy?’
‘Oh, definitely, but not about this, though,’ said Rose. Tori threw her a confused look. ‘This, Tori Baxter, is one of the best ideas you’ve ever had.’
Tori swallowed hard. ‘Seriously?’
‘Seriously. Look what you’ve done in just a few weeks! You’ve gone from arriving home without a plan, to completely refurbishing the Cosy Cup and relaunching with cats! I’m proud of you and you should be proud of yourself too.’
‘Oh, stop it, anyone could have done it.’
‘No. Anyone couldnothave done it. It takes a lot of resilience to pick yourself up when things have gone pear-shaped. And you, Tori Baxter, have done just that.’
‘Don’t go all mushy on me, Rose, you’ll have me blubbing.’
‘I’m just saying, look at everything you’ve managed to do in the last few weeks. It’s not nothing, you know.’
‘Point taken. I suppose it is pretty great, isn’t it?’
‘There’s no suppose about it. Come on, let’s get these cats home.’
They found Izzy waiting to greet them in the office.
‘It’s really happening! The cats are all ready to go!’ said Izzy, pointing towards a row of cat baskets with five pairs of eyes peering out.
‘Here, these are for you,’ said Tori, putting a tray of cupcakes down on the counter. ‘Mum insisted. I hope your volunteers are hungry.’
‘These will go down a storm,’ said Izzy, smiling. ‘Thank Joyce for me, will you?’ Tori nodded.
‘Have you been to the Cosy Cat yet, Izzy? It looks amazing,’ said Rose.
‘I popped in yesterday to give everything a final once-over. It’s fantastic – you’ve done a great job, Tori. I think the cats are going to love living with you.’
‘Thanks, Izzy, and thank you for trusting me to look after them. I’ll do my best to give them a great home until they’re adopted.’
‘Tori’s got a suggestion for a fundraiser too, haven’t you?’ prompted Rose.
‘Well, technically it was Leo’s idea, but how do you feel about a gang of us putting on a barn dance to raise money for the centre up at Harper Farm?’ said Tori.
‘Wow! That sounds amazing – it’ll be a lot of work to pull off, though; I’m always so busy, I’m not sure I’ll be much—’
‘Don’t worry, we’ve got loads of volunteers already who really want to help with all the planning, so if you’re happy with the idea in principle, we can get it going, and then I can just keep you in the loop before we firm up the details,’ said Tori.
‘Well, if you’re sure, I don’t see how I can say no,’ laughed Izzy. ‘Seriously, guys, I can’t thank you enough. An event like this could really help to boost our funds.’
