Page 14 of Bea's Book Wagon
‘Really?’ said Bea, eyes wide. ‘I wasn’t sure if it was a total madcap idea and I was wasting my—’
‘Bea?’
‘Yes?’
‘Would you take a compliment?’
‘Sorry,’ Bea replied with a shy smile.
‘And Bea?’
‘Yes?’
‘Stop apologizing.’
‘Ah, right, yes… sorry. Oh, I mean—’
‘Don’t worry,’ Tori smiled. ‘It’s fine. And as for it being a madcap idea…’
‘Yes?’ Bea whispered.
‘You’re talking to someone who opened a cat café, remember? I’m not sure it gets much more madcap than that,’ Tori laughed.
‘I suppose I’m in good company, then,’ Bea chuckled.
She liked Tori. There was something about her that made Bea feel instantly calmer, her initial nerves about sharing her plans completely evaporating. Tori reached over to peer at Bea’s phone again.
‘Can I see the photos again?’ Tori asked.
‘I’ve got so many ideas. I love this one here,’ Bea said, holding the screen up. ‘It’s got artificial flowers around the door – and look at the bunting they’ve used in this one,’ she said, swiping through the gallery of images she’d curated. ‘They’ve really inspired me,’ she paused.
‘I can see that,’ said Tori, ‘these all look pretty special.’
‘Right? I’ve been thinking about my life a lot recently. I don’t have a job, a mortgage, boyfriend, kids… any real responsibilities. I know buying the horsebox was an impulse, but I feel like this is it – my moment, I suppose – and if it doesn’t work out, what’s the worst that can happen? I get another job and I’m back where I started. I’ve got nothing to lose.’
‘You should be proud of yourself,’ said Tori, raising her glass. ‘You’re doing your own thing, not answering to anybody, escaping the nine-to-five for something you’re obviously passionate about. How many people can say that?’
‘I suppose so,’ Bea agreed, clinking her glass against Tori’s. ‘To taking risks!’
‘It’s not going to be easy, though,’ said Tori, her voice softening. ‘Running a business is tough, and starting from scratch on your own is even tougher. It was bad enough for me and I had Mum’s help; I wasn’t alone.’
‘Ah, yes, I see.’
‘I’m sorry if that sounds harsh, Bea, but it can be pretty brutal at times.’
‘No, I get it, I appreciate the honesty. That’s why I wanted to talk to you.’
‘Would you be up for getting another temp job, to tide you over financially in the short term?’
‘Yes, absolutely. I’m going to need to. I’m planning to work on the horsebox in my evenings and weekends at first, so I’ll need another income for a while. I was going to speak to the agency next week to see if they can find me something else.’
‘Well, I could do with another pair of hands at the café. Mum’s been wanting to take things more slowly recently; start easing herself into retirement. We were thinking about finding some cover so she could scale back her hours, so perhaps we could help each other out? Temporarily, at least.’
‘Wow! I don’t know what to say, Tori, that would be amazing!’
‘It might not be a permanent thing, but we’re always super busy in the summer, so how does thirty hours a week sound?’
‘It sounds fantastic! Honestly, Tori, I don’t know how to thank you.’
