Page 53 of New Beginnings at the Cosy Cat Cafe
‘Excellent idea,’ said Izzy. ‘Seriously, anything you could do would be a great help.’
‘I’ll spread the word,’ said Tori, ‘and I’ll keep you posted.’
‘Perfect,’ said Izzy.
Lara, who had been struggling to contain her excitement all morning, pleaded with Tori to let her work at the café.
‘Erm, I think you might be a bit young for that, Lara,’ Tori said. ‘How old are you? Eight?’
‘Yes, but I’m nearly nine,’ Lara added quickly, standing up tall.
‘Wow, nearly nine. I’m sorry, Lara, but you aren’t allowed to have a job for a few years yet, I’m afraid,’ Tori explained.
‘How about I take you to visit the cat café once it’s open?’ said Leo, fishing his car keys out of his pocket.
‘Really?’ said Lara.
‘Really,’ replied Leo.
‘And I’d get to see Angel and all the other cats?’
‘Oh, absolutely,’ said Tori. ‘You never know, your uncle might even treat you to a hot chocolate with cream and marshmallows.’
Lara’s eyes widened. ‘Deal,’ she said, holding out her hand for Tori to shake.
‘Deal.’
‘And we can talk about getting a job when I’m a bit older?’ said Lara.
‘Oh, definitely. As soon as you’re old enough,’ Tori replied.
Lara took a few moments to consider this. ‘Okay, then. That sounds fair. Uncle Leo?’
‘Yes, Lara.’
‘Can we stop off at the pet shop on the way home to get stuff for Dexter and Domino?’
‘Sure. I take it I’m paying?’
‘I’m too young to have a credit card, silly,’ Lara laughed.
‘She’s got you there,’ said Tori, chuckling.
‘Seeing as I’ve got to break the news to your mum that we’re bringing two kittens home next week instead of one, I think arriving with a car full of pet supplies might help soften the blow.’
‘Good thinking,’ Tori agreed.
As Lara and Leo climbed into their car and Tori waved them off, she realized just how much she’d enjoyed spending time with Leo again today. Lara clearly doted on him, and he seemed to be absolutely devoted to her too, acting like the perfect uncle – patient, funny, kind. The perfect family man. Underneath all that, could he really be the cold-hearted player that Claire had suggested he was?
Chapter 19
Building work at the Cosy Cup started the following week and Greg was doing a fantastic job bringing Tori’s vision for the cat café to life. His team had worked tirelessly to get the job completed in time for the reopening and Tori and Joyce were delighted with the results. The café now had its new entrance lobby, the walls had been painted in muted lemon and turquoise shades, and walkways, ledges and hidey-holes were almost finished. Jake had installed bike racks out the front and Ted had added a sign to the pub car park, stating that café customers were welcome to park there. If that wasn’t enough to silence Violence Davenport’s concerns about parking once and for all, Tori wasn’t sure what would. Although it had felt strange since the tearoom had closed its doors temporarily to customers, Joyce had quickly refocused her energies on supervising the renovation work and Tori had noticed that Greg and her mum were enjoying spending time in each other’s company.
‘Morning,’ called Tori, as she entered the café. ‘How’s everything going?’
‘Morning, boss,’ replied Greg, with a mock salute. He was halfway up a ladder drilling holes in the wall. ‘All good here.’
‘Tori? I thought I heard your voice, love. Fancy a cuppa?’ said Joyce, appearing from the kitchen with two mugs in hand.
