by Jinty James
Claire showed them recent photos of Kitty and Molly curled up together, playing together, and watching TV together.
“Love her,” Molly sighed happily. “Love Annie too.”
“I know you do.” Lauren’s heart melted at Molly’s earnestness.
“Why don’t I show you to a table today, instead of Annie?” Zoe winked at Molly.
“Yeah!” Molly trotted after Zoe.
“Thank you,” Claire murmured to Lauren. “You and Zoe are so good with Molly.”
“She’s a joy,” Lauren replied, wondering if one day she and Mitch would have a little girl. Then told herself not to go there.
Claire ordered her usual large latte and a lemon meringue.
“Ooh!” Molly’s eyes widened as Lauren brought over her new creation. “Molly have?” She turned to her mother.
“A little.” Claire smiled.
“Already anticipated it.” Zoe was right behind Lauren, carrying an extra plate and teaspoon. She placed them in front of Molly.
“And here’s your babycino.” Lauren put the espresso cup in front of the toddler, full of milk froth, mini pink and white marshmallows, and sprinkled with chocolate powder.
“Cino!” Molly’s eyes lit up, then she switched her gaze to the small piece of lemon meringue cupcake her mother had served her. “Merwang!” She spooned the fluffy white yumminess into her mouth, managing to smear some on her top lip.
“We brought some extra napkins.” Lauren handed them to Claire, along with her latte with a swan design. The advanced latte art course they’d taken a while ago had really paid off.
“It looks too good to eat.” Claire gazed at the cupcake. The base was a lemon cake crumb that melted in the mouth, topped with a generous layer of tangy lemon curd, with a high, billowy meringue top.
“Molly have more?” The little girl stared longingly at her mother’s piece.
Claire gave a start as she noticed her daughter’s empty plate. “You’ve eaten yours already?”
“Yum!” Molly smacked her lips, spreading traces of sticky white meringue all over them.
“Drink your cino first,” Claire urged her. She forked up a mouthful, and closed her eyes. A wide smile spread across her face. “This is amazing.”
“Thanks.” Lauren appreciated the compliment, especially after the unusual start to the morning.
“You did save us some, didn’t you?” Zoe whispered in her ear.
Lauren nodded, glad that she did. It looked like she’d be baking a lot more of them tomorrow.
Lauren and Zoe chatted with the duo for a couple of minutes, then returned to the counter to serve new customers who had just walked in.
“Hello, girls.” An hour later, Mrs. Finch tapped her way into the café with her walking stick.
“Hi, Mrs. Finch!” Zoe grinned.
The senior ordered a latte and a lemon meringue.
“I can’t wait to try it.” She beamed at them, then slowly made her way to a small table near the counter.
Lauren and Zoe brought her order over to her, giving her a progress update on Mrs. Snuggle, and filled her in about meeting the supply priest, Gavin.
“I heard there was a scrapbooking group that Virginia was involved in.” Her hand wobbled as she picked up her latte boasting a peacock design. “But I thought it might be too fiddly for me, with all that cutting out and gluing or whatever you do.”
“Maybe Martha can tell you all about it,” Zoe suggested. “She was there today.”
“I’ll look forward to it.” Mrs. Finch smiled.
“Oh, there’s Ms. Tobin.” Lauren nudged her cousin.
Zoe’s eyes lit up. “Maybe she could sit with Mrs. Finch and keep her company.”
Lauren noticed their elderly friend seemed a little wistful, and put it down to missing Annie. She knew Mrs. Finch always enjoyed her “chats” with the Norwegian Forest Cat.
“Good idea. We’ll see what Ms. Tobin thinks.”
Tall, slim, and fifty-something, Ms. Tobin used to be their prickliest customer until Lauren and Zoe had saved her from an internet scammer. Now she had mellowed, and was one of their most loyal patrons.
“Hello, girls,” Ms. Tobin greeted them. Today she wore a fawn sweater with a warm, matching skirt. “Where’s Annie?” She glanced around the café.
They explained about Annie’s cat sitting duties.
“Oh, poor Mrs. Snuggle.” Ms. Tobin shook her head in sympathy. “I do hope she will be all right.”
“How’s your kitten, Miranda?” Lauren asked.
“She is just the dearest little girl.” Ms. Tobin’s face lit up. “So sweet, and so good. Please let Annie know how happy I am with her.”
“I will,” Lauren promised. Annie had matched the two of them up at the recent adoption day, and her instincts had been correct.
They took her order of a large latte and lemon meringue.
“These new cupcakes do look delicious,” she praised, gazing at them through the glass case.
“Thank you,” Lauren replied. Although Ms. Tobin had mellowed, she still wasn’t known for handing out unnecessary compliments.
“How did your visit with your childhood friend Miranda go?” Zoe asked, while Lauren began steaming the milk.
“We had such a good time catching up.” Ms. Tobin smiled in remembrance. She’d named her kitten in honor of her childhood friend, and had tracked her down, since they hadn’t seen each other since they were seven years old, when Miranda’s family moved to Cincinnati.
“It was lovely having a visitor to stay for a few days. And now we call each other every week with our news. We’ve vowed not to fall out of touch again.”
“That’s wonderful.” Lauren was glad for her. She wasn’t sure if Ms. Tobin had many close friends.
Ms. Tobin was amenable to sharing a table with Mrs. Finch. Their friend’s face lit up when they asked her if she’d like to chat with the other lady. Lauren and Zoe left the two of them discussing Father Mike’s work conference in Miami.
“Let’s hope the rest of the day goes smoothly,” Lauren murmured to her cousin.
“I miss Annie, and it’s only been a few hours.” Zoe shook her head, her brunette pixie bangs swaying slightly.
“I know. I just hope everything is okay at home.”
“BRRT?” ANNIE RAN TO greet Lauren when she entered the cottage kitchen during her lunch break. She’d left Zoe in charge while there was a lull.
“How’s Mrs. Snuggle?” she asked her fur baby.
“Brrp,” Annie replied, trotting toward the living room, then looking back over her shoulder, as if to check that Lauren was following.
“I’m coming.” Lauren stopped in the doorway.
Mrs. Snuggle reposed on the pink sofa, looking as if she hadn’t moved at all since breakfast. Her gaze flickered toward the TV, showing a castle.
“How are you, Mrs. Snuggle?” she asked softly.
“Meow.” The Persian still sounded grumpy.
“Want some lunch?” Lauren took away the empty food bowl, washed it, and spooned in some canned liver and chicken from the stash Father Mike had given her.
“How about this?” She entered the living room again and placed it near the sofa.
“Brrp?” Annie asked her, after glancing at the enticing lunch.
“I’ll give you yours in the kitchen, like usual.”
“Brrt!” Annie scampered after her.
“All the customers missed you this morning,” Lauren told her, spooning chicken in gravy, one of Annie’s favorites, into her lilac bowl. “But they understood you were looking after Mrs. Snuggle.”
“Brrp.” Annie sniffed her food, her little pink tongue darting out to taste-test it, then started eating.
While Annie enjoyed her meal, Lauren heated some soup left over from last night. She was glad Zoe bought it on her grocery run yesterday – it was delicious.
“Want to come to the café this afternoon?” Lauren sat at the old pine table. Annie jumped onto the cha
ir next to her and bunted her arm.
“Brrt!” Yes!
“We’ll leave the TV on for Mrs. Snuggle.”
“Brrp.” Good idea.
After her quick lunch, she said goodbye to Mrs. Snuggle. The fluffy white cat had eaten while Lauren and Annie were in the kitchen.
“I’m glad your appetite’s not affected,” Lauren said softly. “Annie is going to help me in the café this afternoon, so you’ll have the house to yourself.”
Mrs. Snuggle’s ear flickered, while she pretended not to take any notice of Lauren.
“When we finish at the café, we’ll give you dinner.”
“Brrp,” Annie spoke to her. See you in a few hours.
Mrs. Snuggle gave a little grunt, and returned her gaze to the television, and a show about nature.
Annie scampered down the private hallway to the café, her plumy tail waving in the air.
The customers turned in their chairs, smiles on their faces when they realized Annie had joined them.
“I’m starving! How’s Mrs. Snuggle?” Zoe asked.
Lauren filled her in.
“Maybe I’ll just grab a panini and sit outside in the back garden, so I don’t disturb her.”
“It won’t be too cold?” Lauren asked.
“I’m sure I’ll be okay. It’s not like it’s snowing or anything, and there’s a bit of sun.”
Zoe dragged a chair through the commercial kitchen in one hand, and carried a brown bag in the other.
Two customers came in and stood at the Please Wait to be Seated sign. Annie trotted to greet them, and led them to a table.
Lauren and Zoe spent a pleasant afternoon serving customers. The lemon meringues sold out, as did Ed’s Danishes.
“Can’t wait until I have my cupcake for dessert tonight,” Zoe whispered to her an hour before they were due to close.
“Me too,” Lauren answered. Her mouth watered at the thought. “But first, AJ is coming over to play with Mrs. Snuggle. Oops, I forgot to check if Annie thinks it’s a good idea.”
She headed over to the pink basket where Annie took her breaks, and bent down to her. The silver-gray tabby was curled up, but her green eyes were alert, as if on the lookout for any new customers. Lauren told her about Ed’s play date suggestion.
“Brrp,” Annie said agreeably.
“Okay, I’ll let Ed know.” Lauren stroked her fur baby, then straightened up.
Ed was doing the dishes in the kitchen. He started early and finished early.
“How about I bring AJ over around six?” he suggested. “She could stay for half an hour, and we can see how it goes.”
“That would be great. I don’t know if Mrs. Snuggle’s had any play dates since Father Mike adopted her.” But based on her cattitude, Lauren suspected she hadn’t.
When five o’clock came around, Zoe quickly stacked the pine chairs on top of the tables. Their last customer had departed a few minutes ago.
“I hope Annie enjoys playing with AJ and Mrs. Snuggle,” Zoe enthused. “I know I’ll have fun watching them.”
“Me too,” Lauren replied. “If it goes well.”
On the dot of six, Ed rang the front door bell.
“I didn’t know whether I should come around the back or the front,” he greeted them.
“Either is fine,” Lauren replied, then she greeted AJ in the carrier. “Are you ready to play with Annie and Mrs. Snuggle?”
“Mew!” AJ pawed at the wire bars of the cage.
“I don’t know if Mrs. Snuggle will be in a playful mood,” she warned both of them as they followed her into the living room.
Mrs. Snuggle still reposed on the pink sofa. Annie sat next to her, taking her cat-sitting duties seriously. She jumped off the couch to greet her friend.
AJ hopped out of the carrier.
Jingle.
The two of them chased an orange ball around the room.
“Maybe Mrs. Snuggle would like to join you,” Lauren suggested.
Ed stood near the sofa, looking amused.
“Would you like something to drink?” Zoe asked him. “We’ve got juice, milk, soda, water, or coffee, of course.”
“No, I’m fine.” He smiled briefly. “But thanks.”
Annie held the ball in her mouth. She jumped onto the sofa and dropped it in front of Mrs. Snuggle.
“Brrt?” Want to play?
Mrs. Snuggle looked at the ball as if she didn’t know what it was. She pushed it tentatively with her paw.
Jingle.
She pushed it again. The orange ball rolled off the sofa and landed on the carpet.
Jingle.
Annie jumped after it, but Mrs. Snuggle stayed on the sofa, watching the two felines with alert blue eyes.
“Maybe Mrs. Snuggle is more of an observer than a joiner,” Zoe mused.
“You could be right. Father Mike said sometimes she plays with toys at home, but when he catches her enjoying herself, she pretends it hadn’t happened.”
“I guess it will take her some time to adjust to living a normal cat life.” Ed spoke.
The rest of the play date was a success for Annie and AJ, but Lauren wasn’t sure about Mrs. Snuggle. After her brief experiment with pushing the ball, she remained on the sofa, seemingly content to gaze at the other two. At least she was taking part in watching them, and not pretending the whole situation didn’t exist.
At times, AJ meowed at her, as if asking why she didn’t want to join in, but Mrs. Snuggle didn’t answer, just continued to observe.
After thirty minutes, Ed rounded up AJ. “We should get going.”
“Are you volunteering at the shelter tonight?” Lauren asked.
“No. But tomorrow Rebecca and I will both be on duty.”
“Does she take her kitten Oliver with her, like you do with AJ?” Zoe wanted to know.
“Nope.” He shook his head. “She said she doesn’t want to confuse him, since he was brought in there as a stray.”
“That makes sense.” Zoe nodded.
They said goodbye to Ed and AJ.
“Phew!” Zoe flopped onto the pink sofa next to Mrs. Snuggle, who looked at her askance. “Now I’m ready for my lemon meringue cupcake.”
“You’re having dessert first?”
“Why not? It’s been that sort of day.”
“True.”
Lauren grabbed plates in the kitchen and carefully unboxed the treats.
Zoe joined her, and they dug into the delectable baked goodness. Lauren felt slightly guilty at eating the best part of dinner first, but not guilty enough to stop.
After dinner, Mitch called. Lauren settled into the older couch, now covered with a pink slip cover to match the new sofa, not wanting to disturb the two cats, who sat side by side.
She updated Mitch about Mrs. Snuggle, and he filled her in on a case he’d been given, involving counterfeit money. He promised to stop by the café tomorrow if he had time, and invited her out to dinner the following night.
Afterwards, the four of them watched a crime drama that Zoe had picked. Lauren didn’t think Mrs. Snuggle enjoyed it, because she curled up in a ball on the sofa, and ignored all of them – and the TV.
“Sorry, Mrs. Snuggle,” Zoe sounded apologetic when the show finished. “You can choose tomorrow night.”
“I’m having dinner with Mitch,” Lauren reminded her.
“Oh.” Zoe looked panicked for a second.
“Annie will help you look after Mrs. Snuggle.”
“I know.”
“Brrp.” Annie nudged Zoe’s arm.
“Maybe I should leave Annie in charge tomorrow night.”
“I think that’s a great idea.” Zoe nodded.
CHAPTER 3
The next morning, Mrs. Snuggle was in the same mood – grumpy.
“Want to come to the café this morning, or keep Mrs. Snuggle company?” Lauren asked Annie.
“Brrt.” Stay home. She looked at Mrs. Snuggle in concern. The fluffy white cat reclined on the sofa, like
a queen from bygone days.
“At least she’s eating her food,” Lauren murmured to Annie. “That has to be a good thing.”
“Brrp.” Yes.
“Come and get me in the café if you need to.” Lauren stroked Annie’s velvety soft fur, wishing she could stay home with both cats. But cupcakes, coffee, and customers beckoned.
Zoe had gone on ahead, intent on readying the café early that day. Lauren wondered if she didn’t want to spend time with Mrs. Snuggle, because she didn’t know how to cheer her up. Her cousin had a good heart, but seemed a little flummoxed about Mrs. Snuggle’s attitude.
“Annie will look after you,” she told Mrs. Snuggle. Turning on the TV to another nature show, she left the two of them sitting on the sofa, the Persian’s gaze glued to the screen, ignoring everything – and everyone – else.
“I hope you’re making lemon meringues today,” Zoe greeted her when Lauren entered the café. The pine chairs were already unstacked and the whole space gleamed.
“A double batch,” she promised, feeling guilty she hadn’t made more of them yesterday. Lauren usually made three varieties of cupcakes per day, but yesterday had fallen short.
“What about salted caramel as well?” Zoe suggested.
“Good call.” Her mouth watered at the thought. “How about a double batch of each?”
“Now you’re talking.” Zoe winked.
Her cousin seemed cheerier in the café than she had at home this morning. Lauren hoped Zoe wasn’t taking Mrs. Snuggle’s grumpiness personally.
Lauren set to work making the cupcakes. Ed was already rolling out pastry dough, grunting a greeting to her.
By the time Zoe unbolted the entrance door at nine-thirty, apricot Danishes and lemon meringue cupcakes filled the glass cases. The salted caramels were nearly ready, and so were Ed’s popular honeyed walnuts.
The next hour ran smoothly, Lauren surprised and pleased that so many customers wanted to try her lemon meringues. At this rate, it would be one of her most popular creations ever.
“Lauren!” Martha barreled into the café, pushing her rolling walker like a racing car driver. “Did you know Annie and Mrs. Snuggle are out for a walk?”
