Chapter 37
Bella was kept so busy for the rest of the week that she didn’t get the chance to dwell much on the slightly weird tension between Noah and herself, and where they’d almost taken things on Sunday.
The electrician had been working in the cottage all week, and Bella had let him and his co-worker in every morning.
There’d been a hairy moment when the trip switch had flipped on the kitchen sockets late one night, but for the most part, the intrusion had been minimal because she was out at work so much.
By the time she could draw breath and had a quieter moment, it was Thursday.
After seeing the last of the kittens from the Observatory Field litter off to their new homes and preparing Monty’s old pen for a bonded pair of brothers who’d been brought in because of a house move that meant they couldn’t be kept by their previous owners, she had plenty to occupy her.
As she settled the pair, a ginger tom and a black and white, into the space, she hoped against hope they’d be able to find a new home.
They had their age against them – they were four years old – which meant they were well past the cute kitten stage, and as a pair, that ruled out a lot of options.
People were prepared to take a single cat, but often they drew the line at two, however adorable they were.
‘Oh, look at you.’ Bella smiled. Still slightly shell-shocked from being brought in, the ginger, Marco, was grooming the white chest of his brother, Polo.
Polo had begun a guarded purr, which, as Bella stopped to listen, became a duet once Marco felt secure enough to relax.
She was tempted to reach out a hand and stroke them but thought it was better to keep her distance while they settled into their new, and hopefully temporary home. Cuddles could come later.
Late afternoon on Thursday, she was retrieving the bedding she’d taken from the kittens’ pen from the washing machine, when Mollie popped her head around the door of the utility room.
From the look on her face, Bella immediately knew that something was wrong.
She put the blankets and bed down on top of the washer.
‘What is it, Moll? Do we need to get Ellie in for one of the new inmates?’
Mollie shook her head. ‘No, thank goodness, they’re all fine so far.’ She was clutching an official-looking letter in her left hand, and as Bella looked at her, she could see that Mollie was struggling to keep her composure.
‘Tell me what’s happened, Mollie, please.’
Mollie said nothing but handed over the letter.
Bella read in silence, and her stomach slid to the floor.
‘What? Can he do that?’ She blinked, read the letter again, and had to resist the urge to crumple it up and chuck it out of the window in frustration.
It was from Mollie’s landlord, the businessman who owned the building that housed the Purrfect Paws charity shop, informing Mollie that, although still substantially discounted, the rent and business rates on the shop were going to have to rise.
Mollie nodded. ‘He can, and he has.’
‘Without notice?’
Mollie shook her head. ‘He warned me six months ago that this could be down the line. I hoped we’d be able to work something out, but with the costs rising and rising, both for this place and the charity shop, we don’t have the funds.’
‘But surely you can negotiate? That seems like an awful lot to have to find.’
‘It is.’
Bella handed Mollie back the letter. ‘What are you going to do, Moll?’
‘I don’t know. I suspect he’s looking to put another business into the shop, or perhaps even sell the building itself.
He’s been good to us, over the years, but times are getting harder, and it’s possible he might need to free up some equity.
I’ve had the feeling for a while that this might happen. ’
Mollie’s sigh broke Bella’s heart. Mollie had been the driving force behind Purrfect Paws for so many years; it now seemed particularly unjust that its future should be under threat.
She re-read the letter for the third time, but its contents had not miraculously changed.
While charity shops generally paid lower rent and business rates than other businesses, due to their charitable status, recent changes in the national picture had meant that even these businesses who relied heavily on donations to stay afloat were now starting to feel the pinch.
Mollie’s landlord had tried to soften the blow with the tone of the letter, but the fact remained that if Purrfect Paws was to continue in its current form, it would need a massive cash injection to see it through the next few months.
Adoptions weren’t going to cut it and Mollie hated to put up boarding fees for her paying residents to cover the costs of the whole sanctuary.
She’d reluctantly done so a couple of times, but it was always her last resort.
Handing back the letter, Bella gave Mollie a quick hug. ‘You’ve been the fairy godmother for so many people and animals, Moll, it’s about time someone came along and played yours for a change.’
Mollie gave a brittle laugh. ‘I’m not sure, after all I’ve seen over the years running this place, that I believe in fairy tales any more.’
Bella’s heart ached. One of the key hallmarks of Mollie’s personality was her boundless optimism.
If even that was starting to run dry, then Bella didn’t know where the sanctuary would be in a few months.
‘We will sort this out. I promise,’ she said, releasing Mollie from the hug.
‘We can’t let this place close.’ As she said it, her mind was frantically trying to formulate a plan.
She couldn’t let Mollie down, when Mollie had helped so many people and animals herself.