Chapter 5
Chapter Five
Raven’s phone rang as she left the meeting.
She stopped to answer it, hoping it was Wren.
She hadn’t heard from her daughter in nearly three weeks --other than an occasional text -- and was beginning to be concerned about the lack of contact.
But she was to be disappointed. Instead of Wren, it was her friend Rosalyn.
“Hey Roz, I was just going to call you.”
“Well, things are a bit busy here.” Rosalyn sounded distracted, probably multitasking as usual.
“Anything I can do to help?” Raven unlocked her car, slid into the driver’s seat, and tossed her bag to the seat beside her.
“Was hoping you’d ask. You know those kittens I’ve been keeping in the back? The ones I said I could keep for a week or so?”
“Kittens?” Raven searched her memory then said, “Right the ones that were rescued. Too young to leave their mom. Mal told me about them earlier.”
“Those are the ones. Sorry to do this, but could you take them now? We just had a small hoarding incident—ten kittens were found at one of those old seaside cabins when the owner had to go to hospital. We’ve taken five and one of my colleagues took the other half.”
“Oh dear. How bad are they?” Raven hated to see cats in these situations. They were often in bad condition when they came to the centre.
“They need a lot of care.”
“And the kittens?”
“They’re just little and Mal had mentioned that you were nearly maxed out.”
Raven considered their numbers, “I can take them. If all else fails I can keep them at my place for a day or two. I’m hoping the Pages and Paws launch at the bookstore will help move a few more to new homes. I’ll be there in a few minutes.”
She pulled into the back parking lot a short while later. Roslyn unlocked the door and let her in.
“I’m sorry to do this,” she said, “but yeah, I don’t know why people hoard cats.
It’s becoming more of a problem now.” She led Raven into her back room and showed her the mother who was nursing four tiny tabby kittens.
Their eyes still tightly closed. The mother was thin, and her coat was dull.
She hadn’t eaten well in a while it seemed.
“It’s a shame to have to interrupt her,” said Raven.
“Well, I can put you to work for a few minutes,” said Roz. “I have to check over the new cats that have arrived and immunize them. You can help me hold them.” She turned to her assistant then. “Can you put the mom and kitten in one of the large carriers when they’re done nursing and bring them in?”
The assistant nodded and Raven followed her friend to an examination room. As Roz examined the first cat, speaking softly to it while she checked her over, she said. “By the way, how’s Wren doing? I miss the updates since Madison moved into the dorm at school and Wren moved in with her boyfriend.”
Boyfriend? So that was it. She had no idea Wren had moved in with a boyfriend. Hadn’t even known she had a boyfriend. Her breath caught and her head felt light. What had happened to them? How could Wren have stopped sharing some of the most important moments in her life with her own mother?
And how could she admit that she didn’t know. Especially to Roz. She knew Madison would never shut Roz out like Wren had done.
“As far as I know things are going well. I don’t hear as much from her lately. She’s always so busy…” Too busy to call her mother anyway. “How’s Madison?”
Rosalyn shrugged. “I think she misses living with Wren. I know they sometimes fought like sisters, but they are also close like that. She says it’s not like the old days.”
“I sometimes miss the old days too,” said Raven wandering over to look at the other recently rescued cats. They seemed emaciated and she could tell they would have a long road to recovery.
“I miss it too sometimes,” admitted Rosalyn. “Don’t get me wrong, I love Andrew, and I don’t regret marrying him, but when you and I lived together a lot of things were just easier.”
“I know the feeling,” said Raven thinking of the many days and nights they worked side by side to build up the rescue centre and helping Rosalyn establish her vet practice in town. “But life has its phases and it seems our cohabitating single parent phase is over.”
“How are you doing?” asked Rosalyn. “Ever get lonely out there at the farm?”
Raven shrugged. “Not as much as I did before Mal and Daisy moved into the other house. It’s helped to have them out there, close enough to help with the cats. It gives me more freedom.”
“And how are things going with Lance?” Roz asked nonchalantly.
Raven laughed. “Ah so that’s what you really want to know. All about my love life.”
“Let’s just say people… and by people, I mean me… just want to know you’re moving on. I know if I didn’t have Andrew, I would be feeling the empty nest a whole lot more than I do.”
“It’s coming along. We have a lot more in common than I thought at first.” She smiled as she thought of Lance and his new cat Tilly. “Let’s just say I’m hopeful. It’s been a long time since I had a man in my life.”
“Well don’t forget to invite me to the wedding,” Roz laughed.
“Let’s get through the launch at the bookstore first and see if we survive that,” Raven smiled knowing that Roz was joking. They both knew how bad her first marriage had been, and that trusting another man enough to cohabitate with him, let alone marry him, was a long way off.
The assistant walked back into the room then, carrying the cats.
“Do you need help getting them to the car?” asked Roz.
“I’ll be fine” Raven picked up the carrier. “I’ll see you at Sunday brunch?”
“Yes, I am looking forward to hearing all about the event.”
Raven gave Roz a hug with her free arm and went out to put the cats in the back of the car.
Then she drove over to Lance’s store to let him know that she would have to take a raincheck.
She had to get the cats home and settled.
But of course he said no.
“Look you have to eat, I have to eat, and we have to talk to Esther. So… I suggest you put the cats in the back room and leave them for a bit. They will be fine. There’s only Charlotte there right now.
Rhett is in the suite with Tilly. Besides, the special is seafood fettucine, and I know how you adore pasta. ”
Her stomach clenched at the idea of food and before it growled out loud, she agreed. “You’ve convinced me.” And within fifteen minutes they were settling into a table by the window, a table that was fast becoming their table, and Lance left her to order their food from the counter.
“I asked Esther to come by when she gets a minute.”
“Meanwhile, tell me about your day,” she said.
“Well I spent most of my day on the planet Zorad, as you know,” he grinned at her.
“And we had a bit of a lunch rush. We also got in a lot of cat related items. Books, cups, a few t-shirts, even some stuffies. I turned the job of ordering for the event over to Pinky and I think she may have gone a little overboard.”
“Pinky is nothing if not enthusiastic and I suspect she could sell sunshine in the desert.”
“Hah!” said Lance. “That’s Pinky all right. I don’t know where Aunt Betty found her or Ahmed, but I am so glad they work at the store. And the kids just love her.”
“She makes it fun. I think she should have been a teacher. She makes story time so special. I’ve been up there to watch her a few times.” She thought of Pinky and wondered how old she was. Somewhere between forty and sixty and always enthusiastic when it came to sharing books with kids.
“She’s tinted the ends of her hair pink this week,” said Lance, shaking his head.
“I bet it looks wonderful.”
“It does suit her,” he said. “And the kids love it. She’s enlisted the help of a face painter for the Pages and Paws event. To paint whiskers and paw prints on the kids.”
“That sounds like great fun. Do we have enough help?”
“Ahmed, Pinky, face painter lady, Zoey is coming over for the day.” He smiled at the thought of his oldest daughter, and she was glad, and a little envious, that they were so close after his divorce. She and Wren used to be like that. What had changed?
And why?
“How is Rosalyn?” asked Lance as he stuck his fork into a piece of roast beef and began to cut it.
“Busy. She has nearly a dozen new cats that had to be rescued from a hoarding situation. Which is why I’m taking home kittens tonight.”
“I wondered. But then I don’t really know enough about how your business is run yet.” He put the piece of beef into his mouth and chewed.
“What we really need in this town is a larger centre for rehabilitating cats.”
“You could do the expansion you’ve mentioned to me before,” he said. “Wouldn’t that work?”
She sighed. “I want to, but the whole idea is daunting. The fundraising. The design. The planning. Part of me just wants to curl up on the couch and another part of me just wants to fly away to Mexico or Bali or somewhere and lie on the beach.”
He put down his fork and knife and looked at her, “what if,” he held up his hand. “Let me say this before you object.”
“What makes you think I’ll object?”
“It involves asking for help,” he said. “And it seems to me that asking for help is one of those things you really dislike doing.”
“What are you proposing?” She choked the words out though she had to admit he was right. She did hate asking for help. Help nearly always disappointed by being either not enough, not the right kind, or withdrawn before it was of any use.
“Well, what I am proposing is this….” He pulled a pen out of his pocket and grabbed a nearby serviette. Then he began sketching a plan and listed what was needed to make it happen. When he was done, he asked. “What do you think?”
“Do you really think this could work?”
“It needs details and as you know that’s where you usually find the objections and obstacles but, yes, I think we can do this if we assemble the right team, and come up with a plan, then manage the plan.”
“But I don’t have the time to manage a contract, especially since it is now kitten season. And to hire a contract manager would be so expensive.”
“Or you could ask me to do it,” he said picking up his fork and knife and continuing his meal.
“But you have a bookstore to run and….”
“If you are about to say that I don’t have any experience managing projects save your breath. I worked as a plumber on some very large projects. I know how to plan and run a building project.”
“But what about the funds?”
“I think what we do is get my aunt Betty to bring the board together and Zoey would be happy to help with the marketing and tech support. She’s getting some very good experience with that job of hers and her friend Axel will help. He’s been a great resource so far.”
“But…”
“Are you just saying but because it is one of your favourite words? Or do you have a particular reason we can’t do this?”
She closed her mouth, looked down at her now empty plate—no excuses left there. “I suppose it is one of my favourite words,” she said. “ I hadn’t thought of it that way but maybe you are right.”
“So you agree. If we pull together a meeting with Zoey and Betty…”
“We need to include Mal and Daisy too. They have been on me about this expansion and I have them doing some research. They seem to think that the recovery model being used down island may work.”
“Well then, we can include them as well. What do you say? We can meet after the Pages and Paws event. Maybe have an initial meeting over dinner that evening.”
“Okay,” said Raven, after searching her mind for more reasons to object and finding none. “Let’s do that.” She picked up her cup of herbal tea and took a sip.
He clinked his coffee cup against her cup and said, “A toast to the beginning of a fantastic enterprise.”
“A new enterprise?” asked Esther who was making her way to their table.
“We are going to explore the possibility of expanding the Cat’s Meow to include a recovery centre,” Raven explained.
“Well, let me know if there is anything I can do to help,” said Esther.
“You’re already helping with our publicity for the Pages and Paws event,” said Raven bending down to pick up her bag. “I brought the posters.”
“Oh, and tell Pinky that I will have the cookies ready by eight that morning, and here are the free coupons.” Esther handed a stack of cards to Lance.
“I’ve also got some of your cups here…” she pointed to the shelf near the cash register where she often sold art or pottery on consignment for the artists in town.
“Thanks for these,” she added as she took the posters from Raven.
“Cookies?” asked Lance.
“And cupcakes,” said Esther. “Shaped like cats of course.”
“That’s way above and beyond,” said Lance.
“I’m happy to do them. Most of my baking is pretty standard so it’s always fun to have a new project.
In fact, if you need a fundraising idea, I could sell special cat cookies once a week and all the extra proceeds could go to your project.
And happy to put other items, like the cups, up if that would help. ”
“You’d do that?” asked Raven.
“Of course. People love cats and if they happen to buy a latte and stay awhile well… that’s okay by me.”
Lance laughed at the face Esther pulled. She looked like an innocent child who just found the key to the candy cupboard.
They spoke some more and then Lance and Raven took their leave. As she pushed open the door to the street beyond, she felt a little lighter. Maybe they could put an addition onto the centre after-all.
She walked beside Lance to the Bookworm to gather the cats again. Glancing over at him, more weight seemed to dissipate from her shoulders. He said he would help. And from what she knew of Lance, when he said he’d do a thing he would.
Imagine finding a reliable man at her age.
And imagine finding one who liked her.
Her life was getting better by the day thanks to Lance’s steady patience.
Now all she needed to do was reconnect with Wren and life would be pretty much perfect.