Episode 1: New Arrivals

The sound of the delivery truck brought Babbette out of the office where she had been trying to make headway locating the desk. Currently, it was hidden beneath piles of paper, tea samples, and knitting projects of every description. She poked her head around the corner, one long ear at full alert and the other flipped inside out and slightly askew.

“A new shipment,” Kate said. She pulled the box cutter out from under a pile of magazines on the table and sliced through the tape with a little too much zeal. She yanked back the ends of the box and clapped her hooves with glee.

An excited buzz rose across the room as the regulars of Kate’s Tea Room arched their necks to get a better look, except for Gertrude, commonly referred to as Gertie. She was sizing up the new delivery boy, one hand on her holster ready to reach for her weapon. Babette shook her head. Gertie took the whole black sheep cliché a little too far if you asked Babbette, aka Babs to her friends.

“Where are you planning on putting that?” Babs had one paw on her hip as she eyed the box.

“We’ll find a place,” Kate said brightly as her fluffy face disappeared into the box. Her voice becoming more muffled and distracted the further she dug in the box and tins formed precarious stacks on the table. She was a squirrel in sheep’s clothing.

“By “we” you mean me,” Babs muttered.

Babs looked around the shop, piled floor to ceiling in every kind of tea imaginable. There was Earl Grey, English Breakfast, fruit teas, herbal teas and even chocolate tea. Then there were tea sets of every description with tea pots, tea bags and tea spoons. Every corner was filled, some rather precariously. Babs shook her head at the thought of finding enough space to throw a fit much less space for 6 new dessert teas – 6 cans each.

Kate pointed to a brand of tea that was now out of business.

“Put these on the sale table, then move these down there,” she said pointing to a group of matcha teas. “Then we will have plenty of room to put the new teas with the other Simpson and Vale,” Kate said brightly.

“Fine.” Babs grabbed a basket to put the sale teas in to move them to their new home. She muttered under her breath as she worked.

“What was that?” Gertie asked, one ear and eye perked up.

“I didn’t say anything,” Babs replied.

“Funny. I could have sworn I heard something.”

The bell on the front door rang before Babs could reply. A young goat walked in and surveyed the room with interest. Everyone stopped and stared at the new arrival. It wasn’t often they had a goat come to the tea room, much less a young male. He muttered something indiscernible, turned on his heel, and walked out.

“What was that all about?” Gertie asked grumpily.

“Maybe he didn’t like your looks,” said Pete quietly from behind his unlit pipe. He had been sitting quietly in the corner, nose behind a book, but he hadn’t missed a thing.

“You just shut up and keep in your corner,” Gertie blustered, hand on holster. “Don’t make me get out my spoon.” Pete eyed the spoon from over the top of his book.

“Never mind.” He disappeared once more behind his book.

Babs was wondering the same thing. Who was that goat and what was he up to?

 

Find out on the next episode of Kate’s Tea Room….