A Proposal At The Cornish Cat Cafe ✨ Cozy & Romantic Bedtime Story

[00:00:10] Hi Sleep Wave, Karissa here and what a treat it is to have you with us tonight. If you've been listening for some time then you may be familiar with our Cornish Cat Cafe story series. And tonight we have another dreamy installment of this beloved story.

[00:00:26] This is our weekly free episode. If you've been enjoying the show we would love to welcome you as a subscriber. It's truly the best way to enjoy the show and make sure you're getting access to all the content available. Details are in the show notes. Tonight we're back in Pennyworth Cove where autumn and a touch of romance is in the air. But between village mishaps, well-meaning interruptions, and a ring with a story of its own,

[00:00:55] the path to a proposal is anything but straightforward. Before we begin, our only ad break which helps make this show possible. To listen ad-free, follow the link in the show notes. Start your day with Quaker Protein Instant Oatmeal. The instant oatmeal ready to help you tackle whatever your day brings. Like wrinkling your toddler into their car seat. That was fun.

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[00:02:55] It's the tail end of autumn in Pennyworth Cove. The time of year when you may as well just call it winter and be done with it. Autumn, after all, conjures up images of gold and copper leaves falling into soft piles. And heavy frosts that turn the lawns white, the crackle of bonfires, and long walks through morning mists are all part of autumn.

[00:03:24] But as you approach the end of the season, the leaves are no longer crunchy piles fun to kick in the air, but damp, slippery mounds that are nothing short of a hazard. Pathways have been turned to mud, so people slide from one tree to the next, grabbing at sturdy safety. All the residents of Pennyworth Cove long for the winter to arrive.

[00:03:53] The real winter, when it is too cold for it to rain. When the heavy gray clouds finally drift away to leave watery, washed out blue skies that hover over an inky blue sea. They want to wake up to ice-like blue sky. They want to wake up to icicles hanging from rooftops and ice on the cobbles, and the scent of roasting chestnuts in the air.

[00:04:22] They want to sit on deck chairs at the beach, wrapped up in blankets, mugs of hot chocolate held securely in mittened hands, watching the oyster catchers run up and down with the waves. Winter isn't here yet, though.

[00:04:44] These final few weeks of autumn are some of the longest of the year, and everyone is feeling it. Which goes some way to explaining why Sam chose this, of all times, to propose to Jenny.

[00:05:02] When he came up with the idea, he was thinking more about brightening up the gloomy days and giving a solid distraction, both to Jenny and, truth be told, the rest of the villagers. Nothing as exciting as an engagement could be kept between just two people in Pennyworth Cove.

[00:05:26] Sam had thought about the proposal each morning for months, running through ideas as he bounced over the waves in the dancing dolphin fishing boat. As he hauled in nets and danced across the sea, his mind focused on how he wanted it to go. While he poured rivers of silver fish into boxes on the pier, he thought about the proposal.

[00:05:55] As he weaved between the tables of the cat cafe, taking cakes and hot drinks to customers, he thought about the proposal. And as he lay there at night, his arms wrapped around a cinnamon-scented Jenny, he could think of nothing else.

[00:06:18] So, you would imagine, with all that thinking, that he might have concluded more than… A. He wanted it to be a surprise and… B. He would have to get the ring from a jeweler beyond the village in order to be sure of keeping it a secret.

[00:06:38] He'd also vaguely thought that outside would be a nice place to propose, but hadn't really got further than that. Still, it was as much as he could cobble together, and he hashed together a lame excuse about needing some specific kind of fishing net for the reason why he needed to leave for a day.

[00:07:07] Jenny offered to come with him, and he tried to bumble and bluster his way through it, but in the end could find no good reason for her not to come without giving the game away. Which is why the two of them spent a lovely day exploring Truro, and Sam was forced into paying a small fortune for a fancy type of net that he neither wanted nor needed.

[00:07:36] He tried again the following week, suddenly mysteriously needing a very particular paint that was unavailable in the cove's chandlery. And, again, Jenny insisted on making an outing out of it.

[00:07:54] So, once more, they went around the shops and cafes of Truro, peering in at inviting window displays, trying on outfits that were beautiful, but utterly unnecessary for life in Pennyworth Cove.

[00:08:12] Returning home with an overly expensive pot of paint that practically promised to sail the dancing dolphin for him, but in the end was hopelessly lumpy and thick. On the third attempt, he stood his ground. No, he told Jenny. He was going to get her a Christmas present. She couldn't come with him.

[00:08:40] Jenny rolled her eyes and said if he'd wanted to go by himself before, he should have just said. And Sam could have kicked himself for not thinking of it sooner. Jenny made a big show of mentioning which particular pans she loved to use, and which baker she most admired and would love to read their recipes,

[00:09:06] and pointed out that the various cats always needed more toys to play with. And Sam slunk off with a long list of gifts that he would need to get before he could spend time choosing a ring. All the rings he looked at seemed so terribly big and dramatic. He couldn't imagine Jenny wearing something like it.

[00:09:33] However hard the jewelers pushed him towards sparkling stones and shining diamonds. In the end, in a moment of desperation, he went into a shop called Rings, Wings, and Things. Not entirely sure what he was expecting, but a bit alarmed to be greeted by a large stuffed owl sitting on the counter,

[00:10:01] a pair of spectacles sitting uselessly over its glass eyes. An old man peered around the back of the owl and asked if he could be of any help. Then Sam mumbled something about the word rings being in the shop's title. Oh yes, said the man, fumbling for a particular key on a ring that seemed to hold a hundred.

[00:10:29] Used to be known for rings. Not so much these days, not so much. People seem to want new rings, you see. Ours are all secondhand, you know. Used, old. Used and old are out of fashion. He wobbled his way through teetering piles of dusty furniture towards a glass cabinet,

[00:10:56] finally fitting the key in the lock and lifting the lid. He returned to Sam and the stuffed owl bearing a small tray of rings fitted into sun-bleached purple velvet. Sam had been preparing his excuses when he looked at the rings and stopped himself. There it was. The perfect ring.

[00:11:23] It was silver, or white gold, as the old man corrected him, and a simple band. And in the center was a stone the color of the sea on a summer's day. Topaz, Sam ventured, reaching for the ring. Blue diamond, the old man confirmed. Rare. Beautiful, isn't she?

[00:11:50] Sam turned the ring over in his hand. Something was written inside. He held it to the thin light coming through the dusty window. He laughed as he read the inscription in an elaborate scroll, imagining a man somewhere in the distant past having the exact same sentiment he'd felt when he met Jenny. Thank goodness for you, it read.

[00:12:20] It was perfect. Thank goodness for Jenny. Thank goodness for the love she had brought into his world. The old man had reached the age when he ran a shop for the sake of running a shop. There wasn't much that extra money would do for him. He looked at Sam's clothes, at his hands marked with a hundred tiny scars from ropes and chains,

[00:12:49] and conjured up a price he guessed the younger man could afford. And so it was that Sam slipped the ring into his pocket and returned to Pennyworth Cove with part of his plan accomplished. Now he just had to work out where he would propose.

[00:13:13] Sam tried to convince himself that it would be romantic to just casually interrupt Jenny in the middle of her work one day, holding out the ring and hopefully installing a look on his face that said, Hi, I'd like to marry you, please. But he reluctantly shrugged off the idea as just a little too casual, even for him.

[00:13:40] He toyed with the notion of adding the ring to one of the cat's collars. But the cats were fickle beasts. He knew that whichever he chose would no doubt take it upon themselves to go for a wander for five full days, only returning when they decided they needed to sleep upon a knee once more. He thought about booking a table in The Mermaid.

[00:14:07] But the idea of proposing in front of an entire crowd of people was terrifying. It would have to be something else. He took to carrying the ring around with him in case a moment happened to present itself. But, of course, in the way of these things, it never did.

[00:14:33] There was finally a day when Sam and Jenny woke, and they didn't see horizontal rain outside the window. The waves were merely washing up and down the beach, behaving themselves, instead of crashing over the end of the pier.

[00:14:55] Even the seagulls could be heard once more without a roaring wind racing its way around the cove. A walk along the cliffs, Sam suggested. And Jenny eagerly agreed, pulling on her thick coats and warm hats and Wellington boots.

[00:15:19] Sam was just reaching for his gloves when Tina came barging through the doorway, Meg following close behind. Tina was clutching a plant pot in her hand. Can you believe it? She was saying, shaking the plant pot in Jenny's direction. A hyacinth. Now, why, that's months early.

[00:15:47] I've never known anything like it. In the background, Meg rolled her eyes and gave an apologetic shrug. Apparently, we had to show this to you now. Right away. Immediately. She said, a hint of humor in her voice. You know how this scenario ends, of course. Tina and Meg were invited by Jenny to join them on the walk.

[00:16:16] And the women clapped their hands and rushed back next door to add some more layers of clothing. You don't mind? Jenny asked Sam. But it was too late for him to say anything other than... Of course not. And the four of them formed a line that slipped their way along the muddy path that led to the peninsula to the west of Pennyworth Cove.

[00:16:43] Sam went ahead and then helped each of them over the style. Wishing Jenny would come last and perhaps they might squeeze in a moment together. But no. But no. She strode briskly ahead. First over the style and first heading off towards the lighthouse.

[00:17:06] As if to drive home the fact she had no intention of loitering, she called over her shoulder, come on slow coaches, catch up. As she raced ahead. And to round off the day, Tina and Meg returned to the coziness of the cafe.

[00:17:28] Each settling a cat onto their knee and demanding the largest slice of cake Jenny could conjure up. It didn't matter what, they'd all be delicious. But size was key. After all, they said, they'd earned it after their long walk.

[00:17:52] Sam had to wait a whole week until he had another day off and another chance to propose. And it just so happened that it was another day when he awoke and the rain had run out and the sky was watery blue and the sea was inky blue and everything seemed perfect.

[00:18:18] He grumbled to himself in the shower that it would be nice if just once he could have one of those days when he was heading out to work. But he reluctantly conceded it was best if it was on the day off. The day he might finally ask Jenny to marry him.

[00:18:44] Looking out of the window, the little church on the edge of the bay caught his eye. Of course, he thought that would be the perfect place. There was the bench on the far side, quite hidden from view. And that would be a private spot with a beautiful view and surely the best place for him to get down on one knee.

[00:19:13] As he thought that, Sam had a mild panic about whether he should actually get down on one knee or not. And after going back and forth for a while, he decided he would make the decision in the spur of the moment. So, in this decidedly undecided manner, Sam suggested to Jenny that they take their lunch to the bench on the far side of the church.

[00:19:42] They packed sandwiches, thick chunks of soft white bread filled with wedges of cheese, a slather of yellow butter and tomatoes that threw their pips across the counter when they were cut into. They added two slices of the cherry cake Jenny had made the day before.

[00:20:05] It seemed cherry cake was somehow too summery for the residents of Pennyworth Cove, and they preferred something heavier in the winter. So spiced apple cake with rum-soaked raisins and pumpkin muffins covered in a generous scoop of butter icing were going down a treat.

[00:20:29] Jenny slipped her arm through Sam's as they walked across the cobbles and out onto the lane that led to the church. Wind whipped her hair across her face. A few times she slipped and almost fell, but Sam held her firm, his eyes fixed on the church, and determined to make this happen today.

[00:20:56] The bench, he figured, would be out of the wind, too. It really would be the perfect spot. Of course, Sam hadn't reckoned with the other residents having a remarkably similar idea. Specifically, he hadn't guessed that Miss Tibbs and Miss Whimsey would already be installed on the bench,

[00:21:21] flasks of strong coffee sat between them, along with a plastic box filled with freshly made sausage rolls. Sam inwardly groaned as he saw them and wondered if they could retreat before being spotted, but Miss Tibbs, she must have eyes in the back of her head, he reckoned, somehow saw them and gave a cheerful wave. Plenty of space for all, she called out,

[00:21:51] then turned to Miss Whimsey and muttered for her to budge up. So, the two old ladies crammed themselves into one end of the bench, and Jenny perched on the other, and Sam stood awkwardly in front of the three of them and said, No, no, he was fine, absolutely fine where he was. He ate his sandwich looking stolidly out to sea,

[00:22:20] the three women chattering about the new opening hours for the mermaid, and how the price of milk had gone up again, and whether or not they should be planting tulip bulbs now, or wait another few weeks, or if they'd in fact missed the window for bulbs altogether. When Jenny and Sam left,

[00:22:44] Miss Whimsey turned to her friend and remarked that something seemed off about the couple. He wasn't, well, he wasn't Sam today, was he? She said, and Miss Tibbs nodded her head, her lips pursed tightly. Miss Whimsey let out a low whistle. There must be something on his mind, she declared,

[00:23:12] biting into a sausage roll. Quite, agreed Miss Tibbs. Sam was beginning to think that the universe was trying to tell him something. Surely proposing marriage shouldn't be this difficult. Surely everything should just come easily. He climbed into bed that evening, turning his back on Jenny with a sigh,

[00:23:42] and facing the window instead. He looked out into the darkness, seeing the end of the pier lit by a single street lamp, and the sweep of the lighthouse on the distant peninsula, the beams stretching out across the rocks in a rhythmic, regular motion. He could hear the sea reaching up and down the beach,

[00:24:10] the rise and fall of the water, and could imagine the dancing dolphin rocking gently from side to side on her mooring. Perhaps that is all he really understood, he decided. Perhaps he was married to the sea. Perhaps that would have to be enough. So,

[00:24:39] he was slightly surprised when Jenny pushed the covers back, sat bolt upright in bed, and announced, Well, I think we should get married. She crossed her arms and installed a scowl on her face. You do? Asked Sam, turning over and facing her. Yes, said Jenny firmly.

[00:25:08] She almost pouted, And if that isn't something you want, well, you should just jolly well say so and get it over with. There, I've said it. She bit her lip and looked as if she was holding back tears. What on earth are you talking about? Asked Sam. I think we should get married too. You. I've been trying to ask you,

[00:25:38] but it just kept going wrong. Jenny turned to him, blinking back the tears. He told her about the overpriced nets he had purchased, and the useless paint, and the enormous pile of Christmas presents he'd felt obliged to buy. He told her about the shining rings and how they didn't belong at all,

[00:26:04] and the stuffed owl with the spectacles sat on the counter, and how he'd found the perfect ring. And here, he scrambled over her and reached for his jeans, pulling the ring from his pocket. He held out the ring and continued talking about the walk they'd taken to the lighthouse, and how Tina and Meg had somehow joined them and messed up that plan,

[00:26:32] and how he'd planned to ask her by the church, only Miss Whimsey and Miss Tibbs were already there, and were more interested in talking about tulips than taking the hint he'd tried to drop and leave them alone. And finally, he stopped talking, and looked over at Jenny. Her eyes were fixed on the ring, and she had a smile on her face,

[00:27:01] and he wasn't sure she'd heard half of what he'd just said anyway. I try it on, she asked at last. And Sam, embarrassed, stumbled out of the bed, and found himself kneeling on the floor beside her. I have to ask first, he said. I wasn't sure if I was going to kneel,

[00:27:29] but I think that's the right thing to do, and I'm trying to get this right. Jenny, will you marry me? She laughed when she saw the inscription, as did everyone else when she showed it to them. Thank goodness for you.

[00:27:56] Miss Tibbs and Miss Whimsey said, of course Sam was going to propose, and they were just wondering when he would finally get around to it. And they never breathed a word to anyone of their other conversation. Oh, they'd announce loudly to all who would listen. They'd known this was going to happen. It was obvious.

[00:28:24] How others hadn't seen it, they had no idea. They talked about it so much and so loudly, that Tina and Meg had their suspicions, but kept those between themselves. Meg also kept the suspicion to herself that them bursting in with an early hyacinth might have possibly delayed this engagement by a number of weeks,

[00:28:53] but it wouldn't do to say anything. Besides, Tina wasn't going to change. She was always going to be the excitable, exuberant friend who just had to do things in a particular moment. A small, round whirlwind of a woman who embraced every emotion and feeling

[00:29:20] as if it were the most important ever. As if it were her last. When asked, Jenny smiled easily and said no. They had no particular plans for the wedding. Not yet. Truth be told, she wasn't that interested in the details. of the day.

[00:29:48] She just knew that she was with Sam forever and that was enough. That she would wake every day in her home above the Cornish Cat Cafe and he would be next to her. That she would watch as his boat slipped from the harbor and know when it returned

[00:30:17] because he would come and wrap his arms around her in the cafe and burrow his face into her neck. Every evening, as she baked her cakes for the following day, she would chat to the cats and feed them tidbits

[00:30:45] and then she would join Sam in the window and they would take glasses of wine the color of melted rubies and sit and look out at the cove together. Pennyworth Cove was her home. This little place

[00:31:14] that she had happened upon by chance and she was as much a part of it as the cobblestones now shining damp with rain and the pier that reached out into the gray sea and the fishing boats that bombed

[00:31:43] the promenade on the edge of the beach. She belonged here and the ring was a reminder of her place in the world and her place in Sam's heart. He took to whispering the same thing to him each night as they fell asleep.

[00:32:14] grateful for everything that had happened to her in the last few years. She would lean down and kiss his hand and whisper the words that would always make him smile and hold her a little closer a little tighter as she drifted off into dreams. have been

[00:32:44] in the last few years in the last few years