The Turnaround Treasure Shop by Jennie Jones

have dealt with quite a bit from him, and apparently she turned up in town out of the blue, with the kids and a black eye. She changed all their surnames to Johnson after she divorced him.’
    â€˜And what did he do about that?’
    Charlotte shook her head. ‘Nothing. That’s the sad part. He didn’t care.’
    Nick knew the type. Just as well the man hadn’t cared. Hadn’t cared enough to come and find his family. One black eye for Lily but how many broken bones? How many skin burns as he twisted her arm? He halted those thoughts. No point getting riled at the vision of Lily’s ex-husband hurting her, but he knew what he would do if the man ever turned up in Lily’s life. Or in the children’s lives.
    â€˜Thank you, Charlotte. I appreciate your thinking I’m trustworthy enough to have that information.’
    â€˜You’re welcome, Nick.’ Charlotte backed away, swinging the tray in her hand. ‘Anything else you need to know about Lily, you just ask.’
    Nick returned her smile but his was cautious. Charlotte’s was an outright grin.
    â€˜I’ll let her know her lift’s here.’ She turned for the kitchen and Nick sauntered to the big panoramic windows of the hotel and stood looking at Main Street, waiting for Lily.
    So what would he do? If Lily asked anything of him.

Chapter 6
    Since Andy had ridden the newly-fixed bicycle home, Lily found herself alone with Nick in the king of all vehicles.
    â€˜We’ve only got a short drive, Lily, and I’d like to tell you something before we get to your house.’
    Lily’s nerve-ends prickled. They’d kind of only just got to know each other. What could he possibly want to tell her?
    â€˜I was talking to Andy today while he was over at my place.’
    Andy, not Andrew. He knew the difference. That her son would always be Andy, regardless of his insisting he be called Andrew at this time in his life.
    â€˜And I offered him a job.’
    Lily’s real-time senses returned and she shot a look at Nick.
    â€˜Only casual. On a Sunday. He can help me out and learn quite a bit as we go.’ He glanced Lily’s way, probably expecting a response but not getting one because Lily was newly surprised.
    â€˜I wanted you to know because I made the mistake of offering the job to him before speaking to you. I apologise for that.’
    No man had ever apologised to Lily before. Unless they’d bumped into her in a supermarket aisle or a cinema queue or the like. She moistened her dry mouth by swallowing.
    â€˜Sundays,’ Nick said. ‘Is this going to be okay with you? Because if it’s not, I’ll find some way to tell Andy myself.’
    So it didn’t make Lily look like the baddy if she refused to let her son have a job. ‘Um—’ She swallowed again. ‘That’s generous of you. I don’t mind him working. But are you sure?’
    He nodded. ‘I’m not used to teaching boys, but I had a lot of young men under my command while I was in the Navy. I promise he’ll be safe.’
    â€˜Of course,’ Lily murmured, not the slightest bit worried that either of her children wouldn’t be safe with Nick, but instead, thinking ahead. If Andy had a job he might not feel so isolated. Most of his friends had weekend or late-night jobs but to get one of those Andy had to travel to Cooma, an hour away. ‘I tend to forget he’s maturing,’ she said to Nick, thinking aloud. ‘He needs to spend time learning about grown-up life now. It’s just that it’s tricky for us, being so far from the bigger towns.’
    Nick shifted gear as he slowed the ute to turn the corner onto the dirt track that led to Lily’s house.
    Lily’s focus got caught on his hands. Strong, tough hands weathered to nutmeg brown by the outdoors, with scratches and faded scars scattered across his knuckles and a longer, thicker scar starting