The Turnaround Treasure Shop by Jennie Jones Page B

cost me time and bus fare.’
    Nick knew the school bus went from town into Cooma and back every day, but he hadn’t thought about how much it might cost. It might be subsidised by the government or the schools. Nick didn’t know, but if any kid in Swallow’s Fall wanted to get a job, most of them would have to travel to get it. Which would cost.
    He put the stirrings of a thought about this behind him. He’d need to find out how it all worked before he offered assistance. ‘So how about it?’ he said to Andy. ‘Have we got a deal? I think the work you do for me might be counted towards your college education too. I think they refer to them as experience units.’
    Andy might not have heard, he appeared to be pondering something. ‘Maybe Mum’ll let me pay for the internet bill each month,’ he said. ‘I kind of need it, you know — with wanting to be a machinist.’
    Not to mention everyday school homework. And what was this? Christ, Lily couldn’t afford to pay the internet bill? ‘You’ve got a computer at home?’
    â€˜Yeah. The old and slow kind though.’ Andy laughed. ‘Maybe I could save up for a new one now. Mum could have the old one for her shop, when she gets it.’
    â€˜Good idea.’
    Andy held his hand out. ‘Thank you very much, Nick.’
    Nick took his hand and they shared a firm, grown-man handshake.
    â€˜I’ll be giving money to Mum anyway,’ Andy said. ‘Whether she wants it or not.’
    Nick’s heart clutched. A man could grow to love kids like Lily’s.

Chapter 5
    Lunch fray over, Lily was in the kitchen helping to prepare for the evening meals and had undergone a much needed, self-admonished dressing-down about her attitude earlier this morning.
    What ridiculous notions crossed a woman’s mind when a man gave her a look . Looks meant nothing. They’d hardly spoken over the last year, since the zing moment at the Bunny Ball. Why would Nick suddenly want to start looking at Lily? Of course he’d given her a look back at the house. A look that said, ‘By, God — there’s a near-naked women in front of me.’ Not a look that necessarily said, ‘I’d like to do things with that near-naked woman standing in front of me.’
    She thumped the wad of chilled pastry she’d taken out of the fridge onto a floured surface to her side and dragged a board of diced vegetables towards her.
    â€˜Hey, watch it with my shortcrust.’
    Lily swiped her brow with the back of her hand. ‘Sorry. I was miles away.’
    â€˜Where?’ Charlotte asked. ‘In the back seat of a certain silver ute?’ She sniggered as she turned back to Olivia, who was sitting in her highchair eating and playing with a freshly baked cookie.
    Lily felt herself blush.
    â€˜Yeah, what’s with that?’ Dan asked, putting down a small keg of Marsala he’d brought in from the corridor storeroom. ‘I saw you come into town in Nick’s ute.’
    â€˜Dan!’ Charlotte said, wiping Olivia’s hands with a damp cloth before handing the toddler some plastic cookie cutters to play with. Some afternoons, when Charlotte had a lot of baking to do, she brought her strawberry-blonde daughter to work.
    â€˜What?’ Dan asked. ‘Can’t a guy ask a question?’
    Charlotte grimaced. ‘Timing, darling. Timing.’
    â€˜But you just asked — why can’t I?’
    â€˜Okay!’ Lily said in exasperation. ‘What’s going on?’
    â€˜I can’t say,’ Dan said at the same time Charlotte said, ‘Nothing.’
    Dan grabbed Charlotte around the waist and planted a kiss on her cheek. ‘So it’s all still a secret?’
    â€˜Is what still a secret?’ Lily asked, her tone telling anyone within earshot that there’d been a rise in her exasperation.
    â€˜Nothing,’ Charlotte said again, then