The Turnaround Treasure Shop by Jennie Jones

Author:Jennie Jones
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin Enterprises, Australia Pty Ltd

Chapter 8

The next morning Lily stood in Main Street and watched the bus leave town, her heart torn by mixed emotions as her kids waved from the tinted back window. She’d dipped into her savings to give them spending money, but that was all right. A month or two more on the savings agenda for the lease of Turnaround Treasures wouldn’t hurt. Getting the shop was at least two years away. She’d had the first seven months’ lease saved, but nowhere near the first year’s. She wasn’t going to do anything about getting the shop until she had a full 12-month lease money saved. After she opened, her hopes were on making enough profit to see her through the following year’s lease.

So many hopes, not enough dedicated backing of the financial variety. Still. Hope was good, wasn’t it? Now she’d given two months’ worth over to ereaders, higher internet usage, budgie cages and holidays in Sydney. Still…there was five months’ worth of hope left in the Turnaround Treasure Shop Piggy Bank Fund.

She turned to find Nick, to thank him for running them all into town, even though the rain had only just started. The low clouds in the sky threatened a heavier shower though. He’d taken a call on his mobile just as the bus pulled out. He was nodding now. ‘No problem, I’ll come right over. No — really. Let’s get it done.’ He snapped a button on the mobile phone and pocketed it as he turned to Lily.

‘I’ve been called out on a job.’

‘Something important?’ She knew that Nick had recently become part of the volunteer firefighter service in the area. Something most of the able-bodied men in town — and those who were really too old to be hefting hoses — volunteered for.

‘Ray’s young manager up at the farm has a problem with the wheel bearings on the tractor.’

‘Has he called Ray?’

Nick put a hand at the base of her spine and gently moved her to beneath the metal awning of the bus shelter as rain pattered on their shoulders.

‘Said he didn’t want to bother Ray. Asked if I’d take a look first. From what he said, it sounds to me like it’s the pivot pin and we don’t want him driving an unsafe tractor.’

He paused, and studied her. ‘Are you all right?’ He looked towards the northern end of town where the bus had now disappeared. ‘They’re good kids and Andy has sense. The driver’s watching out for them too.’

Lily sighed. ‘You’re right. A woman I know from down south is on the bus too. She said she’d keep an eye on them.’

He leaned down, his face beside hers and whispered in her ear. ‘They’ll be fine. Don’t worry so much.’

The warmth of his breath punctured the bubble of worry and the confident tone in his voice soothed her concern about the children. Her heart seemed to swell.

‘Looks like we’ll have to make another date to finish off the library inventory.’

‘That’s okay, Nick. We can get to it next week.

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