The Turnaround Treasure Shop by Jennie Jones Page A

a responsible attitude into Janie-Louise’s head.
    â€˜Like what?’ Lily asked, eyes wide.
    Okay, so this was what parenting was about, Nick decided. Telling each other things they’d learned about the kids. But surely Janie-Louise had a right to a little privacy of her own too? If there was a real parenting thing going on in a kid’s life, Mum would know some girly secrets — and Dad might have a few of his own that he kept from Mum. But in this case — he wasn’t Janie-Louise’s dad.
    He picked up another box from the stack. ‘Um… I found her on All Seasons Road, cycling while reading.’
    â€˜Oh my God!’
    â€˜It’s okay, honestly. Well…’ He faltered for a second, getting the mob of thoughts in his head in alignment. They weren’t his kids. He wasn’t part of their parenting unit. ‘Look, I think I impressed on her the importance of what she’d done wrong. I threatened to take the ereader off her if I found out she’d been reading and cycling at the same time ever again.’
    Lily sighed, her shoulders sagging as she swiped a hand over her brow. ‘Thank you, Nick.’
    â€˜It’s not that I wasn’t going to tell you — exactly.’
    â€˜It’s all right. I understand. Thank you for watching out for her. I really appreciate it when anyone in town does that for my children.’ She looked up at him, eyes crinkled with a penitent smile. ‘I get worried about them. Too much so, mostly. I need to let go and let them find their own feet from their own mistakes but it’s so hard to do that when…’
    â€˜When danger lurks at every corner,’ Nick said, putting the box down on the edge of the desk. ‘They’re fabulous kids, Lily. You’re doing a great job.’
    â€˜Thank you.’ Her smile lifted.
    God, she had a stunning face and right this moment she was giving him her unguarded smile. His favourite. He wanted more of them, and he wanted them aimed directly at him.
    â€˜So you already had an ereader tucked away for Janie-Louise?’ he asked, and watched as she blushed and looked down at her inventory.
    â€˜Yes. Sorry I didn’t tell you, I wasn’t sure when I’d be getting it for her but it turns out there was plenty of money to buy her one. I’ll return yours.’
    â€˜Why don’t you take it for yourself?’
    She shook her head. ‘I couldn’t.’
    â€˜Well, you’re going to have to, Lily.’
    She raised an eyebrow at his sudden, stern-sounding remark, making Nick’s fake-serious expression crack. He gave her a quick grin. ‘I’m gifting it to you. If you don’t take it, I’ll be hurt and disappointed.’
    A smile formed on her face as she listened to him, obviously knowing his now sheepish expression and tone was his way of joking with her. ‘You’re just being generous again,’ she told him. ‘You ought to stop that.’
    Nick shrugged. ‘I don’t need it, Lily. If you don’t take it I’ll probably throw it in the bin.’
    She laughed, shaking her head. He looked away and changed the subject, but had no intention of letting her off the hook. He would gift her the ereader. Hell, he’d give her a star if he could reach into the night and hook one for her.
    â€˜How far off before you open the shop?’ he asked.
    She relaxed into the change of subject. ‘Quite a while,’ she said with a sardonic yet resigned tilt of her mouth.
    Exactly. So why didn’t you take my offer ? Because she was an independent soul. Beautiful; spirit still there somewhere inside her but kind of trapped.
    Would she even want to re-marry?
    There was so much to consider beyond his attraction to the woman. His own marriage hadn’t lasted long. A sham from the start. Based on physical attraction and nothing else. His wife had divorced him after three years during which time