The Turnaround Treasure Shop

by Jennie Jones

  She’d given Andy the keys to the shop earlier in the morning and had promised to stay in Kookaburra’s drinking coffee until the kids returned to tell her that the surprise was ready. She’d known Nick was involved, and so she’d sat, drumming impatient fingers on the bar and staring into cold cups of coffee for nearly an hour while hammering and banging went on outside. Charlotte had practically tied her to the bar stool, saying she wasn’t allowed to look out the window, and Dan had made a third cup of coffee which she hadn’t touched.

  The acceptance Andy and Janie-Louise had shown Nick had astonished Lily. Not because of effusiveness or overt attention paid to Nick and this sudden change in their lives, but because of the simplicity with which her children had embraced him. As though it were normal to go for a country walk together and have an evening picnic by the Maclaughlin River. As though it was the most normal thing in the world for the four of them to be lugging treasures from home to the shop, stopping for burgers at lunchtime and making fun of each other for the rest of the afternoon. Joking that the dirtiest and dustiest had done the most work.

  Nick pushed the door open. Lily glanced at her children still standing outside Mr Morelly’s hardware store, seemingly content to wait. Andy with a smile he tried to hide by compressing his lips, and Janie-Louise with a smile she obviously wanted to the world to see.

  Content that nothing was bothering her children, Lily stepped through the door Nick held open for her. The brass bell rang above their heads.

  ‘I love this so much,’ she said, meaning the bell, the sign, the shop — everything.

  ‘I love you so much.’

  Lily spun to him.

  ‘Give me my second chance?’ he asked.

  ‘You don’t think you’ve already got it?’

  He grinned. ‘This is the official request.’

  Lily laughed, and lifted her arms to him. He took hold of them, but kept her from hugging him.

  ‘Do you love me, Lily?’

  ‘You know I do.’

  ‘Then everything I give you, whether it’s tangible or emotional is yours.’

  ‘You give me protection and security.’

  ‘That’s easy to give. It’s part of my nature. I don’t even notice I’m giving it.’

  ‘You make me laugh.’

  He stalled, obviously not expecting such a statement. ‘I thought you were the crazy one,’ he said at last.

  Lily smiled, words and feelings bubbling in her chest. ‘You make me feel special.’ She held up her hand to stop him from answering. ‘You help me — and I’m not talking about the tangible things. I’m talking about you helping the inner me.’

  ‘How do I do that?’

  ‘I don’t know exactly how. But I’ve discovered I’m a better me because you’re next to me.’

  He pulled her in to him, his broad, comforting, muscled body suffusing her in warmth. She put the palm of her hand to his chest, above his heart. The place she wanted to rest her cheek whenever she needed to. Or whenever she felt like it. ‘This is where I want to be.’

  ‘If you’re talking about getting into my heart, you’re already there. All of you are there, Lily.’

  Her children. ‘You love them, don’t you?’

  He nodded. ‘How could I not? They’re yours.’ He ran his hand from the curve of her shoulder blade to the base of her spine.

  It wasn’t a sexual touch, although every touch from this man created dynamic little bursts of sexual joy in her, but this was a coming-together touch.

  ‘I’m the one who’s receiving, Lily,’ he said, fixing his eyes on hers. ‘I’m the one who gets the best deal out of this.’

  Lily pressed her palm against his heart more firmly, his heartbeat cupped in her hand.

  ‘No, Nick,’ she said, tears welling in her eyes. ‘The children get the best deal.’

  ‘Thank you.’ He gathered her into him. ‘Lily — will you marry me?’

  ‘Oh, God yes.’ She wanted to throw her arms around his neck, but he still looked serious so she stayed in his embrace, her hands on his waist. ‘With all my heart.’

  ‘Never thought I’d get a second chance at marriage.’

  ‘Nor me.’

  ‘Looks like you gave this shop the right name.’

  ‘Looks like it.’

  ‘Talking of which.’ He cleared his throat. ‘I don’t expect you to take my name.’

  ‘I wouldn’t want to have a different name to my children,’ she told him, a little shyness overcoming her. ‘It wouldn’t feel right.’ Is this what was making him nervous? Would he mind so much, if she kept the name Johnson?

  ‘Lily — this might be too soon to ask, but I’m going to. I’d like to adopt Andy and Janie-Louise. If I can, and if you agree, and if they want it.’

  The treasure shop smells filled the air around Lily. The smell of roses. Quilts. Perfumed candles and beeswax. The scent of secret loves, hidden letters, long-lost trinkets and forgotten gems. Everything in her shop was special. They were the ornaments of her life, but her children were her life. Her heart was full of joy.

  She pressed herself against Nick, wrapping her arms around his neck. His arms came around her, holding her tight. ‘I’d like that, Nick. I’d like that very much and I think they would too. They love you.’

  Lily closed her eyes tight and held on to the newness of her life. The Barton family. Business people. No bruises.

  ‘Will you kiss me, Nick?’

  She felt his smile though she couldn’t see it. His warmth spread through her body like a wave. She clung to him tighter, holding him like she’d now be able to hold him forevermore. Close to her. Always.

  ‘I’d love nothing better than to kiss you, Lily, but you’ll have to let go of me a bit, so I can reach your mouth.’

  Lily laughed, her mouth pressed against his strong neck.

  Nick untangled her from his body and held her gently, his forehead against hers, in the most intimate of touches. ‘I love you, Lily Johnson, and I love your children.’

  ‘Our children.’

  ‘I’m going to do my best to keep you all safe and loved.’

  ‘And I’ll do my best to let you.’

  His mouth curled in a smile. ‘The Orange Bullet. It’s got to go.’

  ‘Oh, Nick. Are you going to make me?’

  ‘Afraid so.’

  ‘And where are we going to live?’

  ‘I don’t care. So long as I’m with you.’

  ‘Choices and decisions to be made then,’ Lily said, gazing into his eyes.

  ‘We’ll make them together.’

  Lily nodded, then grinned. ‘Apart from the Orange Bullet.’

  ‘Apart from that.’

  They stayed together, just looking into each other’s eyes, making silent plans. A couple. A family.

  Janie-Louise’s voice punctured the air. ‘Is it done?’ she called.

  Nick laughed, released Lily and turned to the door. ‘She said “Yes”,’ he called back.

  Lily heard her daughter whooping on the walkway outside. ‘Let’s join them.’ She took hold of her man’s hand and held it firmly as they walked out the door.

  Nick said, ‘Ted’s out.’

  Lily glanced across the street and smothered a laugh. Ted was arguing with Mr Morelly about the correct way to hang the banner he was unfurling and Mr Morelly didn’t look too pleased to be on the receiving end of the committee chairman’s officiousness.

  Fortunately, Mrs Tam and the twins were there to help with the three-metre long plastic banner.

  Grand Opening – Today

  ‘It’s your shop, Lily,’ Nick said, ‘but Ted said he’s in charge of any planning logistics for the grand opening of Turnaround Treasures. He’s got additional parking organised outside the Town Hall and a hot-dog stand all ready to go for the entire Easter weekend.’

  ‘I hope he’s not expecting a rush!’ Lily said. The last thing she wanted was to disappoint Swallow’s Fall. Turnaround Treasures was Lily’s golden gem,
but it was only small. It hadn’t even opened yet.

  ‘You’re going to do excellent business with this shop, darling. Ted knows that.’ He gave her waist a reassuring squeeze, gave her a smile that sang of love, then walked towards the children.

  Lily put a hand on the doorframe of Turnaround Treasures and glanced down Main Street, thanking the deities, once more, for returning her to her home town and for giving her the chance of love.

  ‘You’re a star, Mum,’ Janie-Louise said. ‘Can I work in the shop too?’

  Lily nodded. ‘Saturdays. And I’ll pay you.’

  ‘Whoop!’ Janie-Louise jumped the air. ‘Ebooks — here comes my pocket money.’

  ‘I could probably work in the shop on a Saturday, Mum, if you need help,’ Andy said. ‘I can’t do Sundays because I’ll be working for Nick. Won’t I, Nick?’

  ‘Too right.’ Nick turned to her then. ‘What are you doing over there?’

  ‘Looking at my family.’

  ‘You’ve got a family?’ He grinned and cocked his head to one side. ‘That’s funny. So have I.’

  ‘I’ve got the best family in the world,’ Lily said, leaving the doorway and heading for her troupe.

  ‘And me!’ Janie-Louise jumped up and down, tugging at Nick’s hand, her smile and her laughter making Lily think of a million balloons let loose to the sky.

  ‘And me.’ Andy didn’t jump but his smile and the light in his eyes told Lily he was happy and safe and…just safe. And happy.

  Nick held his free hand out to Lily.

  Lily moved to him. His fingers curled around hers, warm and secure as he drew her close, and Lily stepped into the circle of her living, breathing, loving and impossibly beautiful dream.

  Thanks for reading THE TURNAROUND TREASURE SHOP. I hope you enjoyed it.

  If you’d like to know more about me, my books, or to connect with me online, you can visit my webpage jenniejonesromance.com, follow me on twitter @JennieJRomance, or like my Facebook page facebook.com/jennie-jones-romance-author.

  You can also follow me through my publisher’s page here www.escapepublishing.com.au

  Reviews can help readers find books, and I am grateful for all honest reviews. Thank you for taking the time to let others know what you’ve read, and what you thought.

  You’ve just read a book in my SWALLOW’S FALL series. The other books in this series are THE HOUSE ON BURRA BURRA LANE, THE HOUSE AT THE BOTTOM OF THE HILL, and 12 DAYS AT SILVER BELLS HOUSE.

  This book was published by Escape Publishing. If you’d like to sample some more great books from my fellow Escape Artists, please turn the page.

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  ISBN: 9780857992529

  Title: The Turnaround Treasure Shop

  Copyright © 2015 by Jennie Jones

  All rights reserved. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of publisher, Harlequin Enterprises (Australia) Limited, Level 4/132 Arthur Street, North Sydney, NSW, Australia, 2060.