Free The Turnaround Treasure Shop by Jennie Jones Page A

hadn’t been under much scrutiny or gossip before now. Probably because he’d done such a good job at creating his own hideout on All Seasons Road. A damned good job of appearing polite yet helpful when needed. When had his cover been blown?
    Mrs Tam smiled her thanks, then cocked her head to one side. ‘I don’t suppose you’d have a chance to let Lily know, would you? And maybe make arrangements with her about a suitable time for you both.’
    â€˜Of course, Mrs Tam. I’ll have a word with her.’
    Nick left Mrs Tam and headed back towards Kookaburra’s. He knew Lily’s kids, and liked them a lot. He knew Lily. Just because he kept his distance it didn’t mean he couldn’t see her personality traits; the hardworking, magnanimously generous ones, and the cute, shy ones, like her refusing to meet his eye, and the blushes when she did. Of course he liked Lily. He’d never denied that to himself, but he liked her more than he should. A lot more than he should after this morning’s vision of her in her close-enough-to-naked state. So much for keeping your ‘apparently undying attraction’ hidden . What had blown his cover? Was his appraisal of Lily obvious to these people? Or were they simply hoping? The townspeople were certainly pushing him and Lily together, which told him he had been accepted and thought of as a decent man for Lily, their daughter.
    But was he?
    He’d had flings after leaving the forces but they’d been more one-nighters than anything meaningful. He hadn’t wanted to get involved in another full-on relationship. It was one thing monitoring yourself to check if you were going quietly crazy just because you were out on civvy street and not in some hell-hole working in maritime counter-terrorism that you actually preferred. It was another thing to put a woman who thought you loved her in a situation where you disappointed her and made her heart break if or when you messed up and left her.
    He had mates who were divorced, not having been able to hold their marriages — or relationships — together because they’d left the services and found themselves with no spark, no adventure in their lives. Buddies who didn’t see their kids often enough, or who left and didn’t want to see them. Ex-wives fighting over everything, some wanting more money, some wanting the ex-Army, the ex-Navy, the ex-Air Force man and all the troublesome psychological shit they couldn’t get rid of, out of their lives and that of their children’s — or back into it with commitment. Even the amicable break-ups had the power to hurt both parties, let alone what it did to the kids.
    Nick couldn’t say for sure he wouldn’t eventually do the same thing. Leave and look for a spark, something to kickstart the quest for danger he suspected still lurked in his gut.
    â€˜I’ll be ready in 10 minutes, Nick. Is that okay?’
    Nick turned to Andy who was calling out to him from across the street.
    â€˜Mr Morelly’s going to show me a new bench grinder.’
    Nick raised a hand. ‘Take your time. I’m waiting for your mum to finish work anyway.’ And then he was going to give them both a lift home.
    As the kid went into the hardware store, Nick crossed the street and returned to his troubling contemplations.
    Here he was, settled in this small, remote town. Helping people out and taking an interest. Wasn’t this what he’d been hoping for?
    The first year after leaving the Navy had been tougher than he’d expected. Loss of role, loss of identity. These factors hadn’t diminished his sense of himself but he hadn’t met the challenge of making new friends, not even when the worst part had hit him: all the free time. He’d had his share of physical and mental issues too. He hadn’t had trouble concentrating, but yes, he’d carried tension with him. And he’d experienced moments of