The Turnaround Treasure Shop

by Jennie Jones

  He reached out and took hold of her hand. ‘Let me do that. Please.’

  Lily quivered, her insides at scorching level and her skin dampening with the heat of desire shooting through her.

  He pulled the G-string from her hips and drew it down her thighs with tantalising slowness until he was almost kneeling. Immediate, an almost unbearable need for him seemed to burst through every pore in her body.

  She stepped out of the G-string and took hold of his shoulders as she lost her balance in the haze of anticipation.

  His hands cupped her bottom. He kissed her hip. He kissed her thigh. He trailed kisses and gentle licks up her body until he was standing and looking down at her.

  ‘Nick,’ she gasped, ‘I can’t tell you what I’m feeling.’

  ‘You don’t have to.’ He took her with his mouth, pressing kisses on her lips. ‘But you need to hear something from me.’

  Some secret, some deeper, more sensual flirtatious remark? Oh, yes. Lily wanted to hear it.

  He lifted her chin with his finger, his gaze serious. ‘I don’t want to scare you, Lily but my undying attraction has taken a big swing north. I’m very much in love with you.’

  Love?

  ‘I can’t do this without you knowing,’ he said, ‘and I figure once I start, you’d guess anyway.’ He paused, waiting for her to answer. ‘All right?’

  Lily nodded, disbelief at this extraordinary declaration making her speechless.

  ‘I’m not asking anything of you, Lily.’

  ‘Okay.’ Love?

  ‘I just had to tell you.’

  She took hold of his arms and she pressed her fingers into them, wanting to thank him. For the simplicity of the happiness he gave her. For being so bloody handsome. For the sensual way he’d slid her G-string down her legs. For making her tremble with desire when he’d looked at her, naked. She’d think about love later. Right this moment she was the luckiest woman alive.

  She took hold of his face in both her hands and pulled him down to her, her mouth open. She kissed him using everything within her.

  They were both gasping when their mouths parted.

  ‘This isn’t about sex, is it?’ she asked him, shaking her head a little as the wondrousness of being with him almost sent her speechless again. ‘We’ll be making love, won’t we?’

  ‘You can bet on it.’

  ‘Together.’

  ‘You and me.’ His smile deepened. ‘Although I might be a little forward and try a few moves on you first.’

  ‘Like what?’ she asked, chin dipped, eyes tilted up at him and a faint smile on her mouth.

  He drew her closer, holding her with one arm, hooking her to his chest, the passion and the play in his eyes echoing hers.

  He nudged her inner thigh with his hand. ‘Like this.’ He made his first move.

  Pleasure sent Lily into a delirious state. She sank against his chest and into an abyss of ecstasy.

  Chapter 10

  Love. Love, for God’s sake!

  Lily had no doubts about the possibility that she was falling in love with Nick but this was 6:57 a.m. Saturday morning and although she’d prefer to spend the hours of the day going over every wonderful feeling, sensation and stroke of pleasure she’d received in Nick’s arms all through the night — she didn’t have time.

  What a crazy week. She’d begun it on an ordinary level last Sunday serving Nick his breakfast and was about to end it where it had begun: Kookaburra’s. Except that this Saturday, Nick wouldn’t be coming in for breakfast. He’d served breakfast to Lily. In bed. In bed! Scrambled egg on toast had never tasted so mouth-wateringly divine. Come to think of it, Lily had never eaten breakfast naked either. Or been hand-fed toast soldiers dripping in butter from the strong, sturdy hand of a Navy clearance diver.

  Gosh, she had her own military man, and she’d had him where she’d wanted him all night. About four times, if she counted this morning’s bout in rumpled sheets.

  She drove the Orange Bullet into town as fast as she dared, did a swift U-turn at the stock feeders’ and parked on the other side of the road, outside Kookaburra’s, facing the direction she should have faced if she’d entered town from her home, not Nick’s.

  The quietness of Kookaburra’s lobby made Lily want to tip-toe through. Three guests were already in the dining room, up early and no doubt on their way out. Probably to Mount Kosciusko to check out the alpine national park before winter set in and the weather got too cold for fishing or cycling.

  Lily normally envied the tourists their freedom to explore, but not today. She didn’t need to tramp the expanse of a dry, rugged wilderness to find adventure. She didn’t need to travel to the lower Snowy River to get an adrenaline charge. She had excitement enough four-wheel-driving over the paddocks behind her house with Nick. Or kissing with him. And in bed… Oh, in bed he was simply magnificent. And so was she. Truly, a sexual goddess awoken.

  The memory of his thoroughness in making her happy, of the strength and warmth of his body as he lay over her, beside her or looking up at her had been more than anything she’d expected from anyone. Ever. Making love with Nick, being made love to by Nick were two different experiences and both a pleasure every woman should have.

  Not that she’d share him. Or even loan him out. Not even to the most desperate of best friends. Her body still hummed with desire and her mind was swirling, unable to comprehend the depths of fulfilment she felt.

  She smothered a laugh as she made her way past reception. She didn’t need the kissing books now to describe a sublime state of ecstasy; she’d been taken there. Furthermore, she wasn’t wearing her G-string. Racy, or what? She hadn’t been able to find it. Nick had chuckled as he accompanied her out of his house, in bare feet and still half-naked in that dreamy sexual languor a muscle-packed guy on a winning streak portrayed. Good job nobody had been around to see him. They’d have known for sure that the ex-Navy captain had just spent an entire night battened down with a woman. ‘Don’t bend over at any time,’ he’d said, kissing her one last time. ‘And don’t climb any ladders.’ She’d had to push him off in order to get into her car with only five minutes to make it to work.

  She crashed through the door to the kitchen. ‘I’m late. I know.’ She threw her handbag beneath the counter, yanked her cardigan off and straightened the white blouse she hadn’t been able to change because she hadn’t been home. ‘What’s up first? Restaurant seems practically empty this morning.’ She had a spare work blouse in her locker. She’d change it just as soon as she could slip out of the kitchen without being noticed.

  She turned when she didn’t receive an answer and found Charlotte, Dan and two young waitresses staring at her.

  ‘What happened?’ Charlotte asked.

  ‘Um. I slept in. Couldn’t get out of bed.’

  ‘Wow. Wish I’d slept in the way you obviously slept in. Unfortunately, Olivia had other plans.’

  Lily flushed. Probably raspberry red. She went to the sink and started washing her hands, vigorously scrubbing the soap up her arms. The cold water cooled her skin as it splashed, and unbelievably — she wanted to laugh.

  ***

  Lily took her lunch break at the reception desk, covering for Jessica Tillman who had been summoned by Ted to give him a quick hand counting balloons. It gave Lily the opportunity to commandeer the hotel computer while it was free.

  ‘Making a list for the shop?’ Dan asked her as he passed.

  ‘And checking it twice,’ Lily told him, eyes still glued to the screen. ‘I’m glad to have the chance. The PC at home is so slow.’ Even with the higher internet plan. She’d have to put some money towards a new PC — since her savings were going on a field trip. And if Lily was getting something wonderful — the shop — the kids should too. A new computer for Andy and maybe something pretty for Janie-Louise. An outfit. Lily paused in her thoughts. She was going to be a shopkeeper, she’d need to look smart yet casual, and somehow retain the charm of a country woman. How was she going
to do that without a whole new wardrobe? She shrugged mentally. Maybe she’d wear her Kookaburra’s uniform and dress it up a little with some cheap scarves.

  ‘Did you hear that Nick was going to be putting in Wi-Fi at the library?’ Dan had stopped at the desk.

  Lily looked up at the mention of her hero’s name. ‘That’s good of him.’ He hadn’t told her, but there again there hadn’t been much time for chit chat. They’d been heavily involved in each other…

  ‘He’s got a PC he’s donating too.’

  ‘He’s paying for the Wi-Fi?’

  ‘Support to Survive.’

  Lily smiled. Such a generous soul, her hero.

  ‘Said he wants to get more involved with the town.’

  ‘Yes, he told me too.’

  ‘Oh? When?’

  ‘Um… Can’t remember.’

  ‘I should call him, actually. Wondered where he was this morning. He didn’t come in for breakfast this Saturday. Like he usually does.’

  Lily pulled the pencil from her hair, tightened her ponytail and re-stuck the make-shift hair clip firmly into the knot, her face heating up.

  ‘Wonder if he’ll be in tomorrow?’

  Lily looked at Dan and found him smiling broadly. ‘No idea.’

  ‘Suppose we’ll find out tomorrow then.’ He turned, then swivelled back. ‘What are you doing for dinner tonight? I’d hate to think of you all by yourself Saturday night. You must have been lonely last night. Fancy a slap-up meal in the restaurant? On me.’

  ‘Thanks but actually I’m a bit tired.’

  Dan grinned. ‘Yeah, I bet you are.’

  ‘I mean from thinking. The shop — you know. Everything I have to sort out.’

  ‘Don’t think too hard on things, Lily. She’ll be right.’

  Dan headed for the bar and a group of afternoon drinkers and Lily paused in her task of list-making to consider her children.

  Charlotte had accepted immediate notice from Lily so today was, remarkably, her last day as waitress and all-rounder at Kookaburra’s. The twins were going to be taking some of Lily’s shifts for the extra money. They’d been talking about buying the grocer’s store and running it together for ages now and it looked as though Lily’s leap into opening her business had fired the twins’ eagerness too. A rollercoaster of happenings from one small blessing known as the Support to Survive program. What a town.

  She glanced around the cavernous space of the hotel, her place of employment for the last nine years. Such changes were happening in her life! Wonderful, but sudden, and she hadn’t even told her mum about the shop, let alone the children.

  She reasoned with herself that there hadn’t been time but really, if she hadn’t spent the night with Nick she would have called her mother last night. She’d have told the children too and everyone would have been excited with her.

  ***

  ‘All right. I give in!’ Lily held her hands up, gasping through her laughter. If this was business, she’d take it.

  Junior Morelly and Mrs Tam were fighting a path to get through the door of Turnaround Treasures — yes, she’d named the shop, officially. Well, in her head at least. She was still waiting on signage and not sure how to afford it since she’d just ordered three new outfits for her daughter from an online catalogue and had put down a deposit on a new computer for Andy. Right this moment she had customers to placate.

  ‘I don’t need ’em. You can have the lot,’ Mr Morelly told her, a tier of vintage metal pressed storage boxes in his hands. The metal was only lacklustre because it had been stored in a cupboard somewhere, probably not having seen the light of day for 60 years. They were beautiful! Lily’s heart thumped.

  ‘I can see you’d have little use for them, Mr Morelly, but you might get money for them. They need a polish, not much more.’

  ‘All the catches work. Take ’em off my hands, would you? Save me throwing them out.’

  ‘I’m not going to let you do that!’ She took the three boxes off him and put them on the floor next to an assortment of other odds and ends she’d been handed throughout the afternoon. Word travelled fast. Zero to 60 seconds from Kookaburra’s to the Town Hall and suddenly Lily had extra stock in the shop and had been enjoying the bubbling excitement generated by the idea of a new store opening in town. God, she loved these people.

  ‘And I’ve no doubt I’ll sell them,’ she told Mr Morelly, ‘but I’ll be taking commission only. The sale will be yours.’

  ‘Mule-headed, like your—’

  ‘Like my mother,’ Lily finished for him. And like her mother, Lily liked using her brain. Taking items off the people in her town would do double-duty. They’d get an extra few dollars in their wallets, and Lily would have additional, interesting items to sell. She’d also get a handy little commission on their items to add to her own revenue which would mean she could pay back the Support program faster. ‘Business, or not at all,’ she told her visitors.

  ‘What about my desk lamp?’ Mrs Tam asked.

  Lily had tried to keep her eyes off the item in Mrs Tam’s hands as she wrangled with Mr Morelly. Now, she gave it her full attention.

  ‘It’s a Tiffany lamp, Mrs Tam.’

  ‘It’s a horrible colour. Doesn’t match my décor.’

  ‘It’s worth…’ Lily valued it mentally. No cracks in the glass shade, no scratches or dents in the base. Perfect, practically unused condition.

  ‘It still works,’ Mrs Tam said. ‘Just needs a bulb.’

  ‘It’s worth around 500 dollars.’

  ‘Good heavens. For this old thing?’

  Lily nodded, smiling at her surprise. ‘It’s Art Nouveau.’ She wanted to sell that lamp, but an antique store in Canberra or even Cooma might be able to command a higher price than Lily could. There again, they’d charge a considerable commission too. ‘It’s special,’ she told Mrs Tam. ‘How about I sell it for you, no commission.’

  ‘Twenty per cent,’ said Mrs Tam, responding so quickly that Lily wondered if she’d known exactly what was in her hands and if she’d planned this to help Lily along.

  ‘Five,’ Lily told her.

  ‘Fifteen.’

  ‘Eight.’

  ‘Twelve, Lily. Or no deal.’

  ‘You drive a hard bargain, Mrs Tam.’ Lily took the lamp off her and placed it carefully on the counter.

  Saturday afternoon and her life was in full swing. Euphoria seemed to be charging through her veins.

  She pulled out a pad and a pencil and input the items she’d just accepted onto her spreadsheet. ‘I’ll give you each a receipt,’ she told her clients. She still hadn’t had time to call her mother and the children but she wasn’t berating herself for that. She would call them when she drove home in about an hour’s time. Before she showered, pampered herself a little with her favourite creams and lotions and dressed in a lacy, skimpy pink G-string and bra set she’d been given years ago and had never worn. She’d top it with her favourite ivory cotton dress with blue rosebuds. The one Mrs Tam had called romantic.

  ‘There.’ She handed the receipts over, her heart swelling with pride and promise. She was already doing business, and Nick was in love with her. And off course, she was half-way to falling in love with Nick right back. He hadn’t said it again, just that first time before he made love to her, and then made love with her. The differences were enthralling but she ought not to be thinking about either now.

  ‘What the hell’s this for?’ Mr Morelly asked Mrs Tam, rattling a heavy chair by its back brace.

  ‘It’s a commode,’ Mrs Tam told him, shutting the lid. ‘A toilet in a chair. Not sure who’d want to buy that.’

  Lily wasn’t sure either, but it would be an interesting feature in a country garden if she painted it brightly and turned it into a plant pot.

  She leaned her elbows on the counter, watching them riffle through the wares piled on the floor and on a donated table, her thoughts tumbling to Nick. Tonight. She’d receive all that pleasure again tonight. And she might tell
him of her feelings for him. He’d understand if she was a little hesitant. She had the children to think of. She wasn’t a single woman. She had dependants. She’d need to talk to them, ease them into knowing that their mother was dating. She closed her eyes and thought about how they might take the news.

  ‘Who’s doin’ all the shifting in for you?’ Mr Morelly asked.

  ‘Probably Nick,’ Mrs Tam said, picking up a small iron birdbath in the shape of a lotus flower. ‘I might buy this.’

  ‘Dan is going to move the cabinets and shelving in for me,’ Lily said. ‘I can manage the rest.’ She straightened, and shuffled paperwork, planning ahead in her mind. She’d talk to her children about Nick when they returned from Sydney a week on Monday. They’d enjoy Easter Monday together. The shop had its official opening on the Tuesday, and the kids started school again on Wednesday. No value for anyone in bringing the subject up while they were away. She wanted to see their faces when she told them. She wanted to gauge their reactions because she’d see straight away if there were doubts or concerns.

  ‘Young Janie-Louise’ll be glad to have Nick around, I bet,’ Mr Morelly said.

  Lily looked up, brought out of her thoughts. ‘Around?’ she asked.

  ‘So will Andy,’ Mrs Tam said, putting the lid on the commode down. ‘Once he gets used to the idea of having a father.’

  ‘A what?’ Lily said, her breath catching.

  Mr Morelly turned to her. ‘The kids.’

  ‘What about them?’ Lily asked, clutching the pencil in her hand as though it were a fuse leading to a bomb.

  ‘I overheard your kids talking. About their dad.’

  A short fuse.

  ‘Or lack of,’ Mrs Tam offered in a dry tone.

  Andy and Janie-Louise never spoke about their father. Never. Lily blinked hard and fast; her eyes had become dusty and dry. They didn’t speak about him to Lily and she never uttered his name in front of them. Had she been wrong not to do so? Not to tell them some kind of truth, or bending of the truth to make them feel better.

  ‘By the way, Lily, there’s a rehearsal for the Easter Ball this Wednesday night.’