Mesmerised, Nicole watched on as Danny replaced the last of the cracked tiles of the fireplace hearth. He’d finally managed to find some gorgeous reclaimed originals from a wrecking yard in Perth. And it was worth the two-week wait to get them shipped over.

‘It’s stunning,’ Nicole exclaimed, as Danny backed away from the hearth.

‘Not too shabby, hey?’

She hugged him tightly.

‘Dinner’s ready,’ Mandy called from the kitchen. ‘Come on in, boys.’

‘Smells great,’ Danny said as he sat down at the table, flecks of dirt still splattered on the tops of his hands despite the fact he’d washed up.

Jack took his boots off at the front door and came inside, followed by his father.

‘I thought you were here to help me.’ He slapped Trevor on the shoulder. ‘Knocked off half an hour ago, the bludger.’

‘You had it under control.’ Trevor smiled. ‘I did the hard part, fixing the gate for you.’

‘Wash your hands and sit down,’ Mandy said to her son.

It was Mandy’s idea to have a mini working bee and to make use of Nicole’s new kitchen. No point a kitchen that large going to waste. Thankfully, Mandy did most of the cooking. Nicole played the role of sous-chef.

‘I can’t thank you guys enough for this,’ Nicole said, sitting next to Mandy. ‘Everything’s looking, well, it’s starting to look like a real home.’

‘What are friends for?’ Trevor winked. ‘Besides, we’ll all get our payback in due course. We’re planning to put an extension on soon, hey, love?’ He smiled at Mandy.

‘And I reckon my place would look great rendered,’ Danny said.

‘And I’ve got a TAFE assignment for design that could use a spare pair of hands,’ Jack added. ‘On second thoughts, maybe you could just do my written reports for a semester.’

They all laughed.

‘Oh, I see,’ Nicole said with a grin. ‘That’s how it is, then. No such thing as a free lunch round here.’

‘That’s right.’ Mandy shook her head. ‘But there is such a thing as a free dinner, so quit the banter and dig in.’

She placed the casserole dish in the middle of the table and started serving up.

Nicole looked around the table surrounded by people with whom she shared no blood connection, no history. People a few months ago she didn’t even want to get to know. A group of strangers brought into her life by chance and circumstance.

Jack belched loudly. Trevor clipped him over the head.

‘I can’t help it,’ Jack said, pleading his innocence.

‘Appreciation of a good meal.’ Danny patted Nicole’s hand and let it linger just a second.

‘What are our chances against the Badgers this weekend?’ Nicole asked, hoping the blush in her cheeks went unnoticed.

Bringing up a Rangers game was guaranteed to set this lot off on a long discussion.