He took one last look at the photo. The young woman stared back at him, her dark eyes warm and trusting. Misplaced trust she would regret. The boy in her lap laughed, his blue eyes dancing, piercing through Charlie’s guilty heart. He flipped the photo over. Maybe some pasts were too painful to face.

Nicole hummed along to the radio as she tidied the kitchen in anticipation of Mandy’s arrival, dancing as she went. Maybe it was the fact she’d actually slept properly for the last three nights. Maybe it was the calm that had come over her since that morning she played Scrabble with Charlie at the beginning of the week. All she knew was she felt lighter than she had in months.

Finally the kitchen was spotless for Nicole’s first cooking lesson – as spotless as it could be in its state of disrepair. Trevor had fixed the oven so it was usable, though it would still need replacing. Nicole had been avoiding a full kitchen refit, but with the rest of the cottage now taking shape, she couldn’t put it off any longer. The renovation in this room would start in two weeks.

‘Yoo-hoo!’ Mandy’s voice called out, right on time.

‘In here,’ she answered.

‘Are you ready to start our first baking lesson?’ Mandy asked, waving a cookbook at Nicole.

Nicole shrugged. ‘Are you sure we shouldn’t wait till the new kitchen is in?’

Mandy shook her head. ‘There’s no time like the present. And we’re starting pretty basic, so a basic kitchen will do just fine. Though I bet you can’t wait till this is all spic and span.’

It wasn’t really something Nicole was fussed about one way or another. It was the room she used least in the cottage. Even the gorgeous new kitchen she’d acquired in Sydney from moving in with Mark had barely seen her cook.

But normal people liked nice kitchens and the renovation wouldn’t be complete without a total overhaul of this room.

‘Well, yes,’ she lied. ‘Then maybe I can down tools for a bit and take a break from the reno. Just for a few days.’

‘Picking up a bit of lingo from Trev and Danny there, I hear.’ Mandy laughed.

‘Apparently. Next thing you know I’ll be walking round with builders’ crack.’ Nicole realised her rudeness immediately. ‘Sorry, I didn’t mean …’

‘Don’t be silly. It’s a stereotype for a reason. And between you and me, I’ve had to tell that husband of mine to pull up his King Gees more than once.’

Mandy opened her book, a diary stuffed full of handwritten recipes and magazine cut-outs, to the Anzac biscuit page. ‘As I said, I thought we’d start with something basic and work our way up.’

‘I didn’t think you’d need instructions.’ Nicole raised an eyebrow.