‘Nah. I’m the one who’s sorry. That’s why I came over early. I was a bit rude to you after trivia.’ He stared out into the yard.

‘You obviously had something on your mind.’

‘Yeah. Something.’ He nodded, his gaze distant.

The writer in Nicole wanted to ask questions. Was he in love with Jacqui? That didn’t seem right. Jason? No, she hadn’t picked up that vibe. Not that that meant anything. The way he sat now, staring into the distance, told her there was something more to his late-night abruptness.

She fought back the urge to ask more questions and stayed quiet.

‘So, is this what you thought you were signing up for when you took on this place?’ Danny indicated the cottage behind them.

‘Not quite.’

‘Well, as I said before, you’re doing an amazing job.’ Danny smiled as he looked into her eyes, holding her gaze. ‘Anyway.’ He coughed and shook his head. ‘I’ve taken up enough of your day.’ He stood. ‘I should head before you kick me out.’

‘Are you kidding? I owe you big-time after today.’

Nicole stood and walked him to the step.

‘What time are the boys from Woodville coming over to install the new kitchen?’

Nicole averted her gaze.

Danny grabbed her by the shoulders. ‘You’re kidding me. Do you honestly think you can do a job like that on your own? No one can.’

‘Not the electrical stuff. I’ve got someone coming to do that.’ A quote for five grand just for labour would have chewed up most of what was left of the money from the lawyers for the renovation and that meant she had no choice but to install the cupboards herself. She had no idea what she was going to do about the tiles for the splashback, though.

Danny dropped his grip and shook his head. ‘Give me a minute.’ He pulled out his phone.

‘Danny, please. Don’t. I can’t let you do this for me.’

He tapped away on the screen. ‘Then don’t think of it as for you.’ He turned and looked her in the eye. ‘This place means a lot to a lot of people around here. We all just want to see it back at its best.’

Danny’s phone pinged. Three times. ‘There you go. Tomorrow you’ll have a crew of burly footballers here to help you install your kitchen.’ He turned abruptly and strode down the front garden path.

‘Wait. Where are you going?’

But he didn’t turn back.

Nicole watched him head out the gate. Then she saw that further down the path, Charlie was struggling with his grocery bag. In a few bounding steps Danny was beside him, taking his load. Together they walked towards the boatshed. Danny turned around and waved goodbye to Nicole, who was both miffed by his sudden departure and touched by his kindness.