Any chemistry she’d dreamed up between her and Spencer was as fictional as her future career as an author. A figment of a single mum’s imagination, confusing kindness for something entirely different.
She reached for the flyer on the chair between them at the same time as Spencer. He jumped back as their hands brushed.
Or maybe there was a zing there?
Ask him about Emily, and then you’ll know. The quicker you can evict this ridiculous idea from your mind, the more brainpower you can devote to things that matter, like the girls, the cafe and the coffee van.
‘So, how’s Emily? She still loving life on the land out there at South Giddi Giddi?’
She’d tried for light and breezy, but the moment the words left her lips, she wished she could gobble them back up.
‘I’m not supposed to talk about the show, but Emily and I weren’t a good fit, as it turns out.’
Clem had to bite her bottom lip to stop the grin that was forming. ‘That’s too bad. The producers won’t be happy about that.’
He gave a wry smile. ‘If you saw how pushy they were behind the scenes, you’d know why I don’t give a fig what the producers want. The show wasn’t what I thought it was going to be.’ He shrugged and gave a self-deprecating smile. ‘Odds of those relationships working are pretty slim, it seems.’
Clem settled back in her seat, absorbing the news. She’d been searching for information that would help her put this little crush to bed, but now that she knew Emily was off the cards, she couldn’t help wondering what it would be like to let herself fall for a guy like Spencer.
Spencer had lost count of the people who’d asked about the show since filming had finished in June, from his students and colleagues at school, and even the parents in the school car park. Only once had he revealed the outcome of the show outside his immediate family circle, and Jeff had been sworn to secrecy. Jeff hadn’t even told Mia, despite her threats to file for divorce if he kept holding out on her.
But now, Spencer looked into Clem’s pretty blue-green eyes at the Penwarra Players auditions, wondering why it had felt so important to tell her Emily was gone.
After last weekend’s outrageous suggestion from Ian and Louisa, he’d been left with a sudden urge to flee town and get some distance to sort his head out. He didn’t know whether he was coming or going. He certainly wasn’t in the right headspace to start a new relationship.
It wasn’t fair to let Clem Crossley think there was any chance of something happening between them. But fairness hadn’t been on his mind when he’d seen her sitting in the hall, watching Harriet on stage. Fairness hadn’t been his leading thought when he’d pulled her into his arms at the hospital, distraught as she was. And fairness sure as hell wasn’t the primary emotion right now, as she sat there, close enough that he could smell her perfume, looking up at him as if she liked what she saw.
‘Was it really that bad, doing the TV show? It’ll be on air in a month or two, right?’
This comment thrust Spencer sharply out of his daydream. Even if shewasinterested, and he made a move, everything would be shattered when the show aired. He hadn’t been worried about it before he went on the show, but now he was fond of Clem, he had a sinking feeling he’d look like a proper dick dating five women on national TV.
‘Pretty awful actually, I’m dreading November.’
Clem’s lips twitched into a smile. ‘I can’t imagine it was that bad. I mean, unless you slept with them all, pitted them against one another and then trash-talked them on air—and I can’t really picture you doing that.’
Spencer laughed. ‘Yeah, that’s not exactly my style. But I’ve started waking up in a cold sweat worrying about how they’ll edit the scenes. I went on the show to try to force myself out of my shell, and at the start of the filming it did just that. The stunts the producers made us do for the romance challenges were way out of my comfort zone, not to mention being surrounded by all these young things with crazy notions about what love looks like, thinking perfect bodies are a prerequisite for perfect lives. Like living in a foreign country. I’m still shellshocked from the whole thing, if I’m honest.’
Clem leaned in a little closer. ‘And it probably doesn’t help that everyone wants the inside scoop?’ She made a zipping action against her lips and gave him a smile. ‘I won’t breathe a word, pinky promise. But I’m annoyingly curious, and now that I know, I can’t promise not to pump you for further details.’ She looked to the end row of chairs. Her youngest, who was the same age as Reggie, had finished covering herself in stickers and was now sliding around the hall’s timber floorboards on her elbows and belly, as if she was a soldier crawling through mud.
‘And if Harri gets this part, you’ll probably get sick of me bugging you every Sunday.’
Spencer shook his head. ‘Sadly, I suspect I’ll hardly even see you. Ian puts me to work in the props department, and the rest of the time, Louisa usually splits the cast into two, and we each take charge of a different group.’
‘And you also manage to squeeze in a full teaching load, farming and beekeeping? I’m beginning to wonder when you actually sleep. You must live for school holidays.’
‘Just a week or two to go, not that I’m counting,’ Spencer chuckled, and found himself relaxing into the conversation. She was easy to talk to, and before he knew it, Louisa and the cast were filing back into the main hall.
‘Mum, it was awesome! You should have seen the voice warm-ups we did, they were so silly. Hey Mr H, did you see me on the stage? I only missed a few lines, and I didn’t get tongue-tied, not much anyway.’
Spencer held up his hand for a high-five, and she gleefully tapped her small hand against his. ‘You did great, Harriet. Reckon you could show the Year 11 drama students a thing or two with that performance. And if you can remember all the lines, it’ll be an easy one to pull out for the camp talent show in November. And guess what? I’ll be there to cheer you on.’
He saw Clem’s look of surprise. ‘I got roped into going on the 4/5/6 class. They were short staffed. I’ve never been to the Grampians before, so I’m really looking forward to it,’ he told her. ‘You ever been?’
She nodded, and looked like she was about to say something when Harriet interrupted.
‘Mum’s coming with us too, you’ll both be able to watch my performance! At least I know I’ll have two people clapping,’ Harriet said, delight crossing her face. ‘Maybe you can share a cabin?’
Clem coughed, her face going red, and as Spencer passed her the unicorn water bottle by her feet, he wondered if she was appalled by the idea or if the news was a welcome surprise to her too.
