‘Yet,’ muttered Lachie, wincing as Harriet’s scream split the air. Spencer waited until the boy had taken his hands from his ears and opened his eyes before gesturing to Harriet, who by now was swinging at a more moderate pace, a delighted grin stretching from ear to ear. He smiled too at the sound of Clem clapping and cheering from the ground.
‘Look at that smile. Terrifying for a few seconds, then she’ll be on top of the world for the rest of the camp. Guaranteed.’
And while he knew his heart-to-heart mightn’t be enough to convince the boy right now, he felt confident that with enough pep talks, Lachie might tag along with Lyndall’s group tomorrow or join in the final activity session before they boarded the bus and headed home.
‘Hard to tell who’s having the most fun, you two or the kids,’ Lyndall said as they lined up in the food hall. The camp staff waved them into the kitchen, where an upgraded version of the students’ meals awaited them.
‘Definitely me,’ Clem said. ‘I haven’t squealed like that in years—the ultra-high flying fox was a tad scarier than the one at the Monarto Zoo.’
‘Glad to hear you’re enjoying it. How ’bout you, Spence? Saw you’ve been working your magic on Lachie,’ she said.‘Soon he’ll be following you around like those fangirls sending love notes to the staffroom.’
He grabbed a salad roll, a tub of yoghurt and a piece of apple crumble slice, then grabbed a jug of sparkling water for their table, shaking his head at Clem and Lyndall’s chuckles.
‘Hey, why don’t we get that?’ a Year 5 girl called from her table, peering over her cheese sandwich and muesli bar. ‘It’s not fair.’
‘Teacher perks,’ Lyndall grinned. ‘It’s not always easy being on camp with you kids. The teachers and parent helpers need a little extra to sweeten the deal.’
The young teacher had done an outstanding job so far. Her organisation was flawless, she’d problem-solved each issue as they arose and kept a tight rein on the kids.
And, thankfully, a less-tight rein on the adults.
Spencer met Clem’s gaze across the table for barely a second, enough to know she’d been amused by Lyndall’s comment too. He was pretty sure she wasn’t finding camp hard either. In fact, from what he’d seen, she was having a wow of a time, and that was even before last night’s kiss.
It was torture being so close to Clem without touching her. He was acutely aware of each time they brushed past one another, or reached for the same thing throughout the day.
After lunch, their group went through a low ropes course, then a series of trust exercises.
‘Make sure nobody drops her,’ Harriet called, a worried note in her voice as Clem climbed the steps and shuffled backward so her heels were off the metre-high platform.
Spencer checked that everyone’s arms were linked correctly, so they could catch Clem when she fell backwards. ‘Don’t worry, we’ll catch her,’ he reassured Harriet, locking arms with Lachie. After a good night’s sleep, and a morning back in his own shoes, the boy had turned a new leaf.
‘Yep, don’t be scared, Miss Crossley, you’ll feel like a rockstar when you nail this.’
Spencer laughed. It was word for word the line he’d fed Lachie before convincing him to fall backwards, blindfolded, into the group’s outstretched arms.
‘I hope so,’ Clem said, waiting for Spencer’s command before crossing her arms and leaning into the fall. The squeal she made sounded like Harriet’s from a few turns earlier, and her little girl’s arms flung around her waist the moment Clem’s feet hit the ground.
‘Thank goodness for that.’ Relief flooded Harriet’s face as she snuggled into Clem. Spencer watched their embrace as the rest of the group shuffled into order. Clem’s soft maternal expression was poles apart from the cheeky, sexy, sassy way she looked at him.
If you’re dragging her into a secret relationship, you’d better know what you’re doing.
He glanced away, but the echoes of his conscience were right there.
You can’t hurt her, Hawkins. Not when she’s already carrying so many scars. Not when she’s the sole carer for two little girls.
He looked up to find Lachie staring at him, a broad smile on his pudgy face.
He gave Spencer a thumbs up. ‘I’m going to give the challenge swing a crack this arvo, Mr H, and tonight at the talent show, I’ll be singing like a rockstar!’
Spencer clapped him on the shoulder. ‘I can’t wait to see that, mate.’
He caught Clem’s eye. He hadn’t a clue what he was doing, but until he figured it out, he’d do well to take his own advice and be brave enough to take a shot.
A flock of corellas ascended from the trees around the campsite as they settled into the late afternoon.
Clem leaned back against the warm boulders of the amphitheatre seating, listening to the chatty birds flying away. In their absence, she picked up the sounds of the bush, the quiet hum of cicadas and the warm breeze shifting through the mountains.
This must be what it’s like when Spencer’s out in those quiet paddocks, with no one around but his bees, at one with nature.
