‘He’s driving me up the wall, but that’s what they do. Next time I decide to have a baby at the start of the cray season, remind me I’ll be doing it mostly solo until they’ve caught their quota and the fishing season’s done.’
She set down a notebook and pencil, and he saw the page was filled with costume ideas for each character. He looked back at Reggie and Fred, feeling bad for the extra load on Mia’s already-full schedule.
‘You know you don’t need to take on the Penwarra Players costumes every year. We’d understand if you asked us to find a replacement.’
She gave him a sharp look. ‘What, and let old prissy-pants Odette charge you a fortune for some poorly stitched, overpriced garb? Not on my watch, buster. I might get a helper later.’
She softened then, running a tender hand down Fred’s lanky legs. ‘I’m only doing a bit here and there at the moment, getting ideas and rough sizes of cast members. Hey, Indi’s meant to be coming to ours for a play with Reggie during rehearsals. Have you seen Clem?’
It was an effort to keep his expression blank. He’d seen her alright. In the shower, under the stars, snuggled up and using his arm as a pillow, and as she tiptoed ahead of him through her farmhouse late last night and led him to her bedroom.
Yep, he’d seen Clem Crossley, and boy was she a sight to behold.
Clem cast another look at the hall, then down at the old clothes she’d donned to help with props. She’d found the paint-speckled overalls at the back of Nanna Shirley’s craft cupboards, clearly a relic of her artistic era. The old polo shirt was her own. Splattered with evidence of her poor painting skills, it featured splodges of grey from the main bedroom and purple from Harri and Indi’s feature walls.
She wasn’t off to a good start, rocking up late, and now she was on the phone in the hall car park when she’d promised to lend a hand. But it sounded like Hazel had had a rough day, and after cutting her off yesterday to work on the catering quote and prep for Spencer’s visit, she felt guilty for putting her best friend last.
‘Cheer me up, Clemmy. Tell me something that’ll stop this day from being a complete-write off. I get the feeling you’re not telling me everything,’ Hazel said. ‘Is it one of the guys from Mia’s maternity ward? The fireman was a hottie, I can imagine him bringing the heat in the bedroom too. Those tattoos, mmm mmm.’
Clem adjusted the overall straps guiltily.
‘I told you I wasn’t going to call any of those guys, and now that you’ve said tattoos, that’s a double no.’
‘Is it that mean daddy from Harriet’s class? The doctor with the perpetual scowl but the super sweet little boy? He can’t be a total monster if he’s got a nice kid, right? Maybe he has a squint, or a lazy eye.’
‘Anyone who leaves his trolley in the middle of the supermarket car park is a firm “no” in my books. I’ve seen him do it twice now.’
Keeping secrets wasn’t in her nature, and not only was she bursting to tell Hazel about Spencer, but she sensed her friend would recognise the new relationship glow when they next caught up.
And what kind of friend wouldn’t attempt to cheer their bestie up after a rough day?
‘If I tell you this, you have to swear to secrecy, okay? You can’t breathe a word to anyone.’
She held the phone away from her ear as Hazel yelled ‘hell yes’ down the line, then took a deep breath and told her friend everything.
‘I like him,’ Clem told Hazel, pacing the empty car park, where she could talk without being overheard by Indi, who was waiting in the car. ‘And he really likes me.’
Their first night together had been better than she’d allowed herself to hope. Spencer had quickly showed himself to be agentle, passionate lover, mapping her body with his fingers, then his mouth, and checking what she liked and what she was comfortable with until she ached with need and longing. He’d taken her tumbling over the edge of pleasure, letting her explore his body until he was sated too. The memory of their lovemaking made her tingle each time she thought of it.
Funnily enough, the dust and cobwebs hadn’t even warranted a mention. Clem caught sight of her reflection in a freshly polished car. Grinning and dopey, just as she’d been when she’d softly closed the door behind him last night, and when she’d hung her sheets on the clothesline that morning.
‘Oh lovely, you need to watch the TV show,’ Hazel said. ‘It looks like he was firmly in camp Emily a month or so ago. He looked really into her on the teaser for next week’s episodes. I don’t want you getting hurt, especially if they roast him in the second half of the season. You’ve got a business to think about too. Issy is a whiz and your social media is much better since you put her in charge, but this idea of putting Spencer front and centre of your brand …
‘He’s being plastered over every local media outlet within cooee. You know they’re scratching for news. If he makes an arse of himself, it will be like catnip to those poor journos worrying about being replaced by AI and Facebook.’
‘You said it yourself, Hazel: not everyone watches reality TV, and everyone who does accepts that it’s a warped version of reality,’ Clem said, trying to keep the defensive edge from her tone.
‘True,’ Hazel conceded. ‘I just hope he’s being honest with you, that’s all. Things are going to get awkward at the pointy end of the show.’
‘I was on the set, remember? In real life you could have driven a truck between the pair of them the whole time I was there.’
‘Tread carefully, Clemmy. Don’t give him your whole heart on a platter only to find out he’s a player.’
She doesn’t know him like I do,Clem thought, finishing up the phone call.
She found Mia and Spencer in the foyer, heading for the exit.
‘There you are,’ Mia said, pulling her into a hug. ‘Reggie’s looking forward to having you for dinner, Indi. You ready to head to our place?’
