Chapter 21
Spencer
A local club had let the Sunshine Centre use their camping grounds, and Spencer was over the moon to have all the facilities they needed at hand.
The tents needed to go up first, and Will was teaching the boys what to do while Spencer continued to unload the centre’s minibus.
He glanced at the sky. Weather was due to stay mild and dry, which was a blessing. He could just imagine waking in the night to find their tents washed away. At least the children would find it funny.
‘Can we fry some bacon yet?’ asked Leo.
Ryan frowned at him. ‘Why bacon?’
Leo shrugged. ‘Isn’t that what campers do?’
‘I think they eat beans,’ said Jax, picking up a tent pole to hand to Will, who was doing most of the work.
‘I’d rather have a bacon sandwich,’ said Leo.
Will laughed. ‘And I’d rather you lot mucked in. Come on.’
The boys started to help build the three tents the centre had provided.
‘How many badges will we earn this weekend?’ asked Leo, perusing the ones stitched to his lanyard.
Spencer glanced up, frowning, while making a start on the firepit. ‘One. A camping badge.’
Ryan chuckled as Leo scoffed.
‘What?’ asked Spencer.
Leo pointed at the dugout. ‘One for lighting a fire without matches.’ He turned to Jax. ‘I’ve seen it done on the telly.’ He looked over at Will. ‘Rock climbing tomorrow.’
Will held up his thumb.
‘Anything else?’ asked Spencer, trying not to laugh.
Leo’s gaze fell to his friends as though asking for help.
‘Cooking,’ said Ryan. ‘Bacon, of course.’ He nudged Leo’s arm.
‘Ghost stories,’ said Jax.
Will hammered a tent peg. ‘Ooh, I love a good spooky tale.’
Leo huffed. ‘Not too scary.’
‘Think of the badge, Leo,’ said Jax.
Spencer stood to help Ryan, who had got himself in a tangle with some rope. ‘In that case, it had better be a good ghost story.’
‘Does it have to be about ghosts?’ Leo asked Jax.
Jax nodded. ‘It’s campfire law. My dad said.’
Spencer looked at Will and shared a grin.
It wasn’t long before they were set up and looking mighty pleased with their efforts, even the grown-ups, and Spencer had them all trying to create a spark, blowing gently into tinder. Squeals of excitement erupted as small flames appeared, then Will added some fire-starter cubes to keep the fire alight, swiftly followed by a small log.
The boys ran off to find long sticks they could use to toast marshmallows, and Spencer went over to the kitchen area they’d set up, lighting a camping stove, ready to cook some bacon and make hot chocolate. His mind drifted to Beth and Archie, wondering what they were up to. It was his first night away from his son since meeting him.
‘This is a good little camp we’ve got here,’ said Will, washing his hands with a bottle of water over a plastic bowl. ‘And good reception too.’
Spencer laughed. ‘Have you been on your phone already?’
‘I just checked to make sure I’ve got no messages from Ginny.’
‘She’ll be fine.’
‘She’s pregnant.’
‘She’ll still be fine.’
Will dried his hands on a blue tea towel. ‘I know, but I still worry about her. She’s my life, you know?’
No, he didn’t know. He’d never felt that way about a partner before. Beth came to mind again. ‘Did you know you liked her straight away?’ he asked, pulling a frying pan out of a box.
Will looked deep in thought. ‘I’m not sure what I thought of her when we first met. I guess there was some sort of weird pull of energy between us.’ He shrugged. ‘It was more the second time I saw her that had an effect on me. I didn’t want to walk away. That’s a good clue. When you want to spend time with them.’ He smiled a smile that seemed to be just for him. ‘I love hanging out with Ginny. She’s my best friend.’
Spencer had no words so carried on with his chore, appreciating the smell of the bacon cooking, knowing that was sure to bring the kids back in a hurry.
‘You like her, don’t you?’ Will had a soppy grin on his face.
‘If you’re talking about Beth, we’re just friends.’
Will waggled a slice of bread at his head. ‘Sure.’
Spencer’s laugh abruptly stopped when he heard a yell, which sounded a lot like Leo.
‘It’s all right,’ said Jax, appearing through some trees. ‘Leo just tripped over himself.’
‘It was a log,’ corrected Leo, limping towards a camp chair.
Ryan appeared next, shaking his head. ‘I didn’t see a log.’
Leo plopped onto the chair and rolled up his tracksuit bottoms to reveal a grazed knee. ‘Ouch, it’s sore.’
Will brought the first aid kit over. ‘Right, who wants to earn a nursing badge?’
Jax grimaced. ‘What do we have to do?’
‘Just a clean-up. He doesn’t even need a plaster.’ Will pulled out an antiseptic wipe.
‘I’m not touching it,’ said Ryan, taking a step back.
‘Nor me,’ said Jax.
Leo huffed. ‘Oh, thanks!’
Will gently wiped over the graze, then told the boy to keep his trouser leg rolled up for a bit to let the air get to the sore.
‘Are you sure I don’t need a plaster?’ asked Leo, assessing the damage.
Jax chuckled. ‘Your mum packed superhero plasters for you, didn’t she?’
Leo remained engaged with his wound. ‘They’re Mr Men ones, actually.’
Ryan scoffed. ‘What are we, five?’
‘Hey, I like the Mr Men,’ said Leo.
Spencer wondered if he should start buying Archie books. There was the plastic one he had for the bath, and he seemed to like that. Perhaps bedtime stories could be introduced.
‘Bacon’s burning,’ called Jax, standing over by the makeshift kitchen.
Spencer sprinted to the stove to save the rasher just in time. ‘I’ll have this one. It’s only a little charred.’
Jax shook his head while laughing. ‘I’ll have the next one.’
Leo groaned. ‘I should be fed first. I’m injured.’
Ryan patted his shoulder. ‘You grazed your knee, mate. You’re not dying.’
‘Ooh, you won’t be able to go rock climbing now,’ said Jax.
Leo frowned. ‘Yes, I will. Look.’ He started bending and straightening his joint. ‘See, all good.’
‘Proper superhero, you are,’ said Will, putting the first aid kit away. ‘Healed so fast, it’s almost a miracle.’
‘My mum says healing takes as long as it takes.’ Leo pulled a cereal bar from his pocket and broke it into pieces to share.
His words made Spencer wonder how long it would take for Beth to feel healed enough to go home. She’d be back at work at some point, and life would change for them all. The thought of not seeing her each day saddened him, so he focused on his present moment, making sure no more bacon got burned.
The boys sat around the fire with their drawing pads, designing their own badges to show Luna, and Will was cleaning the kitchen area while quietly singing a sea shanty.
Spencer could feel his phone in his jacket pocket tormenting him. Normally, he wouldn’t feel the need to call anyone. He went over to Will for a chat to clear his head, but it was as though the man could read his mind.
‘Itching to call home, eh, Spence?’
‘What makes you think that?’
‘Your face.’
Spencer rubbed his jaw. ‘It’s all a bit weird, if I’m honest. I’m not used to worrying about anyone except Lottie. Now I’ve got this lot always on my mind and Beth and Archie.’
‘Ah, the joys of caring.’
Spencer breathed out a quiet laugh.
Will put a stack of plastic mugs away. ‘I never had a family before, what with being raised in care. Ginny’s the only person I’ve met in all my life who feels like home, and now we’ve a nipper on the way. I won’t lie to you, Spence, I have my moments where it scares the hell out of me, but the good stuff we have is stronger than the fear, and just one look at my Ginny grounds me.’
‘Spencer, what do you think?’ called out Ryan, holding up his drawing.
‘I still think Captain Spencer sounds better,’ said Leo.
Spencer shook his head. ‘Spencer is just fine. Now, let’s see what you’ve created.’ He sat between Ryan and Leo, and Leo placed one part of his cape over Spencer’s knee. ‘What’s that for?’
‘In case you’re missing Archie and Miss Horton.’
It was quite possible Spencer’s heart melted a touch, but he sniffed, straightened his back, and paid attention to the lad’s drawing.
‘My dad misses me whenever I go anywhere,’ said Jax, shading his picture.
‘I don’t think my mum cares about me,’ mumbled Ryan, but everyone heard.
‘Of course she does,’ said Spencer. ‘She’s your mum. All mums care about their kids.’ Why he said that was anyone’s guess, as he knew full well it wasn’t true. He was sure his own mother had hated his mere existence most days. Shaking off the memory, he offered Ryan a reassuring smile.
‘Can we toast our marshmallows now?’ asked Leo, and Spencer thought it the best plan, seeing how the mood had dropped.
Before long, more hot chocolate was poured, marshmallows eaten, and ghost stories told. Spencer was sure Leo wouldn’t sleep after Jax told a tale of a severed hand in a school library murdering children on detention, and it took a while to get them settled into their sleeping bags. Will sang to them while Spencer sat by the fire, staring absentmindedly into the flickering flames.
It was soothing sitting in the dark, with not much going on. He closed his eyes for a moment, absorbing his surroundings.
Goodnight, Beth. Sleep well .
A high-pitched scream shot through the air, rattling his eardrums and bringing him to an immediate stand.
‘It’s a spider!’ yelled Leo.
Ryan and Jax laughed as Will got rid of the offending creature that had dared to crawl along the child’s head.
‘Blimming heck, Leo. You scared the living daylights out of me.’ Spencer was still clutching his chest.
Leo sat up, pointing at his mousey hair. ‘How do you think I feel!’
Everyone burst out laughing while Leo went on to tell everyone he would never sleep a wink ever again.
It took a while, but the two men finally got the boys to settle down, even though it meant leaving the battery-operated lamps on all night.
Spencer clambered into his own tent, wide awake and on full alert in case anything else happened. He wasn’t that vigilant with Archie. He propped his pillow up and decided to read a book on his phone. But holding the mobile only made him think of Beth again. It was late, so he shouldn’t call, but maybe one short text would be acceptable. He wasn’t even sure if she switched her phone off at night.
Erm, hope this doesn’t wake you. Just hoping you had a good day. He shook his head and deleted the message. ‘Nah, sounds like I’m thinking she can’t cope without me.’ He tapped out something else, mumbling the words as he went. ‘ In case you’re still awake, thought I’d say goodnight. ’ That seemed normal enough, so he sent the text.
There was some rustling in the boys’ tent, but it soon went quiet again, so Spencer settled back down, ready for his book, but the screen flashed up, revealing Beth calling.
‘Beth, everything okay?’ he whispered.
‘Yes,’ she whispered back. ‘Is it okay for you to talk?’
He nodded into his pillow. ‘The boys are asleep now, and I think Will’s about to crash, so I can talk. Are you all right?’
‘Yes, I’ve had a good day. Just wanted to say hello.’
Spencer smiled. ‘Hello.’
Her giggle warmed him.
‘Is little man sleeping?’
‘Yes, we’re both in bed.’
He could see her there in his spare room, snuggled beneath the quilt, safe and cosy. ‘What you up to tomorrow?’
‘Ginny’s invited me to her farm for a morning of decorating. Sophie, Lottie, and Alice are coming too. Hopefully we can help get another room sorted for her. Also, she’s got chickens, so I’m going to show Archie. See what he thinks.’
‘Sounds great. Has Ginny been okay? Will worries about her.’
Beth laughed. ‘She’s fine. I was with her earlier in her tearoom. It’s ready for the grand opening as soon as you two get back.’
‘I’m looking forward to it.’
To seeing you .
He swallowed hard, frowning. ‘Are you tired?’
‘A little. It feels strange you not being here. I think that’s why I’m still awake.’
‘Settle down, Beth,’ he said softly. ‘I’ll leave the phone on till you fall asleep if you like.’
‘But you need your battery.’
‘I can charge it in the minibus when we drive to the rock-climbing place in the morning. Close your eyes.’
‘You don’t mind?’ she whispered.
Spencer smiled, wishing she could see his expression. ‘Close your eyes,’ he repeated even quieter.
‘Closed.’
‘Goodnight, Beth.’
‘Sweet dreams, Spencer.’
He snuggled further into his sleeping bag, placing his phone to the side of his face, and waited a good while before he closed his eyes and drifted off.