Chapter 13 #3
Her heart went out again to homesick Lachie when she saw the other boys put a hand over their mouths and noses.
More kids followed suit, pinching their noses as if the non-existent odour was unbearable. ‘Ewww, something stinks around here,’ one of the boys stage-whispered. Harriet must have heard it too, because she fell into step beside Lachie on the walk back to camp doing her best to make him laugh.
‘She’s a good kid,’ Spencer said. ‘You must be proud.’
‘Absolutely. Sometimes I wonder how they even turned out like this.’ She laughed. ‘If I’m honest. I think it’s mostly their nature, not my parenting skills, that’s made them into such great girls.’
They walked a little longer, the campground coming into view over the treetops. ‘From an outsider looking in, and a guy who’s taught thousands of students, I’d say you’re doing a top job.’
‘Ha, you don’t know the half of it.’
He stopped then, and with a quick look down the path, checking that the camp guide up with the front walkers wasn’t staring back up the hill at them, and the tail walkers were focused on the gravel track ahead, he dropped a kiss on her lips.
‘I can only work with what I know, and my verdict is sexy, strong, terrible in a kayak but great at making coffee and being a mum. I’m looking forward to finding out the rest as we go along.’
Clem blinked with surprise as he resumed walking, her legs not the only part struggling to keep up. Strong and sexy. Did he even realise he was saying all the right things? It was going to be quite the challenge to keep hold of these professional boundaries he was so intent on maintaining!
Spencer settled back into his deckchair, trying to remember a school camp he’d enjoyed more, and took a sip of tea.
‘I can’t believe I haven’t made an effort to visit these mountains since moving back,’ Clem said, tipping her head back to gaze at the stars.
The tin mug of jasmine tea wasn’t Spencer’s usual drink, but it was warm in his hands, and heated his insides better than the camp fire they’d extinguished an hour earlier to help hurry the students into bed.
‘It’s pretty speccy,’ he said, keeping his eyes on her.
There was something about her gold puffer jacket that lit up her face and hair, even in the dim glow from the cabins.
They’d dragged the chairs into a clearing a hundred metres or so away, where they were close enough to hear any wandering students who veered off the path between the cabins and the toilet block, but were screened from view.
‘The stars are something else. And that fresh air.’ Her chest rose and fell as she filled her lungs. ‘I thought Penwarra was pretty pristine, but there’s something about this place that makes the air seem crisper, cleaner.’
‘Altitude, maybe?’ He passed her the cheese tray.
‘Smart alec.’ She grinned, popping a stuffed pepper into her mouth. Her other hand dangled over the chair, brushing against his, and he picked it up, running a finger over her smooth skin, tracing the bands of her rings and then squeezing the length of each finger.
‘Erghhh, you can do that all night and I’ll sit here, lapping it up.’ A contented groan slipped from her lips and while it was an entirely PG sound, in response to a completely innocent hand massage, the noise made him want to pull her into his lap and make her gasp in a more intimate way.
Jeepers, keep your head, man.
He folded Clem’s hand into his before he got even further ahead of himself than he already was.
‘We should have a chat before things go any further.’
She laughed. ‘I hate to break it to you Mr Hawkins, but I know about the birds and the bees.’
The more time they spent together, the more he discovered her sense of humour, and he hoped she’d approach this weird conversation with the same light-heartedness.
‘Who’s the smart alec now? I mean about the TV show.
If I were to start a new relationship right now, completely hypothetically, it would have to stay under wraps until the show finishes airing.
It’s written into my contract. So there could be no public dates, no slow walks along the jetty hand in hand, no photos together on either of our socials. ’
Really selling it, wasn’t he?
‘How long’s the embargo last?’
‘Up until the final episode in December.’
‘I’m not really one for the limelight anyway,’ Clem said softly.
‘But I’m not sure if sneaking around is really my strong suit.
I’ve got two little girls who don’t miss a trick, and from the number of times you’ve called into the cafe recently, it’s clear neither of us is practised in the art of cloak-and-dagger shenanigans. ’
He laughed at that. ‘You’re right, if this is happening, it needs to be locked down. No come-hither bedroom eyes. No blowing kisses across the crowded cafe.’
Her lips twitched, turning up at the corners. ‘Come-hither eyes? Man, we need to get you some new catchphrases. Like, twenty-first century new. So you’re saying there’ll be none of this over the buffet breakfast tomorrow?’
She lifted his hand to her mouth, keeping her gaze on him as she guided his finger to her lips, tracing it around an exaggerated pout and then nibbling and licking his finger.
He shifted in his seat, uncomfortably aware of the straining at his zipper.
‘Maybe not that specifically,’ he said. Even to his own ears, his voice sounded deeper than usual.
Raspy, even. Did she know what she was doing to him?
She flashed him a wicked smile. Oh, she knew.
Slowly, teasingly, she drew his finger into her mouth, twirling her tongue around it once and then pulling it out with a ‘pop’ noise that made him groan.
Any notion he’d had that there was an element of common sense to this conversation vanished as she fluttered her lashes, looking like a vamp from a 1920s burlesque film.
‘That’s it.’ She grinned, dropping the facade. ‘That’s the best impression of “come hither” I could muster. And now I solemnly swear not to use that in view of the general public.’
He coughed, buying himself some time, and crossed his legs, hoping his reaction wouldn’t be quite so obvious.
‘And you’re not in the cast of the Penwarra Players because …?’
She quirked an eyebrow. ‘I’m not sure that’s the type of family friendly acting you require.’ She stood then, and held her hand out for his, laughing when he hesitated. ‘No more of that, I promise.’
He put his hands into hers, allowing her to tug him to his feet. ‘Now I’m kinda disappointed,’ he whispered, his face close to hers.
She put her hands on his chest and turned her face up to him.
‘Just so I’ve got this straight, to the world of Penwarra, you’ll be a regular cafe customer and then when you’re not busy teaching or wrangling actors or beekeeping and when nobody is looking, we conduct a hot, passionate, secret affair? ’
There was a teasing tone to her voice.
‘I’d still pay for my coffee, obviously.’ He stepped a little closer, captivated by the way her teeth caught her bottom lip.
‘Obviously,’ she agreed with a grin, then her face grew serious.
‘I haven’t been able to get you out of my head, Spencer, and there’s so much going on in my life right now, and my kids’ lives, that this is definitely a terrible idea.
’ She took another step closer. ‘Kiss me already, and then I’ll decide. ’
Spencer’s hands went to her waist and then there she was, her lips against his, her hands running through the hair at the back of his neck. And once again, he had the feeling this was exactly the way things were supposed to pan out.
He groaned, breaking away. ‘As much as I’d love to continue, I’m officially on duty until Friday arvo.’
She rested a hand against his chest, letting out a sigh of conflicted agreement.
‘The logical part of me agrees wholeheartedly—I mean, I wouldn’t be impressed if I found out the camp supervisors were romping around instead of diligently supervising my child—but the rest of me is protesting something shocking.
How’s a girl supposed to make important decisions without all the required info? ’
Spencer lifted her hand to his lips and pressed a kiss to the delicate skin on the inside of her wrist. Her heartbeat was strong underneath his fingertips.
Racing pulse and talking about romping around. Both great signs of a burgeoning relationship, he thought as he walked Clem to her cabin.
‘Can’t rush these things. Though if you hear splashing, it’s me taking a cold dip in the lake.’ He grinned, leaning against the door frame. ‘Good night, Clem Crossley.’