Chapter 14
The challenge swing was higher than Spencer expected, and it didn’t take long for the more cautious kids to start pulling out when they found themselves at the front of the line.
‘My mum says I’m not allowed to go on anything that dangerous,’ young Lachie said, keeping his arms firmly locked around the shade sail pole at the opposite end of the activity. ‘It’s a medical thing. Even if I wanted to, I wouldn’t be allowed.’
Spencer ruffled the boy’s hair. He wasn’t the only student to baulk at the challenge, but he was the first to refuse to even try on the hard hat or harness. ‘I totally get it. If my doctor said something like that, I’d listen to him too. That’s why we pay them the big bucks, right?’
Lachie nodded, his wide eyes fixed on the student currently being hoisted to gum tree canopy height. ‘And to be honest, if you get the straps wrong, it can be all kinds of painful,’ Spencer added with a grave nod.
‘And dangerous,’ Lachie added.
‘That too, mate.’ Spencer turned and looked at the group.
Clem was doing a fine job helping the high ropes specialist with the activity, but he wanted to be the one by her side, checking harnesses and reminding the kids on the ground to keep hold of the ropes until instructed otherwise.
Was that harness-slinging hick checking her out?
He looked back at Lachie. ‘It’s totally your choice.
But my theory is, you’ve got to do the things that scare you.
Forget what anyone else thinks—the haters will have their opinion, whether you do it or you don’t.
I was packing my dacks when I did it, if that makes you feel any better, but not a single kid’s fallen from that swing. ’
At least, not that the camp staff had admitted in the safety briefing.
‘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.
It was vastly different from the cafe, and certainly worlds away from the many years she’d spent in suburban Adelaide. Even the Adelaide Hills had felt like a hive of activity in comparison to this tranquil setting in Victoria’s majestic Grampians Mountain Range.
One by one, the students returned from the shower blocks and dashed between cabins, checking out one another’s costumes for the talent show.
The second day of camp had been much smoother than the first day with the bus ride dramas, thankfully. Clem had helped cook the barbecue dinner and joined the class for a singalong in the amphitheatre.
The sound of their enthusiastic voices in the stillness of the bush was magical, and a great warm-up for the talent show ahead.
She felt a small hand slip into hers after the singing had finished and turned to see Harriet beaming up at her.
‘This is so cool, Mum. Did you hear me do the solo in ‘Home Among the Gum Trees’? Miss Lyndall asked me specially.’
Clem nodded, returning her daughter’s smile. ‘You bet I did, you sounded like an angel, honey. And you were such a great team captain on the scavenger hunt, our group would have been lost without your map-reading skills.’
‘And Miss Lyndall said you were better than her and Mr Hawkins at archery, I didn’t know you had a good aim like that. Can you teach me when we do it again tomorrow?’
With a nod, Clem wrapped her arms around Harriet. ‘I’d love to, sweet pea. Thanks for asking me to come, it’s been pretty awesome hanging out with you here.’
A pair of Harriet’s friends raced over, completely oblivious to the tender moment.
‘Quick Harri, we’re playing sardines and we need to hide before they find us,’ Pansy giggled. Harriet looked up at Clem, a torn expression on her face.
‘Go on,’ Clem said, offering her an encouraging smile. It was the right thing to say, she thought as their hushed giggles faded into the distance, just like it had been the right move joining her girl on school camp.
And while the children were zipping back and forth, some with face paint, others with wigs and props ahead of the talent show, Clem couldn’t keep her thoughts from wandering ahead to tonight. While they’d agreed camp-based romping was off limits, her imagination had gone into overdrive.
It had been a long time since she’d lusted after someone, and the idea of sneaking another kiss or two after dark felt even more decadent than fresh blueberry and dark chocolate brownies, warm from the oven.
She searched the campground, finding Spencer by the kitchen. Lachie had been almost permanently attached to his side today, and he was there now, standing on one foot while Spencer did something with the boy’s shoe.
Apart from the heat that sizzled between them, the twenty-four hours they’d been at camp underscored the things Clem had already observed about Spencer in their short time together.
He was kind, patient beyond measure with children, pulled his weight with the cleaning and had the grace to let Lyndall run this camp the way she wanted, even though he was at least fifteen years her senior.