Chapter 20 #3
‘Spencer?’ A look of shock crossed Mia’s face, then delight.
‘Spencer! Oh, now I don’t know whether to hug you or throttle you.
Or Jeff. Or Spencer! When did this all happen?
Gah, I can’t believe I’m the last to know everything around here, especially when it’s happening under my nose.
You two sure play it cool at rehearsals.
I was telling Leearna the other day, you two always seem to be on opposite sides of the hall these days. Wait until Hazel hears.’
Clem screwed up her face. ‘About that …’
Mia gasped. ‘I really am the last to know. Thanks a bunch.’
‘I wanted to tell you, I promise. I just know you’re not good with secrets,’ she said. It was almost comical watching Mia’s reactions as the whole sorry story unfolded.
Clem felt her cheeks burning as her friend peppered her with more questions. When it seemed Mia had finally finished her interrogation, Clem led the way to the water.
‘Wait, what’s the next chapter? You can’t leave me on a cliffhanger. When are you going to smooth things over?’
Clem searched Mia’s face, turning away from her miserable reflection in Mia’s oversized sunnies. ‘I don’t know if there is a next chapter,’ she admitted. ‘I told him it was over—twice, in fact. And as far as I know, he’s leaving right after the Brealys do.’
Dolly sat on the doormat beside Spencer’s feet. She tipped her head left, then right, her beige ears pricked to attention and her golden eyes sharp as he unlocked the door to their new home.
It was cool inside, the thick stone walls keeping the summer heat at bay.
He walked slowly down the hallway, through the decorative arches and into the small green kitchen overlooking the north-facing deck and the backyard beyond.
Green had been a favourite of the previous owners—there was a deep-green vanity in the bathroom too, and a forest wallpaper feature wall in the main bedroom—but he liked the earthy tones, and the sleek cabinetry.
‘Certainly different, hey Doll?’
The beagle pressed her head against Spencer’s knee, tail wagging.
Different was the whole point, wasn’t it?
Despite Addison’s repeated offers of assistance, he’d risen to the challenge of decorating it too, and the local furniture shop had been as thrilled with his business as Alison and Christopher had been with his offer to sell them any pieces they liked.
In the end, he’d moved only one load of personal effects and two pieces of furniture from South Giddi Giddi.
The new beds, dining suite and rugs would arrive soon, and once the production weekend was over and he’d waved Louisa and Ian off at the airport, he’d be ready to move in.
He walked through the near-empty house, and sat in the soft velvet armchair with bee-print fabric.
He’d moved the chair to the spare room after Belle passed away, so he wasn’t assailed with memories of her face when she’d spotted it in a shop in Adelaide, or the way she’d sat on it, curled up with a good book and a plate of biscuits, her feet tucked underneath her.
The phone rang in his pocket, cutting through the memories.
‘Have I caught you at a good time, Spencer?’
It wasn’t often Jack Crossley’s number crossed his phone screen, but when it did, it was always for work. So when the police sergeant told him he was calling for a personal favour, Spencer agreed immediately.
‘You don’t even know what it is yet?’ Jack laughed. ‘I could be asking you to hide a body.’
‘Your secret’s safe with me, mate.’ Spencer grinned. ‘How can I help?’
It wasn’t the first time he’d been asked to go tell the bees someone had died, a concept that seemed to have been made popular by a book, but it would be the last time in the immediate future he’d have hives at his disposal to do such a thing.
Spencer agreed right away, and grabbed his hat, keys and sunnies.
His first detour was via the roadside stall at Sunny Cross Farm Gate Cafe, where Harriet, Indi and Isobel happily sold him two bunches of sunflowers and Selina, looking more cheerful than ever, made him an iced coffee.
The next stop was a slow walk through Penwarra’s only cemetery, where he sat with Jean and then Belle for the best part of an hour, before laying their flowers down and continuing to South Giddi Giddi.
The hives were humming with activity, a welcome contrast to the graveyard, and after checking for snakes and bull ants, he took a seat on a fallen gum log.
He cleared his throat. ‘Hey guys, I’ve got some news I hope you’ll share for me. Jean, a very special woman, passed away this month and I need you to spread the word.’
Bird calls and the gentle sounds of the sheep in the nearby paddocks mingled with his voice, and where once he might have felt foolish at the idea of talking to the bee hives, and telling the busy insects about Jean, how much she’d meant to her family, and the lives she’d touched within the Penwarra community, the small act was the least he could do for Clem’s family.
He wiped his eyes with a tissue, gently pushing Dolly aside as she tried to lick his salty cheeks, and blew out a slow breath. He’d done this for several families now, but he’d never honoured Belle in this way.
And as he thought of the way she’d loved the bees, and loved South Giddi Giddi, he knew he couldn’t drive away without honouring her in the same way.
Letting the tears fall freely, he walked back through the hives, telling the bees all about Belle Brealy as well.