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A few minutes later and the atmosphere in the yard switched from a frenzy of activity to something altogether more chilled out. Zap had set up his cocktails on one of the tables and was doing brisk business dishing out mojitos, Pimm’s and some kind of gin and prosecco cocktail that Cam thought he might have to sample before the evening was out. The fairy lights flicked on, their pretty sparkle greeted with a cheer, and Cam watched as a grinning Barnie took a bow. When their eyes met, Cam raised his beer in toast and his friend returned his greeting with a wave. A few moments later, he joined them, clutching his own beer.
‘Nice work,’ Cam said. ‘Though I think that’s probably down to your supervisor.’ He nudged Barnie with his elbow. ‘I thought you were going to play it cool.’
‘I tried,’ Barnie said, raising his hands in protest. ‘But the gorgeous Meena finds me inexplicably irresistible, and I am but a weak man in the face of her beauty.’ As though she’d sensed him talking about her, Meena glanced up from her conversation with Hope and Cassie and sent them a wave. Barnie waved back, the expression on his face that of a man completely smitten, and Cam hid a smile. It looked like Juniper Meadows was weaving a spell on his friend as well.
‘Oh, here we go,’ Rhys said, drawing Cam’s attention back to them. Rowena was approaching, Scott at her side, both of them carrying plates filled with burgers, sausages, meat and vegetable kebabs. ‘Veggie stuff that side,’ Rhys said, nodding towards the grill on the right.
Scott set his two plates on the extended stand on that side and stepped back. ‘Is there anything else you need me to do?’
Rowena shook her head. ‘No, darling, you’ve done more than enough already. Go and get yourself a beer and enjoy yourself.’
Scott ducked his head, as though unused to the praise. ‘I was happy to help. Just give me a shout if you need anything.’
Rowena reached up and brushed a strand of hair off his forehead. ‘You’ll be the first person I ask. Oh!’
‘What is it?’ Scott’s expression was instantly concerned.
Rowena laughed. ‘Oh, nothing! I just forgot to put my rings back on. I’d better go and find them before Zap notices. Even after thirty years, he still gets grumpy when I’m not wearing them.’
‘I saw some on the windowsill when I was washing up, was that them? I’ll go and fetch them.’ Scott was loping across the yard before Rowena had time to reply.
‘What a sweet boy he is,’ Rowena said, turning to them with a smile, though Cam didn’t miss the slight pinched look around her eyes. ‘Strikes me as a bit of a worrier, though.’ She hesitated as if perhaps she’d spoken out of turn.
‘His dad’s an overbearing prick,’ Barnie said before taking a hard swig of his beer. ‘That boy’s half-suffocating under the weight of parental expectation.’
Rowena’s face creased with concern. ‘Ah, that makes sense, I suppose. Why some men choose to behave like that, I’ll never understand.’ Cam saw her glance towards where her husband was chatting quietly to his twin and he remembered what Stevie had said about their grandfather trying to control Ziggy. ‘Well,’ she said, turning back with a smile. ‘We shall have to see what we can do to make that boy feel appreciated, won’t we?’
True to her word, when Scott returned a few moments later, she showered him with affection until the young man’s face glowed with embarrassed pleasure. Hooking her arm through his, Rowena took Scott off to sort him out a drink and a few moments later, she had him secured between herself, Zap and Ziggy, the four of them laughing together.
‘Your mother should be available on the NHS,’ Barnie observed with a wry smile as he raised his beer towards Rhys.
‘She’s all right.’ Rhys’s laconic response was at odds with the broad smile on his face as he started to place food onto the grill with a set of tongs.
‘We need to keep an eye on Scott,’ Cam said to Barnie as they stepped back to give Rhys room.
‘He’s a good kid!’ Barnie protested, eyes hot. ‘Can’t you give him a break?’
‘Hey!’ Cam held up his hands to placate his friend. ‘I meant we need to look out for him for his own welfare, not because I’m worried he’ll do anything wrong. I took his phone off him earlier because his dad was harassing him. He’s really not happy about him being here, is he?’
Barnie shook his head. ‘I still don’t understand why he twisted so many arms last year after you caught Scott cheating. He hates that Scott defied him by choosing archaeology, so you’d have thought he’d have been pleased when you threw him off the course.’
Cam had been thinking along similar lines. ‘Perhaps it’s a pride thing? His father strikes me as the kind of man who cares more about his status than anything else. Having his son sent down must’ve been a terrible blow to his ego.’
Barnie sipped his beer, eyes thoughtful. ‘That must be it. I still can’t get my head around why Scott cheated in the first place, though. It wasn’t lack of ability on his part, that’s for sure. That second essay he turned in was one of the best I’ve seen from a first year and he’s always one of the best contributors in class discussions. It seems like it was an act of total self-sabotage.’
It was definitely a conundrum and one Cam wondered whether he should discuss with Scott now they were back on speaking terms. It pricked his conscience that he hadn’t seen deeper into the matter in the first place, had dismissed Scott as an over-indulged rich kid rather than seeing the unhappy young man beneath the surface. What did it say about Cam’s own personal prejudices? Nothing good, that was for sure. He glanced towards Scott once more, saw the happy glow on his face and made a decision. Best to leave him be for now and let him relax and enjoy his summer. Whatever guilt Cam was feeling over the way he’d handled the situation, it was for him to deal with, not for Scott to alleviate.
17
Hope sipped her cocktail, enjoying the sweet-sharp burst of Zap’s bestselling ‘Very Berry’ gin mixed with prosecco and soda. It was a favourite of hers and felt like the very essence of summer in a glass. She found a quiet spot on one of the benches beneath the fairy lights and watched contentedly as the party swirled around her.
The volume of conversation had risen, a combination of relaxation as people got to know each other better and a bit of competition with the music someone had put on. There was a short line at the barbecue, where Rhys was holding court with Barnie, and little groups of three or four people had sprung up as her family mingled with their guests. The twins, her mum and Rowena were all in host mode and it was fascinating to watch them work. Though each of them appeared completely absorbed in their current conversations, she didn’t miss the way Ziggy would scan the crowd every couple of minutes, nor the effortless way her mother gathered a lone person into her little group. Hope knew she should be playing her part to make everyone feel welcome instead of hiding away in the shadows, but she’d been around people all day and she wanted five minutes alone to recharge her batteries.
Like the moths irresistibly drawn to the glow of the outside lights, Hope found herself scanning the crowd for Cam. It didn’t take her more than a couple of seconds to pick him out. Even with his back to her, she recognised him. She wasn’t aware of purposefully studying him to the point she felt like she knew every line and angle of him, but somehow he’d imprinted on her until she had an innate awareness of his location at all times. He was chatting to Cassie, and Hope couldn’t help trying to picture them together.
Though they’d teased Cam about planning to gossip about him, Cassie had spent most of the time telling Hope about her little girl, Fleur. It was clear she was madly in love with both her husband and her daughter, so there was no reason to be jealous about what she might have meant to Cam in the past. Still, she was intrigued about the dynamic between them. It must’ve been a case of opposites attracting, she supposed. Cassie seemed the type to throw herself into everything, as she had earlier when she’d helped Hope setting up. She hadn’t asked, she’d just seen what needed to be done and got on with it. She’d chattered a mile a minute, a babbling brook of enthusiasm for the estate, for the excitement of starting work on the dig the following morning, for life in general. Cam was much more like Hope. He watched and waited rather than diving in. Or perhaps Hope was projecting that onto him because she wanted them to be a better match?
As though sensing her eyes upon him, Cam glanced over his shoulder and Hope couldn’t help the warm glow inside as his expression lit up. He said something to Cassie then began weaving through the crowd towards Hope, a broad smile on his face. ‘So, this is where you’re hiding!’ Bending down, he pressed a lingering kiss to her lips. He tasted of gin and a heated promise. She’d wondered if perhaps he would play things cool around everyone, particularly his students, but he’d made no attempt to hide his affection for her.
