Misguided Reputations-
Hey, this is my first fanfiction so I hope you guys all like it!
Just a little background to the story-
Charlie owns Angelo's and Angelo is just the manager she employs to run it
Ruby is Charlie's goddaughter and that will play an important part later on
I hope you all enjoy it and please review it!
"Please tell me this is a joke Angelo," Charlie incredulously cried, "How could you be so naive?"
"He's not that bad honestly. Look, when you left he helped out a lot so I offered him a job. That's all."
"A job? A job? You made him your deputy manager without consulting me at all and it's my name on the contract and my neck on the line. If you wanted to give him a job why didn't you make him a bar tender? Seriously, I don't get half the things you've been doing recently." Charlie sighed exasperated.
"Is this about us?"
"No it is most definitely not. Why would you assume that?" she questioned, irritated.
"Well we never really talked you know after..." he trailed off pathetically.
Charlie groaned, her anger gradually subsiding, "Look I'm tired, I've had a long journey and I'm not in the mood to discuss this. I'm catching up with Ruby here in the morning so I'll meet him then. It's good to see you again". With a soft kiss on the cheek Charlotte Buckton turned round and left the restaurant. Angelo's eyes didn't leave her retreating figure until she was out of sight.
The restaurant was reasonably quiet apart from its normal array of outer city business people slurping their morning coffees whilst reading their newspapers or using their ipads. At the bar, Angelo was involved in a serious conversation with his deputy manager, Darryl Braxton.
"So what is she like this Charlotte Buckton? Let me guess 50year old virgin, hairy warts and all" he enquired cheekily.
Angelo laughed, "Not exactly, no. She's coming in this morning though so just behave".
"Whatever you want but I don't get why you're so scared of her" he replied "I mean, how bad can she be?" Angelo wandered off chuckling to himself, the image of Charlie Buckton fresh in his mind.
As Angelo walked into the kitchen, a tall, curvy woman walked into the restaurant. Her red dress fitted her so well that most men in the room lifted their eyes from their laptops to stare at her as she made her way to the bar.
"I hear this is a pretty good place." Charlie stated to the Deputy Manager who was staring at this woman with a look of incredulity.
"Do you always trust what you hear?" Darryl asked, a smile playing at his lips, his dark brown eyes peering up with curiosity.
"Depends on the sources of my information I guess. So is this your place?" she asked, surveying this good looking, dark haired man with utmost interest.
"No, I'm the deputy manager." He answered truthfully.
"Really? You just kind of look like you own this place." Charlie asked.
"I wish. Some woman owns it but she stays out of it all, you know. One of those that can afford to get other people to do the hard work for them" he laughed.
"Really?"
"Oh yeah. She's probably career obsessed, terrifying and never heard of make up or soap. Either that or she has a very, very rich daddy who thought he'd buy his little girl a big, fancy restaurant and whose too dim to be able to properly manage it so pays someone else to. Well, her father does."
"But you don't actually know her?"Charlie asked.
"Well, no, not exactly but I'm sure she can't be that different really. Anyway, what can I get you?" he replied, changing the subject.
"I'll take a coffee. So, let me get this straight, you've decided all of this without meeting the woman. That's a little arrogant, isn't it?" quickly changing the subject back.
"I beg your pardon?" he said, taken aback.
"Well it just seems to me you've made an opinion on a woman you've never met that is exceptionally harsh. For all you know she could've worked really hard to get this place and is now focusing on something more so she can improve the life of her and of her family. Did that never occur to you?"
"Calm down love, what's it to you anyway? It's not like you know her, is it?" Darryl asked, fully staring this suddenly angry woman in the face. He couldn't help to notice though, that although the expression on her face was one of anger, she was exceptionally beautiful. Her eyes were the brightest shade of blue and they were piercing right into his dark brown eyes.
"What's it to me? You really have no idea who I am, do you?" At that moment, a group of girls wandered into the room. At the centre was a young, dark haired 15year old whose face lit up at the sight of the woman at the bar.
"CHARLIE!" she screamed at the top of her voice. Charlie Buckton stood up and turned around in just enough time to throw her arms around the girl who had run at the speed of light towards her.
"What are you doing here Charlie, I thought you were in the city for another 3weeks at least." Ruby cried incredulously.
"Well, I came back early sweetheart didn't I? I really missed you love."Charlie pulled Ruby in closer to her.
"Sorry to interrupt the reunion but did she call you Charlie? As in, the Charlie?" Darryl interrupted. Charlie turned around and stretched out a long hand, "Charlie Buckton. You must be Darryl Braxton." she said, taking his hand in hers, "You seem surprised. Am I not what you were expecting, the little rich girl or the one that has never heard of soap."
"What?" exclaimed Ruby. "He suggested you were spoilt?" Ruby Williams turned around and fixed her great green eyes on Darryl's face, an expression of accusation written across her young face.
"In my defence, I had no idea who she was and I called the idea of you spoilt not physically you. You seem nice enough." he replied, grudgingly.
"Oh wow, thank you. That means a lot," the audible sarcasm in her voice brought a smile to the 15year olds face. She tugged Charlie's arm and with a final scathing look at Darryl she pulled her Godmother over to a small table at the back of the restaurant. Shaking his head, Darryl Braxton followed the footsteps of his manager into the kitchen where he spent the rest of the morning until he could guarantee that Charlie Buckton and her piercing, blue eyes were well out of sight.
The annual rugby tournament between the local areas to raise money for the community centre took place the following morning. The location was a pitch close to the beach, where girls were lined up having sun lotion piled on by the over eager boyfriends who relished the time they could head to the beach and gaze at the hordes of women in their too small bikinis, undetected by their better halves due to their huge, dark sunglasses.
Charlie Buckton was there early. As an official sponsor, she felt it was her duty to be there early, making sure everything was in check, screaming at the people who needed to be screamed at. She remembered the first time she came to one of these matches; she and Ruby had moved only two weeks before hand but the word 'rugby' reminded them both of home, hoping that in the match, in the safe familiarity of it, they would find the hope, the strength they needed to carry it out. Lost in her thoughts, Charlie didn't recognize the calling of her name; it took three attempts before Charlie woke out of her stupor and heard Angelo behind her.
"You alright there cloth ears?"He joked, laughing aloud.
"Sorry, I was lost in my thoughts for a minute." She replied, smiling.
"Don't worry about it. You looking forward to the match? You look nice by the way." He added as an afterthought. Charlie looked down at her short, flowing floral dress and didn't see anything particularly remarkable. She conceded though, she did prefer this outfit to the dresses and suits she wore throughout the week. It was wonderful to be able to take off the clothes that marked her as Charlotte Buckton, business woman and just wear clothes that labelled her as Charlie Buckton, a 28 year old woman; she felt a sense of freedom and youth that she never normally felt.
"Thanks. It should be a good game but I can't remember who the captain of our side is, it's changed hasn't it?"She asked.
"It's Darryl, Darryl Braxton. I heard you two met yesterday and really hit it off."
"Oh yeah we're best of friends." Charlie replied sarcastically.
"What did you think of him?" Angelo asked, curiously.
"He was arrogant, charming and has a definite chip on his shoulder. I'm not really sure that it's a good combination. I'll give him a chance and will try keeping an open mind but I've just got a feeling he's bad news. There's something about him, something that seems kind of dangerous. I don't trust him" Charlie looked fully into Angelo's face and couldn't help to wonder if he really knew what he was doing.
"Look, I should probably get going and find a place before I get attacked by the mob". Smiling to herself, Charlie Buckton wandered off to find a place in the crowd that had appeared in the matter of minutes she had been talking for.
The ball went flying from the foot of Darryl Braxton into the sidelines of the pitch, and landed next to Charlie's feet.
"Nice shot" she called sarcastically, picking up the ball and throwing it into his open hands.
"Nice legs" he replied, his eyes scanning her up and down. A smile spread across his face as he crossed the ball back over, received it back and then crossed over the line to score a try to the rapturous applause of the home crowd.