Chapter Four

Charlie groaned when her mobile phone rang. With Joey decently dressed, she had invited Charlie to stay and talk for a little while. The flirting had continued but they had just been on the cusp of a deeper and more meaningful chat when they were interrupted.

"Sorry," she said, digging her phone out of her handbag.

"No problem," Joey said, climbing off the bed where she and Charlie had been seated opposite each other, and rummaged in the fridge for a couple of soft drinks.

"Ruby?" Charlie said worriedly, when she picked up.

"Where are you?" the teenager barked.

"I'm out with…"

Charlie glanced up at Joey who merely raised her eyebrows and came to sit back on the bed again.

"With a friend," she finished.

"Well, come back!" Ruby said. "I need you!"

Charlie immediately noticed the slur in her voice and her worry increased.

"Have you been drinking?" she asked.

"As if that's the biggest issue!" Ruby replied.

Frowning, Charlie shifted off the edge of the bed and forced her feet into her shoes.

"Where are you?"

"I'm at home," Ruby said. "Well, your home. It's not my home anymore…"

"I'll be there as soon as I can," Charlie promised.

She hung up and looked apologetically at Joey.

"Don't worry about it," Joey replied easily, also getting to her feet. "It was just nice to see you at all."

Charlie grinned.

"It was nice to see you too," she said, thinking fondly of Joey's former state of undress.

"Cheeky," Joey remarked, seeing her to the door.

"You're the one who stripped off!" Charlie giggled.

"You asked me to!"

"Well, I'll have to bear that in mind if that's the way it works," Charlie replied.

Joey giggled but then looked serious.

"Goodnight, Charlie," she said. "It really was wonderful to see you. I was so nervous about coming back here. I was so scared that even with how much I've tried to change and everything… that you still wouldn't want me."

Charlie stepped forward and caught hold her hands.

"You didn't need to change," she said. "You were always perfect as far as I was concerned. And even if you're different, you're still perfect now. And I've always wanted you. I was just too big of a screw up to hold onto you when it counted."

Joey smiled, blushing shyly.

"Well, let's make it count this time," she suggested.

Charlie nodded eagerly and kissed her softly on the cheek before dashing off into the night to rescue her daughter from whatever trouble she had found herself in.

Lying in bed that night, Joey could hardly believe the day she'd had. She had genuinely been terrified of returning to Summer Bay but all in all, she was pleased with her performance. When she had lived here before, she had been vulnerable and unsure of herself. She'd considered herself lesser than Charlie and in a lot of ways, looked up to her.

One year and three months later, she was a different girl – or at least, she was trying to be. In truth, she had been shaking the whole time she and Charlie had chatted outside the Diner but she liked to think she had exuded enough confidence. She was eager to impress her ex-girlfriend and give her a reason to take that risk and be with her, even though being in a lesbian relationship in a small town would never be bliss.

She could also hardly believe she'd been so bold this evening. It had felt like someone else when she'd whipped her clothes off. But Charlie's lusty response to her – with and without her shirt – was encouraging. Now she just hoped that she wouldn't stall for time. If Charlie really wanted to be with her, she'd end things with Angelo and they'd be together again, the way they were always meant to be. She just hoped that this time, they would get their happy ending.

When she had originally left town, she had genuinely intended to return within three months. But when it had come to it, she'd stayed on the boat and run away from her still broken heart. She hadn't been ready to forgive and forget and she'd been terrified of coming home and Charlie still not wanting to be with her. And, as she discovered later, she had indeed moved on pretty quickly, even if she hadn't been particularly happy with the guy.

But Joey had become tired of her own passivity. She had decided three months ago that she was going to change her life and make it worth living. Life had taught her some valuable lessons while she had been away. And now, having travelled around the country, learned to surf and ride a motorbike and come into a hefty amount of money, she had decided once and for all that she would return home and finish what she started. She was determined to give Charlie a reason to be with her and so far, it seemed to be working.

Next time… Ruby moves back in with Charlie, who breaks up with Angelo…