Hello
A huge thank-you for your continued support :) The reviews and alerts are really appreciated.
Glad you like the story so far, here is Chapter 4.
Enjoy.
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"Heath this is Peter Hartman, he was just leaving." Charlie looked at Heath, hoping he would keep his mouth shut and not comment that he didn't care.
Heath understood what Charlie was trying to do and crossed his arms not taking his eyes off the guy.
In the space of two minutes Heath was ready to pound the guy, Brax wouldn't have had a chance in keeping his temper in check.
"We haven't finished this, Charlie," Peter said as he glared at Heath once more before he left.
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"Who's the stooge?" Heath asked after Peter Hartman had disappeared out of the diner completely.
"No one," Charlie answered as she reached for her coffee. "Thanks for uh, that." Charlie said, unsure of whether she should be thanking Heath at all.
"It was either me stand here or Brax, and Brax didn't think he would be able to keep his hands to himself."
Charlie couldn't help but laugh at the comment and it's double meaning.
"I meant with him," Heath pointed toward the door, "not you. Well actually, he could've meant you, when you consider your history."
Charlie small smile turned into a laugh and although Heath considered himself to be funny, he knew which Braxton was the cause of Charlie's sudden good mood.
"Right, well thanks anyway."
As Charlie made her way out of the diner she could see Brax leaning against his ute in the car park.
He had been looking in her direction so he had definitely seen her and Charlie was surprised when she realised that she wanted to go over and see him. She stopped and raised her cup in a hello to which she could see him nod his head in reply. Then, with a deep breath and with more effort than she realised, Charlie forced herself to walk away.
Charlie smiled to herself as she felt Brax's gaze on her back.
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"So?" Brax asked when Heath emerged from the diner a few moments later, his eyes remained on the Charlie's retreating figure.
"So what?" Heath smirked.
"Don't mess with me."
"He used to work with her up the coast. His name's Peter Hartman."
"Is that it?"
"No that's not it?"
"Well get on with it would ya?"
"She left."
"You were in there for 5 minutes and all you got was his name. I should have sent in Casey!"
"No, you should've done it yourself but no idiot! She left the police force."
"Nah." Brax forced his eyes away from Charlie's figure and stared at his brother.
"Serious."
"Nah, you heard wrong." Brax said with a shake of his head.
"The stooge's words were, you can come back as soon as you're done here. Your position is still vacant. How could I get that wrong?"
Brax didn't have an answer for that and turn to where Charlie was a moment ago but she had disappeared completely.
"Why?"
"Why what?"
"Why'd she leave?" Brax asked even though he knew Heath wouldn't know the answer.
"That I don't know, but she wouldn't tell me anyway. That's more your department isn't it?"
"Yeah, and I'm sure she'll just come right out and answer that won't she?"
"For you, probably, but I've done my good deed for the day, mate."
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Ruby had appreciated how for the past two days Casey had kept a bit of a distance from the hospital and had allowed Ruby and Charlie some much needed time together. So when Casey knocked gently on her hospital door later that afternoon, Ruby was more than happy to see him. To say she was surprised to see Brax follow Casey into the room would have been the understatement of the day, especially seeing as Charlie dozed on the lounge across from Ruby's bed.
Ruby gestured for them to be quiet before either of them could speak.
"Hey guys," Ruby smiled brightly, not missing how Brax eye's scanned Charlie's sleeping form. Ruby sensed that he wasn't that surprised to see Charlie which meant that they had already caught up since she returned to Summer Bay, something Charlie would need to fill Ruby in on.
Casey greeted Ruby with a kiss.
"Hey Rubes." Brax whispered.
"What's been going on?" Casey asked as he sat on the bed next to his girlfriend.
"Nothing much? It's so boring in here I guess we both fell asleep."
"You Buckton's aren't exactly party animals," Brax teased.
"Pick on girls who are in hospital or sleeping, nice touch," a soft voice entered the conversation but Charlie didn't open her eyes. She must have just woken up because her voice was laced with huskiness that drove Brax insane. It had been so long since he'd heard that voice.
Ruby raised her eyebrows and couldn't help the laugh that escaped due to her mother's cheeky reply.
"Well you couldn't have been sleeping if you heard that." Brax whispered although Charlie's comment indicated that she were awake.
"Who could sleep when your feet stomp into a room?"
Ruby and Casey both looked at each other surprised at the normality and friendliness between Charlie and Brax, it was probably because they had an audience.
"Well in that case, move over and let a bloke sit down."
Charlie didn't have time to open her eyes of move when she felt Brax's firm hands on her calves lifting them up.
She then felt the couch move as he sat down beside her and she found it difficult to resist a smile when she felt her legs being lowered onto his lap. Charlie didn't dare open her eyes to look at him and the feeling of his hand resting on bare skin relaxed her instantly.
"It's nice to know that your ego hasn't changed."
"It's not the only thing that hasn't changed." Brax said softly and Charlie knew she was the only person who heard him.
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When Charlie had woken up that afternoon she and Ruby were alone, for a moment, she thought she had dreamt of Brax and Casey at the hospital but Ruby had reminded her of their visit. Ruby said that once Brax had sat down Charlie had fallen asleep and hadn't woken when he left.
"Flirting with the ex-boyfriend mother, naughty naughty."
Charlie smiled to herself as she remembered her daughters harmless taunts from that afternoon and when she got closer she couldn't help but smile wider.
"Two house calls in two days, should I consider myself lucky or do you do this with all the girls," Charlie joked when she saw Brax outside her door.
"Nah, you're the only one who gets these special privileges."
"Mmmm, what are you doing here, Brax?" Charlie asked as she stepped inside her room. She left the door open and Brax followed her inside.
"Came to see you?"
"You saw me today."
"Not nearly enough," Brax grinned.
"You're a lot more cheery today?"
"Doesn't look like I'm the only one?"
Charlie smiled again unable to help herself and Brax wondered how he got through each day without seeing that smile.
"I'd offer you a drink but I don't have any."
"Disgraceful, you need to fix that. Head down to Angelo's, I hear the owner's pretty good looking."
"Nothing like a bit of eye candy?"
"Something like that," Brax grinned.
Again he wondered how he had survived the past two years without her and it astounded him, he realised he was going to do anything to get her back.
But before he could even begin to think of that he needed to know if what Heath heard that morning was right, so he decided there was no time like the present.
"Why'd you leave the police force?" Brax asked gently.
"How'd you know about that?"
"So it's true?" Brax smirked at her and for a second it was as if they were back to normal.
But not even that smirk could calm the butterflies that had begun to build in her tummy. They were about to have a conversation that explained one of the reasons why she had stayed away for so long. Funnily, Charlie really hoped Brax would be able to understand why.
"Are you sure you want to do this now?" Charlie asked him.
"Why wouldn't I?"
When Charlie didn't answer Brax immediately thought the worst.
"Why do I think that I'm not going to like what I hear?"
"Because you probably won't!"
The conversation stilled and Brax kept his eyes on Charlie's and neither broke eye contact.
"Do you want the reason I told them or the real reason."
"The reason you told them?"
"That it was time I moved on with my career and I wasn't enjoying my work as much as I previously had and that I needed a change."
Brax could tell that Charlie was nervous.
"The real reason," he asked, not sure if he wanted to know the answer.
"I was shot."
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How was that? More Charlie/Brax interactions for you, I thought we all could do with a dose ;)
Thank-you in advance for reviewing :) I love reading them.
Xoxo