Chapter 10

Their second morning of waking up together in their very own private space was every bit as good as the first. Charlie had awoken before Joey this time, and had got up early to make breakfast for them. The muscles in her legs ached and they felt a little shaky whenever she walked. The night before had been even more energetic than usual, and it was now taking it's toll on her. Even a hard workout at the gym never made her feel so drained as this, but she was in no way complaining.

Joey had entered the kitchen and was greeted by the woman she loved, and by the smell of hot coffee. A perfect way to start the day, she'd thought. Charlie prepared them some cereal. They had bought two new bowls the previous day just for the occasion. As Joey approached, she'd noticed that Charlie had also made a fruit salad for them. Instantly she was reminded of their time in the jacuzzi back at the beach house and she smiled at the happy memories that came flooding back.

They kissed, gazing into each other's eyes – a silent 'Good Morning.'

Joey looked around her and realised something important. "Damn ... we don't have anywhere to sit and eat breakfast yet," she said, looking a little disappointed. She wanted their first breakfast in the apartment to be better than this. She wasn't aiming for perfection ... just a little more comfort, perhaps.

Charlie smiled at her. "We'll get something soon," she reassured her.

Joey's expression of sadness quickly turned into a smile. She walked over to the rear window and looked outside. Suddenly her eyes lit up.

"Aww fantastic," she declared.

Charlie wondered what she had seen to make her so jovial all of a sudden.

"There's some kind of garden out there, with tables and chairs. It must be there for of all the tenants on the lane to use. No-one's there. Lets go!"

Charlie loved the idea. They picked up their bowls and coffee cups and made their way outside to share breakfast in the morning sunshine.

--------x--------

Charlie arrived at the Diner at exactly 9 a.m. Ash was sitting waiting for her at one of the tables, her laptop open in front of her. She smiled and waved at Charlie to join her. Charlie walked towards her. She felt a little nervous but didn't know exactly why. Maybe it was because she didn't really know her all that well, she thought. It was the explanation she was most comfortable with and she settled for it, not wishing to consider the alternative.

"Good morning," greeted Ash. "Perfectly on time."

Charlie looked at Ash's dark-green outfit, realising that her own outfit may be unsuitable for the task ahead. "Oh ... is what I'm wearing okay for bird watching? I guess I should have asked you yesterday." She was wearing the same clothes from the day before, and hadn't had time to go home and change.

"Sorry ... that's my fault. I should have advised you." She looked at Charlie's clothes. "You've chosen your outfit well. Darker colours are best for this type of thing. No yellows or reds or giant polka dots ... so you'll be okay. Are you ready to go?"

Charlie hadn't 'chosen' at all. It was a fluke, but she kept that part quiet. "Yeah ... sure ... I'm ready," she said.

Ash closed the cover of her laptop and slipped it into her bag. She stood up and gathered the rest of her things. As they walked towards the exit, Colleen emerged from the kitchen. She glared at Charlie. How many girlfriends does that woman have?

"My car's just over here," said Ash, pointing towards the other side of the road. "First of all ... I'll show you the map I have. I've marked all the places I've already been. Then maybe you can show me any others you can think of."

Charlie thought it was a very good plan of action.

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An hour and three quarters had passed. Charlie had taken them to several areas. Ash made a note of them on her map for future reference. They were now in an area of beautiful wildflower meadow, the perfect place to find birds – plenty of feeding insects to eat. They sat on the ground beside one another. Ash peered through her binoculars into the distance. She made a note of each species she spotted, and their numbers.

Charlie watched her work. She was impressed by her knowledge and passion for wildlife and she was keen to learn more about her.

"So how did you get into this kind of career?" she asked.

Ash lowered her binoculars to look at her. "When I was a kid I loved all creatures ... they fascinated me. Well ... all except spiders. Urrgggh. Just looking at them sends shivers down my spine. Never could get over my fear of them."

Charlie smiled. They had something in common. She didn't like them either.

"But anyway ...," continued Ash, "... when I finished school I went on to study zoology at university, and now my job is ... going out into places like this ... helping to protect our natural world ... with the help of as many beautiful police officers as I can manage to pick up along the way."

Charlie laughed, blushing as she did so.

"So what about you?" asked Ash. "Why did you join the police?"

"My dad was a detective ... and he was my complete idol."

"Ah ... I see. You wanted to follow in his footsteps, right?"

"Yes .. I guess so. But that's only part of the reason. I really love the work."

"You're very good at what you do, Charlie. I mean ... I've only been arrested once in my entire life ... and if I ever had to go through it again ... I'd be happy to have you be the one to do it. It went very ... smoothly, I think!"

Charlie grinned. Was she being teased again? Just a little maybe?

"If you don't mind me saying, Ash ... your accent is a little ... unusual!"

"Well that is because I'm originally from Ireland."

"Wow ... really?"

"My family moved here when I was thirteen," Ash explained. "I was absolutely amazed by the wildlife I saw when I got here. Nothing like anything I'd ever seen in Ireland. Very unique. I fell in love with the place instantly. When my mum and dad told me we were moving ... I cried at first ... for days. I didn't want to go. They didn't tell me how beautiful it would be. And they didn't tell me about Huntsman spiders either!"

Charlie laughed out loud.

Ash continued ... "If I'd known about them before I came, my family would have had to drag me all the way to the airport ... kicking and screaming. They're bloody HUGE! There aren't any spiders in Ireland anywhere NEAR as big or scary as those things. And what's worse ... I saw my first Huntsman just a few hours after getting off the plane. I was convinced they were going to be everywhere I looked. Thankfully I was wrong."

Charlie laughed harder and gave her a look of sympathy.

"It's believed to be a throw back to our primate ancestry, you know?"

Charlie's expression turned into one of puzzlement. What did she mean?

"Our innate fear of spiders, I mean. For thousands, probably millions of years ... primates have built their nests high up in trees to protect themselves from deadly spiders and snakes. Even today, the biggest male chimpanzees can be afraid of them. Ever wonder why most humans build their bedrooms upstairs and not on the ground floor?" She raised an eyebrow.

Charlie thought about her words. They made perfect sense. She was learning a lot today - and she was having fun. Besides, she loved being outdoors in such picturesque places.

Ash raised her binoculars again, having heard a bird call she recognised. Charlie watched her as she adjusted the focus. She thought she looked even more attractive today, and in the sunshine her eyes gleamed brightly. They looked beautiful, she thought. And it's okay to appreciate another woman's looks, isn't it? It's just admiration – nothing more.

"Ahh ... bingo!" exclaimed Ash. "Charlie ... I think you've done it." She adjusted the focus some more. "Eh ... YESSSS!" she cried, suddenly becoming very excited. "It IS .... YOU'VE FOUND THEM ... CHARLIE YOU'RE BRILLIANT ... OH GOD I COULD KISS YOU!" she exclaimed, not taking her eyes off the binoculars – or the subject of her elation.

Charlie looked at her in surprise, her eyes widened, in fear and anticipation of what Ash would do next.

Still holding the binoculars up, Ash took her eyes away from the eyepiece, glanced at Charlie, raised her eyebrow and finished her sentence ... "but I won't." She winked at her and smiled.

Charlie blushed. There's that flirtation thing again, she thought. Joey wouldn't like this one bit.

Ash took her binoculars from around her neck and handed them to Charlie. She pointed across the meadow. "Look over behind that shrub in the middle of the field."

Charlie raised them to her eyes and adjusted the focus to suit her own eyesight. Through the lenses, she spotted a beautifully small, brown bird with a mottled breast.

"That ...," explained Ash, "... is an Eastern Bristlebird and it's now on the critically endangered list. Beautiful little thing, isn't it?"

"Yeah it's lovely."

"I'm just going to try to determine how many are here at this location ... and then we're done."

Charlie felt a little sad. She was having a good time. "We don't have to rush back. I can stay for a bit longer ... if you like." She smiled at her.

Ash looked at her. Her eyes lit up. She wasn't going to say no to that kind of offer.

--------x--------

Joey sat on her mattress, reading her collection of history books. She'd soon be starting her new job and she wanted to put the finishing touches to her blurb. She was looking forward so much to the afternoon ahead. Going furniture shopping with Charlie would be fun – she knew it. If she could at least find a new bed and a sofa, they'd have two places to chill out – one in the bedroom and one in the living room. They hadn't spent any time in there at all yet.

She was reading a chapter about the bay. It read ... 'As of 2007, forty-seven shipwrecks have been located off the coast of Summer Bay.' She made a note. That would be a very interesting fact to tell the visitors. Her mind wandered off again and she thought about Charlie. She was finding it hard to think about anything else, these days. She couldn't wait to see her again – even though they only parted a few hours ago. Trying her best to concentrate on her work, she read on.

--------x--------

Charlie and Ash sat in the bar at the Surf Club. Ash had fulfilled her promise of lunch and they were almost finished.

"So tell me a bit more about yourself, Charlie," she said. "Are you married?"

Charlie froze. She had only just realised that Ash had no idea she was in a relationship with another woman. Charlie had automatically assumed that she had sensed it already, and she'd also assume it was the reason for her flirtatious behaviour. Maybe she had read too much into Ash's words. Maybe she was only kidding with her. The thought relaxed her a little bit.

"No ... I'm not married ... but I am in a relationship."

Ash smiled at her and began to take a sip of her drink.

"Her name is Joey."

Ash almost choked on her glass, fizzy drink threatened to stream down her nostrils from the inside. Her brow furrowed deeply as she eyed Charlie up and down. She grinned widely.

"Wow, Charlie ... do you know what this means?"

Charlie didn't know. She shook her head and frowned.

"It means ... that my gaydar must be completely broken! I had absolutely no idea! How long have you guys been together?"

Charlie blushed a little. "Just a few weeks."

"Ahh ... so you're probably still in the 'can't keep your hands off each other' stage ... am I right?" She smiled warmly.

Charlie blushed again. "You could say that ... yes!"

"Fantastic! How did I not see it before? I'm usually so good at figuring people out, especially gay people." She made sure she said the word 'gay' in a low voice, unsure if it was common knowledge in the bay. "Do the locals know?" she whispered.

"Not yet. Well ... some do ... but I think pretty soon everyone will know," she said as she thought about Colleen and the Diner.

"You are definitely full of surprises, Charlie Buckton ... wow." She scratched her head in amusement. "Maybe we could all meet up here sometime before I go back to Sydney. I have to meet the lucky woman who wakes up with you every morning." She smirked.

Charlie smiled at the compliment. "Sure. I'll talk to Joey this afternoon."

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It was almost 2 p.m. Joey could hear the sound of a key turning in the front door lock. She rushed from the bedroom into the living room to greet the only person she knew that had a key. Charlie entered, smiling at the lovely sight before her eyes.

"Hey," they said in unison, embracing in the middle of the room. They nuzzled close, burying their faces in each other's necks. The delicate scents of two perfumes mixed in the air. They kissed.

"How'd it go today ... with the doctor lady? Did you guys find anything?"

Charlie pulled Joey tightly into her own body and kissed her tenderly. "Let me tell you all about it."

To be continued ...