"How was the picnic?" Ruby asks when Charlie wanders into the kitchen the next morning.
"It was nice, though we missed you not being there."
Ruby shrugs in answer. "I take it going by the bounce in your step that you got lucky again last night."
"For your information, I didn't sleep with any one," Charlie says, annoyed at Ruby's snide tone. "I just managed to get a few things sorted, that's all. What about you?"
"What about me?"
"Ruby, I know you keep saying things are fine, but it's clearly not."
"It's just boy trouble ok, so could you just please stop with the twenty questions."
"I'll stop when I'm sure you're actually fine."
Ruby sighs, staring into her bowl. "Ever since we broke up, Geoff has been a total jerk."
"Has he been hassling you?"
"He's just been saying all these things about me, most of it isn't even true."
"I'll have a word with Gina and his grandfather."
"No!" Ruby blurts out before continuing in a more moderate tone, "That would just make things worse. Please Charlie, don't say anything, I can handle this and he'll get bored with it in a few days any way."
Charlie considers it for a moment, before she nods slowly, deciding to trust Ruby's judgement. "Fine, but if he doesn't leave you alone, I want you to tell me."
"Ok."
"I wish I didn't have to go to work but why don't we see a movie tonight?"
"That sounds good."
"And Ruby, if you need to talk, call me at any time or go and see Martha."
"Charlie, I'll be fine."
"I'll see you later." When she was alone, Ruby slumps in her chair, her head in her hands.
After recommitting to Angelo last night, Joey was hoping to feel better this morning, but her mind was still a mess and she still didn't want to admit that there were times last night when she felt like she was going through the motions with Angelo. She put the thoughts out of her mind as she lengthens her stroke, powering through the surf.
Sipping the strong coffee she'd stopped at the Diner to get, Charlie now pauses at her car, her gaze drawn to the easy strokes of a swimmer. Her mouth goes dry when the swimmer reaches the shore and Charlie is afforded a full view of Joey, her bikini leaving little to the imagination and bringing all the memories of their night together rushing back. "I should have gone straight to work," she mutters, jumping in the car before she did something stupid.
"God, what happy pills did he swallow today?" Avery asks as Angelo once again walks through the reception area still wearing the same grin he'd had since he arrived at work.
"I think he got lucky with the wife."
"Lucky bugger."
Hearing Avery and Hogan talking, Georgie spares a glance at Charlie who seemed to be concentrating harder than normal on the computer screen. She leans over to her cousin. "Coffee break?"
"The arson report is due in any minute."
"We're not going to Perth Charlie, just to the tea room where I'm sure we can be found."
Georgie sets the coffee down in front of Charlie. "About Hogan and Avery and what they were saying."
"It's fine, she's his wife and they love each other so I expect he gets lucky a lot."
"Are you sure about this friends thing?"
"We can't be anymore than that and we can't avoid each other, so friends is the best way to go about things and besides, it's not Joey that's on my mind, it's Ruby. Her ex has been saying things about her."
"That's no surprise, Bible Boy is a shit, despite the innocent act he puts on."
"I thought of talking to Gina and his grandfather but Ruby doesn't want me to."
"You're that worried about her?"
"I think he's really getting to her."
"His grandfather would be no help, but I'd speak to Gina, ask her not to interfere, just to keep an eye on him. That way when he slips up, Gina's there to catch him and Ruby doesn't get the blame."
"You're actually telling me to go to the principal?"
"I went to the principal all the time."
Charlie snorts. "You were sent to the principal all the time and usually you ended up with detention or suspended."
"Yeah well, for some of us, school was hard."
"You got through it."
"Barely and if it wasn't for Gina, I'd have failed big time."
Charlie always found it strange how her cousin liked Gina so much, not just because she seemed to despise her husband even back then, but because Gina was someone in authority, the type of person Georgie automatically rebelled against at the time, yet somehow Gina had gotten through to her. Charlie shuddered to think of how Georgie would have turned out if Gina had given up on her like the other teachers had; she probably would have ended up in jail like Heath or worse.
"I just wish Ruby would open up more with me."
"Charlie, all you can do is let her know you're there for her."
Lost in thought as she walks into the Diner, Joey inadvertently runs into a young girl, nearly knocking her off her feet. "I'm so sorry."
"Watch where you're going!" the girl snaps, pushing past her.
"I said I was sorry," Joey mutters to the retreating girl's back.
"Don't take it personally, Ruby's in a bit of a mood with everyone today," Leah tells her.
Joey starts, realising the girl was Charlie's sister. "Really, I hadn't noticed," she says dryly.
Leah chuckles, "She's got a bit of her cousin in her so I think Charlie may have her hands full with her. What can I get you?"
"A chicken salad and latte, thanks." Joey nearly jumps when a man suddenly appears at her side.
"Joey, this is my husband Darryl, Darryl, this is Joey Rosetta."
"Ah, the copper's wife."
Shaking his hand, Joey thought Martha was right; there was definitely something charming about him, yet there was also something off about him. Maybe it was the way his eyes seemed to bore into her as if he was trying to hypnotise her or something, whatever it was, he made her extremely uncomfortable.
"Joey, would you like your meal here or to go," Leah asks.
"To go," Joey quickly says. "Actually, can you make that two, I don't think Angelo took lunch to work with him today, so I'll drop it in at the station," she adds, reminding Brax who she was married to and she was pleased when he took a step back.
"I heard you're working for Martha, but if you're looking for better hours, I have work going at the restaurant," Brax says, his eyes dropping lower.
Joey turns to face where Leah was getting her meals ready, giving Brax her shoulder instead of her chest. "Thanks for the offer, but I'm happy with the hours I've got."
"You know where to find me if you change your mind," he says, saying a quick goodbye to his wife before leaving.
Joey felt sorry for Leah being married to such a man, she obviously loved him with the way she looked at him, but Joey had seen his type far too often and suspected he loved to play the field.
"The report is finally in on the fire," Charlie says, reading through it. "It's a different MO but it's definitely arson and the fire marshal has found enough to suggest that it is the same person."
"Great," Georgie tosses her pen onto the desk. "So we have some guy burning down businesses and no clue as to why."
"Like you said yesterday, he may have a grudge or he just likes to see things burn. Area Command was already concerned after the first two fires, so when they heard about the third one, they arranged for a detective from the Property Crime Squad to investigate. He should be arriving any time now."
"Wonderful, he swoops in and takes the credit."
"Georgie, we haven't made much headway for him to take credit for."
"He's still going to take over and I'm not the only one who hates it when the D's stroll in after we've done most of the leg work and act like they're better than us."
"Yeah, but we don't say it where others can hear it. Just try to keep your opinions to yourself," she says a little more harshly than she intended.
"Yes Snr Const. Buckton," Georgie says with a mock salute.
"Georgie."
"Jeez Charlie, lighten up and I'll keep my opinion to myself," she assures her. "At least until I meet the guy," she cheekily adds.
Charlie smiles at her. "You're a pain in the arse, you know that, right?"
"It's something I excel at. I suppose we wait here for the Detective to arrive."
"We should get all the files ready so we're prepared when he arrives."
Ten minutes later, Georgie and Charlie's heads pop up when the detective introduces himself to Hogan at the reception counter.
"God, he looks like a bloody kid," Georgie mutters to Charlie.
"He's probably your age or a year or two younger," Charlie says, though she did think he looked far too young.
"What are you doing here?" Angelo's rather rude greeting to the detective has everyone else suddenly tuning in.
"Well hello to you too, Angie," the detective replies with a smile.
Seeing the angry flash in Angelo's eyes at the nickname, Georgie leans over, whispering to her cousin, "I think I might actually like him."
"Angelo certainly doesn't seem pleased to see him."
Having just walked into the station, Joey stares in shock at the man talking to her husband, her face breaking into a huge grin. "Aden!" she cries out excitedly, getting everyone's attention, even more so when she flings herself into his arms.
Georgie glances between her cousin and Angelo; Charlie looked confused and if she wasn't mistaken, a little bit jealous, while Angelo looked furious and most definitely jealous. "Oh crap," she mutters under her breath, having a feeling things were going to get a whole lot more complicated for all.