"What are you smirking at?" Graves asked a grinning Joey when she walked into the restaurant later that evening and found her sitting with Shannon.
"I've already asked her that, but she refuses to say," Shannon told her.
"That's because I was waiting for Steffi here to arrive," Joey smugly said.
Graves groaned inwardly. Joey had threatened retribution and she a bad feeling she'd found it.
"You have something to tell me?" Graves said in a voice that tried to sound nonchalant, yet going by the broadening of Joey's smile, she'd failed on that.
"It's just that I had a nice chat with your aunt earlier," Joey said. "And we got to talking about Christmas."
"Ah oh," Shannon murmured and she couldn't help but smile in sympathy at her currently squirming girlfriend.
"In particularly, what we're all doing on Christmas Day," said Joey. "Kath said she was joining you and your family."
"That's right," replied Graves. "She usually shuts this place down for Christmas day and joins the family in the city."
"So she said. Anyway, she's looking forward to Christmas, but she was a little disappointed that you weren't going to be hosting as planned this year."
"I'm still hosting, I'm just not cooking," Graves told her with a sinking feeling.
"Because your mum offered to do the cooking when you told her Shannon and her brother would be joining you on the auspicious day," Joey said.
Graves glanced at her girlfriend. Shannon's shoulders were shaking in silent laughter at her. "Traitor," she mouthed at her, which just set Shannon's shoulders off even more. Graves turned her attention back to her new nemesis. "What can I say, mum offered to do the cooking and you can't argue with my mum once she sets her mind to something."
"Except Kath can," Joey said with some smugness. "When I told your aunt how disappointed you were about not cooking for Christmas, she called and spoke to your mother."
"Oh no, she didn't," groaned Graves.
"She did just that," Joey enthusiastically told her. "Seems as though your mother was unaware of your true culinary skills, so Kath filled her in," she said. "After I had of course, made mention to Kath that you had apparently been improving your skills for this very occasion and were in fact, now a great cook."
Graves shot another look at Shannon, who raised her hands up in protest. "Hey, when I said you were a great cook to Joey and Charlie on their first day here, how was I meant to know it would later be used against you?" Shannon said. "And I just said you were a great cook, I never said anything about you practicing your cooking just for Christmas."
"That may have been a slight misrepresentation on my part to explain your supposedly newly acquired culinary skills," Joey smirkingly said. "The upshot of all of this," said the smiling assassin. "Is that your mother is now more than happy for you to take over since you feel so strongly about it."
"Shit," muttered Graves.
Shannon went to her side and put her arm around her waist. "There's nothing to worry about," she told her. "You really are a great cook and they will all love it."
"It's not that," Graves muttered. "Do you have any idea what is required for a Graves' family Christmas meal?" she whined. "I'll be stuck in the kitchen on Christmas Eve and most of Christmas morning preparing food for that hoard."
"I'll help," Shannon offered.
"I can't have a guest lifting a finger in the kitchen," she said. "I'd never live it down."
Charlie chose that moment to walk in. She took one look at Graves, then turned to her girlfriend. "Oh, you've already played your retribution card," she said. "I wanted to watch that."
"Vulture," Shannon said, but she was smiling.
"You're a big help," complained Graves.
"It was your idea to send them off to that billabong knowing full well, that they'd be in danger of being sprung," Shannon pointed out.
"I thought they would have just gone swimming," Graves said, putting on her most hangdog expression of innocence.
"Oh Perky, you are so adorable," Shannon said as she brushed her lips over hers. "But I also know you're very much a mischievous scamp, one who is now copping it back."
Graves shrugged in response. "Ok, Joey got me back, now can we eat because I'm starved."
9 am. Joey gloomily stared out the window. The rain had come from nowhere and had been steady ever since they'd woken that morning.
10 am. "It's still raining," Joey muttered.
11 am. "Still raining," Joey muttered.
Noon. "Oh look."
"It's stopped raining?" Charlie asked.
"No, I just got sick of saying it's still raining," murmured Joey.
Charlie pressed against her back and hugged her. "I'm sorry Joey," she said.
"It's not your fault the weather decided to piss on our last day here."
"No it's not, but I know how much you wanted to see the waterfall before we left."
"I'm watching one right now," she quipped and pointed to where the water was cascading in a torrent from the corner of the cottage roof.
Charlie chuckled. "Nice to see the rain hasn't dampened your mood too much."
"Our last couple of hours being washed out, doesn't alter the fact that we've had a really great time here, Charlie," Joey told her.
"It has been pretty amazing."
"So when do you want to come back for our next stay?"
"How about we actually leave this time, before we make future plans," Charlie suggested to her. "We will be back though," she said.
"Before we leave, do you reckon we could weasel one of those family secrets from Graves for the next time?" said Joey.
"Do you really think we could trust her after the last trick she pulled?"
"I got her back."
"And after having to prepare food for a hoard of Graves', you don't think she might seek a little revenge back." Joey screwed up her face. "Now you see why revenge can be a real pain in the arse," Charlie sagely said. "It's just a vicious cycle."
Joey glared at her. "You're getting far too much enjoyment out of this."
"I guess it's just easier to see the funny side when it was you who nearly got sprung naked and in the throes of orgasm."
"Perhaps I got revenge on the wrong person."
"Revenge is so overrated," Charlie hastily said.
Joey beamed at her. "Yes it is."
"Thank you for a wonderful stay, Kath," Joey said as she hugged the older woman goodbye.
"Be sure to come back."
"We'll definitely be back," Charlie told her as she too hugged her goodbye.
"I'll set aside the best cottage for you."
"You have already spoiled us rotten," Joey told her. "You even got the sun and blue sky out for our departure," she jokingly added at the nice change of weather.
"Anything for friends of Steffi's."
"I have a feeling you spoil everyone rotten," Joey said with a warm smile. "You're a very generous woman, Kath."
"Shhh, don't let everyone else know that," she whispered. "You two be good now."
"At least one of us will be," Charlie said. "Oomph," she muttered when she received a soft elbow to the side.
Kath chuckled at their antics. "I can tell you two are going to be together for a very long time."
"We plan to be," said Joey.
"So we're finally getting rid of you," Graves' voice came from behind them.
"We're glad to be rid of you too," Joey fired back as they turned to face them. All four women were smiling at each other though. "It was great seeing you guys again."
"You too," said Shannon. "We'll catch up again one day."
"I hope so," said Joey. "I am a little jealous that you two get to stay here for another day."
"I'll need the extra rest in preparation for the hardship I'm about to face," Graves' gravely said.
"Oh stop exaggerating," Shannon said.
"I just want Joey to understand what she has done to me." Her hangdog look was back in full force.
Joey ignored it and looked at her watch. "Well, time to go," she said. Joey hugged both women, then put some distance between them. "Have a nice Christmas day and meal," she called out when the car was between them.
"I'm not sure who is worse," murmured an amused Shannon. "Your Joey or my Perky."
"Oh definitely your Perky," Charlie said as they hugged.
"Very diplomatic," Shannon said.
"Just playing it smart since I do have to share a car with Joey for the next hour or so," Charlie said with a grin. "We'll see you guys whenever we see you next."
"Bye," Graves called out. She looked to her girlfriend. "You never said yourself who is worse."
"Oh Joey by far," Shannon said with a smirk as they waved to the departing car.
"You'll keep."
"Xavier, you have to go, Charlie will be back shortly," Ruby said against his lips. He hadn't been able to make her first planned get together for their friends, but he had managed to turn up for the second one and after everyone else had gone home, he'd stayed behind to help clean up. At first she just thought it was because he felt guilty about the mess he'd made, but it turned out he'd had another reason for staying. Her. It seemed as though she hadn't been the only one who had started to see things a little differently between them and now after a day and a half together, they were officially dating. She liked dating, especially the kissing part, but as much as she was loving doing that part right now, they needed to stop.
"Xavier," she murmured.
"I know, I have to go," he murmured and moved away from her. "Call me later."
"I will." Ruby smiled dreamily as he walked away. She'd have to tell Charlie about Xav eventually, but for the moment, she just wanted to keep what they had to themselves.
"Well, it looks pretty much as we left it," Charlie commented as she surveyed their lounge room.
A little too much like it, thought Joey. Her eyes caught sight of something. Ha. Just as she figured. The old glue the broken lamp together and hope no one notices trick. She raised her brow at Ruby, who replied with a shrug.
"Did you have a good time?" Ruby asked them as a distraction.
"It was wonderful," replied Charlie. She dumped her bags on the floor. "I need a good strong coffee after that drive back though."
"I'll go make it for you," Ruby said and she rushed off.
"Did you see the lamp?" Charlie quietly said to Joey the moment they were alone.
"Yep."
Charlie grinned. "The same thing happened the first time mum and dad left me alone for the weekend," she said. "I always had my head stuck in the books back then, so they figured they could trust me to behave, but of course, I chose that one time to ignore their no party warning and threw a party to end all parties and caused a bit of damage," she explained. "Only instead of a lamp, it was a vase that had been handed down through the generations that ended up needing a glue job."
"Ouch," Joey said. "What happened?"
"I glued it back together as best I could and dad never had a clue, but mum did," she said. She smiled wistfully at the memories. "She saw it straight away, but she wasn't too fussed since she'd always hated that vase, and as it was due to be passed down to me at some stage, all I'd done, was to break my own vase." Charlie chuckled at another memory. "I don't think dad even noticed when the vase disappeared completely after mum had decided she'd had enough of the ugly thing."
"She sounds like a great mum."
"She was."
"So what are you going to do with Ruby?"
"Play along with her," she said. "It's only fair."
"You're a great big sister to her."
"I try to be."