Perfect Match
Chapter 13
'Dear Browneyes,
Please meet me in Summer Bay, at The Surf Club; 8:30pm on Tuesday evening. Please, please come! It's urgent! I really need someone to talk to and I think I can trust you!
Blueeyes.'
Joey stared at her inbox message from 'Blueeyes000. She blew out her cheeks wondering what to do. What was so important that she had to meet with this person so urgently? After all, they hardly knew each other! And Blueeyes had given no explanation to their aborted date. They had enjoyed exchanging messages for a while, but now Joey had met Charlie Buckton and did not feel the need to sail away into forever with anyone, other than her. She ran her tongue over her lips and frowned. Should she just reply with a simple 'No thank you' or should she meet this girl and explain, face to face, about her relationship with Charlie, making sure there were no misunderstandings?
Charlie tossed and turned in her bed. Sleep was eluding her; thoughts of Joey and some guilty feelings with regard to Browneyes123, would not let her rest. She really needed to explain to Joey what she had discovered upon the night of their arranged date as Blueeyes and Browneyes at The Billywonga. Sighing and rolling over once again, thankfully remembered her shift at the Police station was not starting until the afternoon so at least that way; she would be able to sleep in a little later in the morning.
Joey joined Aden and the rest of the crew on board the fishing boat. She leaned against the rails and sighed. She hated this! What could she do? How could she ignore this plea from Blueeyes000 who obviously needed a friend? Maybe her reason for breaking their date was something awful and now Blueeyes needed some support from someone. Maybe she had no one else to talk to. Wouldn't it be the Christian thing to try and comfort a fellow human in their hour of need?
"What's up with your face?" Aden asked with a grin.
Joey jumped in surprise as she turned to face her colleague and friend.
"W-what?"
"I said, what's up? You seem miles away and look a little worried. Anything I can help with?"
Joey took a deep breath and considered Aden for a few moments.
"What would you do if you were asked to do something that you didn't really want to do, but felt you should out of charity?"
"I'd tell them to piss off." Aden replied without blinking an eye.
"You wouldn't!" Joey remarked.
"Would too! Why we have to help and support every waif and stray is beyond me!" He replied, tossing a well chewed piece of gum into the ocean.
"Hey! Some poor little fish is gonna swallow that and end up with gum wrapped around its intestines!" Joey cried.
"And? Don't forget, the day afterwards, we'll probably haul him out of the ocean for someone to throw on the barbie on Thursday! What's it to you?"
Joey studied her friend with interest.
"You are a callus bugger at times!"
"Just being realistic. Now, answer the question!"
"What question?"
"Jeepers! I asked you what was up." Aden said, incredulously. "All you've done it to talk about charity work! There's gotta be something else!"
Joey smiled and scratched her head.
"Remember the girl from the dating site?"
"What, Foureyes?"
"Blueeyes!" Joey chuckled.
"Oh yeah! The hot babe who jilted you!"
"She did not jilt me; she was called away to an emergency!"
"As I say; 'jilted'!"
"Well, whatever! She's asked me to meet her tonight at The Surf Club! She says she needs to talk to someone urgently."
"Are you gonna go?"
"No! Yes! Oh! I don't know! I haven't responded yet. It just seems so weird! I'm not sure I really want to get involved in someone else's shit. But then, having said as much, we did get on quite well and what if she really does need a shoulder?"
"Okay, but what about Charlie?"
"Charlie knows I wanted to contact Blueeyes to say farewell, but expressly asked me not to let her talk me into another date!"
"You could go on the date but take Charlie along to see fair play?" Aden suggested, almost seriously.
Joey rolled her eyes at her colleague.
They both watched as Summer Bay disappeared from sight as the fishing boat chugged out further into the ocean.
"Aden."
"Ah-huh?"
"Did you ever tell anyone about my boat?" Joey asked thinking over her conversation with Charlie the night before.
The corners of Aden's lips turned down and he frowned.
"No. Why do you ask?"
Joey took a deep breath.
"It's just... Charlie mentioned about it last night, but I can't for the life of me remember talking to her about it! So I wondered if you'd ever said anything."
Aden shook his head and shrugged his shoulders.
"Na, not me babe. Maybe you were talking in your sleep?" He smirked.
"What?" Joey squeaked.
Aden chuckled and nudged his friend in the ribs.
"Aren't you going to work this morning, sis?" Ruby ventured as Charlie wandered into the kitchen in her dressing gown.
"I'm not on shift until later." She yawned.
"Oh yeah! I'd forgotten. Have you heard anything from that girl on the dating site?"
"No." Charlie said dismissively, after taking a sip of coffee. "Look, I'm just grabbing some toast then, heading back to bed!"
"But, why haven't you? I thought you were really keen on her! Maybe she's left you a message? Don't you think you'd better check?" Ruby suggested eagerly.
"Rubes! What is this fascination you have about the girl?"
Ruby's cheeks darkened.
"I just want to see you happy, that's all."
"I am happy! Haven't you noticed my good humour?"
"Frankly; no."
"As I said, I'm off back to bed." Charlie sighed, taking a piece of freshly buttered toast from Ruby's fingers and heading off.
"Hey!" Ruby called after her. "That is sooo not fair!"
Charlie stayed in bed until noon. She turned over and glanced at the clock. Well, she would have to make an effort at sometime and now was as good as any. She rolled off the mattress and stretched out her toes before slipping them into fluffy, pink slippers.
She padded through into the kitchen and found Leah making herself a sandwich.
"Hey!"
"Hey, Leah. Aren't you working this lunchtime?"
"No, Irene and Colleen have it covered. Err, Charlie... I wanted to speak to you... about Ruby."
Charlie watched her friend as she put the top slice of bread on the salad sandwich and cut it expertly, in two, with a knife.
"What's she done now?"
"Well, nothing, but I think you might want to keep an eye on her. I've seen her hanging about your room; under your bed!"
"Under my bed?"
"Yeah! She looked a bit shifty; she said she was looking for sandals, but she was looking very guilty."
Charlie frowned.
"Thanks, but there's not much under my bed but dust, so she won't find much to incriminate me!"
"Well, I thought I'd better mention it."
"Yeah, thanks Leah. I will keep an eye!"
"Sandwich?" Leah offered.
"Have you decided what to do?" Aden said as their day on board ship came to a close.
"I thought as Charlie is working shifts this week... and I'm at a loose end that I might meet up with Blueeyes on Tuesday night." Joey said sheepishly; glancing sideways on at her friend.
"Sounds like a recipe for disaster." Aden commented.
"Actually, I wondered if you might like to come along with me?"
Aden's eyebrows shot up and he grinned from ear to ear.
"Well, now you're talking!"
"I was thinking you could hover in the background; play some pool maybe... then if things get tough, I can cry for help!" Joey grinned.
"So, are you still seeing two girls?" Leah asked as Charlie did up her utility belt.
Charlie glanced up at Leah and grinned.
"Actually, sort of! Can you keep a secret?"
"Well, I'll try to contain myself!" Leah laughed.
"The girl I was messaging with on the dating site was no other than Joey Collins; the girl I've been seeing in Summer Bay!"
"Get away!" Leah cried. "You mean Joey who works with Aden Jefferies on the boats?"
"The very same!"
"Wow! What a coincidence! What did she say when she found out?"
"Well, that's the problem... She doesn't know!"
"God Charlie! You are going to tell her, aren't you?"
"Yeah, but its finding the right moment. I think she might be annoyed that I didn't tell her before!"
"Small wonder!"
"And I'm on shifts this week, so won't really get to see her that much!"
Leah frowned.
"Well, I wouldn't leave it too long if I was you. You know how misunderstandings happen, especially in Summer Bay!"
Charlie nodded thoughtfully and waved as she walked out the door.
It was eight thirty and Ruby, having just finished her homework, leaned back in her chair and grinned. Now she had details of the dating site Charlie was using, and access to her passwords, it would be easy to check out her messages without using Charlie's computer. She logged on to her own and calling up Perfect Match, entered Charlie's credentials and found her home page. She was pleasantly surprised to see a message in the Inbox. Checking around the room that she was quite alone, she clicked the message box and brought up a message from Browneyes123.