Chapter 4 – Maybe. Just maybe.
A/N: I can't believe the response this story had gotten, I know I haven't updated in a really long time but a lot has happened lately and I can finally write now that things have settled down a little. One thing before we start I just want to say I love my Fiancée Katherine. Anyway on with the story LOL
Chazny: I'm glad you loved it. I'm glad I got the sparks between Joey and Charlie across, you will have to read on to see what happens next. EllaSallyRose: I'm so pleased you love it. cj love: Sorry I took so long to update but I'm grateful you like the twist. caz: Sorry its late. love cj and hate brax: I'm glad you like the first meeting, sorry for the wait. JCLuv: Awesome? Wow thanks. I'm glad you love the drama and Yep I am continuing, sorry for the wait. charliefan: Thanks, here you go Katherine1183: My sexy sexy wife to be. I love you. I am glad you read this baby and that you want to see where it goes. I kept you enthralled? Wow babe thanks. Did you read the whole thing after? AnimeLoverno.1: I was so pissed off with the Brax storyline, Hated it! Thank you so much for your kind words. Sorry there was such a wait for an update. mon85babe: Thank you. Yep, here you go, another chapter.
I don't own Home and Away obviously or Joey would still be there and they wouldn't have Charlie with a guy. I love Home and Away but it insulted gay people everywhere the way they dealt with Charlie's sexuality after Joey left. But I LOVE the show!
Last time: "Thanks." Charlie smiled a shaky smile before handing the teacher her personal card with her personal mobile number on it. "That's my personal number, call me and we'll arrange to meet. I think after what you just witnessed you deserve an explanation."
Charlie smiled one last false smile before running after her hurting baby
XoxoxoxoxoxoxoX
"Hello Miss Buckton." Joey said softly through the phone.
Charlie smiled at the soft voice, it had been a few days since the failed parent teacher meeting where Ruby and ran from the room in tears. Charlie was surprised that she knew the caller just by her voice.
"Joey, Hi. You can call me Charlie. Miss Buckton is so formal." Joey smiled on the other end of the call, twiddling the tassels on the small cream cushion she was hugging as she huddled on her couch, legs crossed under her.
"Ok, Charlie." She tested it out. She liked how the named tasted on her tongue. "I was calling to rearrange our meeting, maybe for tomorrow afternoon? Once you finish your shift of course if you're working."
"Of course, I finish at 7 so 8? Is that too late? We can do it another time if it is." Charlie was uncharacteristically excited to see the young teacher again, hopefully things wouldn't end in tears this time.
"8 is just fine Miss… Charlie." Joey heard Charlie giggle over the phone and she had to really focus on what she had been trying to say. Charlie's giggle and made her feel funny inside. Gosh Joey you cannot fall of a student's mother. "The school will be closed by then though so we will need to find another venue."
"Okay." Charlie thought about the possible venues she could meet the teacher at. "Well there is the pier Diner. Ruby mentioned you were thinking about going there."
"Yeah I was, the students seemed to think it was a lovely place to eat. Perhaps I shall try order something nice when I get there." Joey said.
"Maybe we should meet over dinner? I know I will be starved after my shift. Is that ok with you? I can always eat beforehand if not." Charlie didn't want to overstep the mark, she'd heard from Ruby that Joey was new to teaching and was surprised that teachers in Summer Bay actually interacted with students and parents after school in the seaside town.
"I would like that Charlie. I haven't really had much of a chance to get out yet, what with setting in at my new place and at school. So I haven't made any friends, other than a few of the teachers in my department."
"Well then, once we get there I will introduce you to a few people, you will feel part of the town in no time." Charlie was pleasantly surprised that what was intended to be a run of the mill parent teacher meeting and turned into a social meeting too.
"Thank you Charlie. I really appreciate it. How was Ruby after our meeting, she seemed… upset." Charlie smiled a little at the understatement, Ruby was distraught once she had finally caught up with her but after a long open talk at home she had calmed down and they had discussed Ruby's feelings about finding out Charlie was her mother and had made great progress. Ruby no longer felt the way she did at the meeting.
"She is much better thank you Joey. I will explain a little more when we meet up tomorrow, like I said before, after what happened at the school and what you saw and heard you are owed and explanation. I can only imagine how confused you are." Charlie smiled.
"Maybe a little" Joey replied. She could almost hear Charlie raise her eyebrows. "Ok so a lot. But I don't want to pry."
"It's not prying Joey. Besides, the rumour mill about what happened is still raving so I'd rather you hear the actual story from me, rather than some half-truth from one of the towns gossipers, and there are plenty of them that you can be sure of. Nothing says secret in such a small town." Charlie shook her head at the truth of her words.
"Ok then Charlie. So 8 at the Pier Diner?" Joey asked.
"Yeah. You know the way?"
"Nope but I'm sure I will find it. I will ask for directions if I get lost."
"Great, just head to the beach and you won't miss it, unless you have no sense of direction and then yeah…" Charlie rambled unsure why she felt a nervous excitement growing in her tummy as she thought about what tomorrow would bring.
Joey couldn't help but smile and Charlie's rambling, she couldn't help but wonder why it was that Charlie was rambling in the first place.
"I will do that Charlie, and I'm sure I can find my way to the beach, I think my sense of direction won't lead me too far astray." Charlie smiled at Joeys retort; she liked this young woman and was looking forward to spending time with her socially.
"See you there Joey."
"Yeah, Bye Bye Charlie."
XoxoxoxoxoxoxoX
Charlie couldn't believe that today had to be a day where she finished later than planned. She looked down at the white gold watch on her dainty wrist. Damn already 7.25.
Charlie hurriedly fled from the station out to her car. She would have time for a quick shower if she really hurried and didn't take her time to enjoy the hot water as it rushed over her body easing her aching muscles.
As the car pulled into the driveway of the house she shared with her daughter, Leah and Leah's son VJ Charlie saw Ruby Dancing around in the Kitchen in her pale blue and white bikini whilst her best friend April sat on the kitchen counter shaking her head and laughing. The senior constable couldn't help but chuckle at her daughters antics, she really was proud of how her baby was growing up, she was becoming a lovely young woman if not a little, quirky.
Turning the key in the ignition and feeling the car stopped humming steadily Charlie undid her seat belt and power walked up the garden path, before she even had the door open she was smiling hard at Ruby's rendition of 'I'm walking on sunshine'.
At the sound of the door closing behind the dark haired mother April quickly slide from where she had been perched next to the toaster and shot the woman a sheepish smile.
Charlie smiled knowingly at April letting her know she ad seen her perched on the counter and that it was ok so the teenager took up residence next to the toaster once more. Charlie had always liked April, she was a good influence on her daughter, April often organised study sessions with Ruby that otherwise would never been something Ruby would have done, it had had a clear impact on her grades, and Charlie was grateful and she made sure the intelligent teen knew that. It wasn't just that the senior constable liked about the youngest Scott. She found her quirky sense of style very fresh and cool. She smiled at the girls current attire, a cream short sleeved shirt with navy dots splashed on it, paired with a navy knee length skirt separated by a thick red belt, she loved that the outfit was accessorised with a red beaded necklace and a red flower broach on the young girls shirt. What she found most intriguing though was the hat that sat upon the girl head, it was sort of a suit had that was shades of cream and brown decorated with floral patterns of pale blue and red.
"Ruby?" Charlie smirked. "Is there a reason your dancing around the kitchen in a bikini?"
"Yeah, me and April popped into Yabbi Creak after school like we do every Friday and I saw this beauty. Don't you just love it? My boobs look awesome." Ruby defended herself with a laugh, proudly using her arms to create a cleavage that was already apparent in the bikini. April blushed and looked over at Charlie. Charlie just shook her head and made her way to her daughter pulling the bikini top up a little creating a more modest look.
"There, that's better." Ruby pouted and pulled the top back down a little.
"Casey is going to love this." Ruby whispered to April as her mother left the room.
XoxoxoxoxoxoxoX
After finishing up the quickest shower of her life Charlie checked the time before hurrying to her wardrobe after finding that she had fifteen minutes to get ready and be at the diner in time to meet Joey.
Flipping through the array of cloths in her pristine wardrobe Charlie decided to settle on a pair of dark denim skinny jeans with a white tank top and short red cardigan, knowing it made her look hot. As that thought ran through her head she did a double take, why would whether the outfit makes me look hot matter? I'm just meeting up with Joey to discuss Ruby and our situation. It doesn't matter how hot I look. I mean come on she's a woman. And I'm a woman. I'm not G…
Banishing those thoughts, outfit decided Charlie moved over to her full length mirror quickly drying her hair into soft natural waves and slipping on her stilettos. She shuffled through her vanity box and pulled out her foundation and quickly applied a smooth even coat to her already perfect face. Adding the finishing touches of eyeliner, mascara and lips gloss she scurried out of the house with a passing see you later to the teenagers telling them to be asleep when she gets back. It might be a Friday but Ruby had to be up early tomorrow and she was a nightmare to get up in the morning at the best of times let alone after a late night. Sleepy Ruby is a grumpy Ruby.
XoxoxoxoxoxoxoX
Standing outside the Pier diner Charlie found herself cursing time, she was over 10 minutes late. What if Joey had already left? She had probably thought Charlie had stood her up. Stood her up? This wasn't a date. Was it?
Butterflies rose in Charlie's tummy as she pushed down those thoughts and pushed open the door of the recently renovated diner. Her blue eyes searching for the pretty young teacher she was supposed to have met 10 minutes ago.
She soon found what she was looking for. Sitting in a booth in the far corner looking utterly lost was the teacher Ruby had been raving about for the past two weeks. Hearing the clack of Charlie's stilettoes walking towards her table caused Joey to look up. At this Charlie's breath caught. Wow. Joey looked beautiful. Her dark, almost black hair shone like silk, flowing past her shoulders fluidly in soft curls.
Her facial beauty enhanced but subtle tones of blue and green showed over her eyes drew Charlie to look into them causing her to gulp. What the hell was she feeling? In attempts to break the spell Charlie looked away from the beautiful woman's eyes but her own fell upon the rest of the breath-taking woman. Charlie couldn't help but appreciate the other woman's womanly figure, her soft curves accented beautifully by her figure hugging dress that was the same colour as the tones of blue and green in her eye shadow.
Joey stood to greet Charlie unashamedly letting her eyes wonder but from what she could see Charlie was doing the same to her. Maybe. Just maybe.
A/N: Again sorry for the huge gap between updates, but you know how life is. So tell me what you think =)