Chapter Four

One week later, Charlie was still trying to muster enthusiasm for moving in with Angelo. He'd excitedly perused rentals and she had tried not to be as obvious in her disinterest as she had been the last time they had thought about living together. They'd promptly broken up after she had admitted she wasn't keen on having that level of a relationship with him. And she didn't want to break up again. They'd been on and off again so many times and to be honest, she didn't have the energy to endure it all over again. And she consoled herself with the idea that she could do a lot worse than him. He was a little controlling at times, or at least, he tried to be, but generally, he was a nice guy and they got along well. Ruby had agreed to move with them and now they were looking for a three bedroom place so that Ross and Morag had somewhere to stay if and when they visited from the city.

Taking advantage of having a Saturday off while Angelo was on shift, Charlie headed out to Yabbie Creek to do some shopping by herself and get some kind of peace. She needed to clear her head and get away for a little while. She was eager to take in the fresh air, have some retail therapy and try to get over how pathetic she felt it was to go and see a movie all by herself. She hadn't quite worked up to that yet but, strolling through town she enjoyed the hustle and bustle and was keen to stay out for a long as she could. Suddenly, she collided with another shopper. Her bags went sprawling to the floor and so did the person she'd bumped into.

"Sorry!" she said, reaching out to pull the girl up. "I'm so sorry."

"It's fine," the girl replied. "I wasn't looking where I was..."

She trailed off and stared. Charlie Buckton had come face to face with Joey Collins. Charlie's mouth hung open as she stared at Joey. She looked healthy and beautiful. Her eyes were shiny and her long, dark hair was glossy. She had caught more of a tan and she looked slender and toned. Charlie licked her lips, struck by just how breathtaking she was.

"Joey..." she managed.

She hadn't caught a proper look at her the week before at the restaurant and she hadn't exactly been able to gaze with Angelo sitting there and hanging on her every word, waiting for an answer as to whether they could live together or not.

"Hi," Joey replied.

She knew she was staring but she couldn't seem to stop. She held her breath as she studied Charlie's beautiful face. Her hair was up and her blue eyes were still as enchanting as they had always been. She was slimmer, which Joey hadn't thought possible. She was striking to say the least.

"How... um... how are you?" Charlie asked.

"I'm... I'm okay," Joey said.

She had worried about the possibility of bumping into Charlie again when she first moved to town. It was dangerous to be so close by and she wasn't sure her heart could take being around her, even now. But now that she was truly in front of her, she didn't think she could say goodbye.

"How are you?" she asked.

"I'm... I'm good. I..."

She swallowed, hardly able to believe that they were both really here and in this moment together.

"Good," Charlie said.

Joey glanced down and realised that Charlie's bags were still sprawled on the floor. She bent to help pick them up. Charlie bent too and their hands touched briefly when they both reached for the same bag. Their eyes met and both realised that the spark still existed between them. Both realised that it was something that would never really die. Joey stood up and quickly and cleared her throat. She handed the other bags back over to Charlie and hurriedly made her excuses about having to get home. Charlie looked and felt utterly disappointed. She watched as Joey turned away.

"Joey!" she called out.

Joey slowly turned back, wondering what Charlie was going to say.

"Do you... do you want to go for a coffee sometime or something?"

Joey remained still and mute, mulling over her options. Her heart was soaring as she contemplated getting to spend time with Charlie again. It would be nice to gaze at her, talk to her, laugh with her... And it definitely hadn't been the easiest of weeks. Charlie felt like a light at the end of the tunnel. Almost. Her fears were overwhelming. A few moments with Charlie, just standing here in the street and all those old feelings had resurfaced. It felt like they had never gone away. Perhaps they never had.

"Okay," she said, without thinking it through.

Her heart hammered in her chest as she watched Charlie smile.

"Now?" the cop asked hopefully.

Joey nodded and said she lived nearby if she wanted to come over for coffee. Charlie beamed at her, thrilled at the prospect of spending time with beautiful Joey Collins again. To say it was a privilege would be a severe understatement. Joey waited for Charlie to fall into step beside her.

"I have some cake too," she added.