Chapter Eighteen

Charlie was puzzled to find Angelo clearing out his desk in a loud and aggressive manner. He turned and glared at her when she entered the room.

"What's going on?" she asked.

"What the hell do you think?" Angelo snapped. "I hope you're happy."

"I don't understand," Charlie said.

Angelo slammed a box down on the desk so loudly that she jumped.

"Your little complaint worked," he yelled.

"What complaint?"

"About yesterday!"

"What are you talking about?" Charlie wanted to know.

"Don't play innocent with me," Angelo warned.

He continued stuffing things in his box, becoming more and more irritated by the minute. She stared at him and then headed out into the reception area. She found Watson who looked immediately guilty.

"What's going on?"

"I might have mentioned something about what happened yesterday," Watson admitted, hoping that Charlie wouldn't be too angry with her.

"Watson!" Charlie squeaked. "I told you it didn't matter."

"He hurt you, Charlie," Watson reminded her. "He's a Sergeant. He can't behave that way just because you finally dumped him for good."

Charlie sighed, knowing that her friend was just trying to protect her. She turned to watch Angelo pack his stuff.

"What's happened to him?" Charlie asked.

"Suspension pending investigation," Watson said. "And I heard on the grapevine that they're going to reassess everything he's done since he came back here."

"What do you mean?" Charlie asked worriedly.

"They're saying that the whole Hugo thing was badly handled," Watson said. "And now they're starting to doubt that he escaped."

Charlie sighed. She hadn't been there when Hugo had got away. Angelo had told everyone that Hugo and Martha had outrun him. Charlie hadn't argued but it did all seem rather suspicious. She just hoped for Angelo's sake that all of this was a big mistake. She could only defend him so far.

"Have a nice life," Angelo snapped as he stormed past them both and out of the police station.

Charlie watched him go and then turned back to Watson.

"Do they want to speak to me?" she asked.

"As soon as possible," Watson nodded.

Angelo left his stuff in his car and headed straight to the Surf Club, hoping that Alf would commiserate with him.

"You look like the world's ended," the older man commented.

Angelo sank onto a bar stool and sighed heavily before ordering a beer. Alf set to work and asked him what was wrong.

"I've been formally suspended for getting into an argument with Charlie yesterday," he admitted.

Alf put a bottle down in front of him and leant against the bar.

"Things aren't looking better between you then?" he concluded.

"Far from it," Angelo said miserably, swigging his beer. "She's screwing someone new."

"Oh, mate, I'm sorry to hear that. Who is he?"

"She," Angelo corrected.

Alf nodded and felt bad for presuming.

"That Joey chick she was with before," Angelo said. "She cheated on me with her."

"What?" Alf exclaimed. "No, she wouldn't do that."

"Wouldn't she?" Angelo challenged.

Alf sighed. Everyone knew what had happened with Hugo behind Joey's back. And everyone knew how cut up Charlie had been over losing the deckhand.

"Maybe it's a mistake," he said.

"She told me herself," Angelo said. "And she's made a complaint against me so I'm suspended pending an investigation! Ridiculous or what?"

"Well, I'm sure it'll be sorted soon. If you didn't do anything wrong..."

"Of course I didn't do anything wrong!" Angelo snapped.

He quickly apologised. None of this was Alf's fault.

"I just don't understand," he said. "I thought Charlie and I were going to make a go of things. She said she wanted to be with me. She said yes to moving in with me. And now it's all over. Just like that. If I didn't love her so much, I'd hate her."

Charlie arrived home to find Ruby in front of the television. Dumping her bag on the table, Charlie came to sit beside her.

"Hey," she greeted.

"Hey," Ruby said, switching the TV off. "How was your day?"

"Awkward," Charlie admitted.

"Angelo?" Ruby asked.

She'd heard on the grapevine that Angelo had been ranting about Charlie in the Surf Club for most of the day. It hadn't taken long for the news of Angelo's suspension and Charlie's 'relationship' with Joey to get round.

"How did you guess?" Charlie asked.

Ruby explained what she knew. Deflated, Charlie sank back against the couch and hoped that nothing bad would happen to ruin things between her and Joey. Her ex-girlfriend had been quite clear about them just being friends and not rushing things. What if she somehow got the wrong end of the stick and thought Charlie was telling people they were dating? What if she lost her all over again?

"You didn't though?" Ruby checked. "I mean, nothing's happened with Joey, has it?"

"No," Charlie said quickly, offended at the suggestion. "We're just friends for now. I told you."

"I know," Ruby said. "I was just checking."

"We're just friends," Charlie confirmed. "I mean, obviously I'm hoping that eventually..."

She smiled to herself. Ruby chuckled in amusement.

"How are things going?" she asked.

"Amazing," Charlie swooned, making Ruby giggle all over again.

Charlie blushed.

"I honestly have never seen you like this over anyone before, Charlie," Ruby said. "Not even Joey the first time around. Well, I saw a hint of it then but..."

Charlie couldn't stop smiling.

"I'm actually even more in love with her than I was before," she said. "I didn't think that was possible."

"I hope things work out this time, Charlie," Ruby said honestly. "Angelo loved you but I realise now that he never made you that happy. He tried but... well, I guess you lost your heart to Joey a while ago."

Charlie nodded and sighed dreamily.

"How about I invite her round tonight?" she suggested brightly.

"Here?"

"Yeah," Charlie said. "Whatever happened between us, you and Joey were friends, weren't you? It'd be nice for the three of us to hang out for a bit. What do you think?"

"Sounds good to me," Ruby readily agreed.