Chapter Twenty Three

"Result!" Joey cried cheerfully, crashing onto the sand.

Charlie landed next to her, complaining that she had cheated in their race across the beach.

"I did not!" Joey replied indignantly.

She lay back on the sand and gazed up at the clouds until Charlie moved into her line of vision. They kissed.

"I think the winner deserves more than that…" Joey said.

Charlie looked coy, innocently wondering what she could possibly mean. Joey reached up and wrapped her arms around her, pulling her closer for a longer, deeper kiss.

"Public displays of affection should be outlawed," said a male voice.

Charlie shifted so that she and Joey could look up at whoever was speaking to them. Their hearts sank when they realised it was Angelo. After the result from court, Chris had stormed back out of Summer Bay as quickly as he had come. Angelo had hung around like a bad smell. It wouldn't be so bad if he had left them alone but he always seemed to be on hand to make comments or cause them some hassle. Fortunately, the newspaper had run a very positive article about Joey, painting her as a hero.

"Leave us alone," Joey ordered.

"What, you think because you're loaded, you can boss everyone around?" he snapped.

"No, I think because I live in a free society that if you continue to hassle us, we'll legally force you to stay away," Joey replied.

Angelo looked irritated. Charlie looked impressed. Back in the day, she had been the one who'd felt the need to look after Joey. After everything that she had been through, she had been broken and fragile, which had of course only made Charlie's eventual betrayal even more devastating. But these days, Joey was confident, assertive and sure of herself. It was a wonderful thing.

"How does it feel to only have a girlfriend because you're a millionaire?" Angelo asked, eager to keep the debate going.

"I wouldn't know because that hasn't happened to me," Joey returned without any hesitation.

Again, Charlie was impressed. She was touched by Joey's commitment to her and that she believed so much in Charlie's own commitment. It genuinely felt like they had healed all the hurts from the past. She had never viewed the future with so much eager optimism.

"What, you think she hooked up with you because she wanted to?" Angelo asked. "That the thought of being called a lesbian didn't turn her stomach anymore."

"Angelo, back off," Charlie snapped.

He just laughed.

"Don't you think it's a coincidence that you get some old woman's cash and Charlie embraces the gay label and starts dating you?" Angelo asked. "You'll be useful for a while, Joey. You're good for paying for everything, taking her round on that crappy little bike you have and paying a fortune to put her daughter into rehab. But you'll never be the real thing. You weren't before and you aren't now. Sooner or later, she's going to break your heart and cheat on you all over again. And do you know why? Because she's straight. And she can't pretend forever."

Charlie opened her mouth to call him as many names as she could think of but Joey got there first.

"It's a nice theory," she said. "But you've missed one vital fact. When Charlie left you for me, she didn't know I had money. She didn't know anything about it."

Angelo glared.

"Also, we got back together when we did because that's when Joey came home," Charlie added, somewhere between smug and bitter. "There was no coincidence about it."

Without anything more to say, Angelo stomped back off up the beach. Charlie shook her head in disbelief, wondering when he was going to give it up and let it go.

"He's really not worth worrying about," Joey said. "Now, I believe we were establishing a reward to the girl who just kicked your arse in that race!"

"You know, lunch wasn't exactly what I was angling for," Joey remarked as she and Charlie walked hand in hand into the Diner.

"We need the sustenance," Charlie pointed out. "I don't want you falling asleep halfway through!"

Joey giggled as they took a corner table.

"I could have no sustenance at all and I'd never do that," she assured her. "One look at you and I suddenly have all the energy I need."

She grinned. Charlie kissed her.

"We're still having lunch!" she stated.

Colleen Smart approached their table, taking their order and looking rather flustered.

"Is everything okay, Colleen?" Charlie asked, a little concerned.

She and Joey had both been surprised by the warmth that she had accepted their relationship with. She had also been very interested in Joey's millionaire status, as had a lot of people.

"There's a food critic here," Colleen hissed, nodding to a dark haired man at another table. "We're all panicking about getting everything perfect."

As if knowing he was being talked about, the man turned and smiled at all three of them. Colleen looked even more flustered and bustled off without taking the couple's order.

"Hello, ladies," the man said, inching towards their table. "You've just brightened up my day."

Charlie and Joey remained suspicious.

"I'm Paulie Rosetta," he declared, extending his hand.

Neither Charlie nor Joey shook it.

Next time… Ruby struggles at school…