This is the last update for a few days but I am hoping to be back on Tuesday. Enjoy the chapter! Feedback always appreciated! Love, IJKS xxx
Chapter Two Hundred and Forty Six
Several days later, Charlie, Joey, Romeo, Xavier and Ruby all gathered round to say goodbye to Mink. After her chat with Charlie, the ex-con had decided to take her advice and go after a life that she really wanted to live. Having failed to convince Romeo to quit school again and be her manager, Mink had negotiated a deal with an agent all by herself and was about to travel the world, surfing professionally. It had been her dream for a long time and it felt good to finally be chasing it.
"Thanks for coming to say goodbye, everyone," she said, surprising herself and everybody else with her bashfulness.
"Of course we came," Charlie said. "We're proud of you."
"Yeah, good luck with everything," Ruby put in.
"Thanks," Mink said politely. "Sorry for messing with you before. And yelling at you. And... I think I'll shut up before you decide not to wish me well after all."
Ruby laughed.
"Take care, okay?" Joey said. "And keep in touch."
"Thanks," Mink replied. "And sorry for..."
She shook her head and grinned.
"You two are very lucky to have each other," she said.
Charlie and Joey smiled and held hands.
"We know," Charlie said happily but without showing off. "Thanks. I hope you find someone awesome while you're on your travels!"
She grinned. Mink grinned back.
"But you will come and visit, won't you?" Romeo asked anxiously. "I'll miss you."
Mink stepped forward and hugged her brother.
"You're much better off without me complicating things for you here," she said. "This is a nice town and you've obviously landed on your feet. Stick with it and make a success of yourself, okay?"
Romeo held onto her tightly, feeling emotional.
"I'll keep in touch," Mink promised. "Now stop being all sappy and let me go!"
She smirked, making him laugh and reluctantly release her. Offering them all one more smile, Mink hopped into the waiting taxi, ready to take her towards her new life.
Having waved until they couldn't see the cab anymore, Charlie proposed that they went to the Diner for dinner. Holding hands, Charlie and Joey led the way towards the restaurant with the teenagers following behind.
"I really hope she makes a success of everything," Joey said, leaning her head on her girlfriend's shoulder.
Charlie shifted to put her arm around her.
"Me too," she said. "I really think she will."
Walking through the Diner doors, Joey immediately spotted Aden sitting on his own and looking a little down. Breaking away from Charlie, she approached her best friend.
"You know, hanging around your place of work when you're not on shift is kind of lame," she teased.
He laughed.
"I was meant to be meeting Nic here," he explained. "And we were going to head into town."
"And now?" Joey asked.
He sighed before revealing that his girlfriend had had a better offer.
"Well, Charlie and I are treating our brood of kids to dinner if you'd like to join us?" Joey offered, nodding towards the others who already had their noses in the menu.
"Do I get paid for too?" he asked.
"Don't push it," Joey smirked, leading him across the room and informing the others that they had an extra.
"I thought you were going out with Nicole tonight," Romeo said tactlessly.
"She's taken a position at that Britt woman's design company," Aden explained. "So now, on top of all the coursework she's doing, she's spending time on that. I'll be lucky if I see her for weeks."
"It's irritating when your partner spreads herself too thinly, isn't it?" Charlie smirked.
Joey pretended to look offended.
"Oh, come on!" Ruby remarked. "You two are never apart!"
"Except when I'm at work, or Joey's at work, or she's at college, or helping all of her friends out of their various complicated situations..." Charlie teased.
"Uh, pot, kettle!" Joey squeaked. "You're the one who's been spending hours looking after Mink!"
"She was in trouble!"
"So is everyone I devote my time to!" Joey insisted, although she was amused.
Apparently this was as close to an argument as they seemed to manage these days. And neither of them were about to complain.
"At the end of the day, you guys always go home to each other," Ruby pointed out. "And you have very loud sex at least five nights a week."
Charlie and Joey blanched in horror as Romeo, Xavier and Aden laughed.
"We are not loud!" Charlie hissed.
"Yes, you are," Ruby replied without losing her cool.
"And even if we are, it's not dinner table talk," Charlie told her.
"I don't mind discussing your sex lives," Aden smirked.
Joey slapped his hand with a napkin.
"Nor do I!" Romeo joined in.
Xavier sensibly remained quiet.
"I know," Charlie said, still embarrassed. "Why don't we talk about something else? Romeo, how's life back at school?"
"It's good," Romeo said, although the expression on his face said that he was still thinking about something he shouldn't.
Arriving home from their dinner, Charlie, Joey and Ruby found Leah and Miles sharing a bottle of wine on the patio. Ruby headed to bed immediately but Charlie and Joey joined them for a glass each.
"So, has Leah told you guys about her crush?" Miles asked.
Leah turned pink and looked immediately horrified.
"She's denied it until she turns pink in the face," Charlie replied, amused. "Like she is now."
"I don't have a crush!" Leah said hotly.
"Oh, it's okay, Leah," Joey said gently. "Everyone gets a crush sometimes. I mean, look at me and Charlie. I had a crush on her from the first second I saw her."
"Yes, but she liked you too," Leah pointed out.
"And maybe Elijah will feel the same about you," Miles pointed out.
"No!" Leah squeaked. "He's a Reverend."
"Yes, he's a Reverend," Charlie agreed. "He hasn't been castrated!"
Joey snorted, Miles laughed and Leah's cheeks became even more flushed.
"He's a man of God," Leah said. "He's not supposed to have relationships."
"I think that's Catholic Priests," Joey said evenly. "I mean, the pastor at the church when I was growing up was married."
"Yes!" Leah said strangely triumphant. "He was married! He wasn't dating some Greek single mother!"
"Sweetheart, how do you think people end up getting married?" Charlie asked, still amused.
Leah looked confused.
"People meet, they date and then they may or may not get married," the cop continued. "Surely everyone has to start somewhere? I mean, if I can date a woman then you can date a pastor."
Joey looked mock offended.
"Am I of such a low standard?" she asked.
"No!" Charlie said quickly. "I didn't mean it like that. I just meant..."
She pouted when she realised her girlfriend was playing.
"Okay," she said, finishing her wine. "We're off. Miles, carry on convincing Leah to figure out if Elijah feels the same way she does."
"Will do!" Miles called as Charlie led Joey into the house.
"Don't have sex too loudly!" Leah hollered. "I don't want to hear you out here!"
Charlie hurried to the bedroom, flushed and pretending not to have heard her housemate's comment.
"We're not that loud are we?" she wondered when they shut the door behind them.
"Well, I don't know what they hear through the walls!" Joey laughed. "I'm always in here with you!"
The following morning, Joey was setting up the bait shop when Tony approached, having decided to go fishing for the morning. Now that he had sold the gym, he had far too much time on his hands. And although it meant wonderful bonding time with his son, he was most definitely frustrated.
"Hey," Joey greeted as Tony placed his order.
Spotting Harry in his stroller, she couldn't help but admire how cute he was.
"Father and son fishing trip?" she asked, getting everything together for him.
"Yeah," Tony sighed. "I'm going to be doing a lot of this."
"Lucky for some!" Joey remarked.
"Not really," he sighed again.
Catching his tone, Joey stopped what she was doing and asked if he was okay. Tony wasn't someone she knew terribly well, although she had enjoyed working out at the gym when he'd owned it more than she did with John running the show.
"I'm just at such a loose end without the gym," he explained, leaning forward and sighing yet again. "I mean, I know it was the right thing to do but I don't want to be a house husband. I hate not working."
Joey nodded. Having been unemployed for a couple of months recently, she understood where he was coming from. Getting a position at the bait shop had been a dream come true. Suddenly, an idea flashed into her mind.
"There's a vacancy here, you know," she said.
"There is?"
Joey nodded, explaining that Alf had been struggling to find someone since Aden had walked out.
"Maybe go and talk to him about it," Joey suggested. "I mean, it's not like you'd need much training or anything. You already know the trade – at least from a customer perspective."
"I will," Tony decided. "Can you um... can you keep all this stuff for me? I'd like to try and speak to him now if I can. I don't want to miss out."
"It'll all be waiting for you when you get back," Joey assured him.
Looking decidedly more cheerful, Tony took Harry and dashed off in the direction of the Surf Club.
That evening, with Tony having been hired readily by Alf and due to be starting the next day, Joey was feeling cheerful and had arranged to meet Charlie for a drink at the Surf Club. Entering the bar, she looked around to see if her partner was there yet. She wasn't. About to approach the bar, Joey paused when she heard Tony and Rachel talking.
"I just think you're better than a bait shop," the Doctor said unhappily.
"I'm not better than anything!" Tony protested. "It's a good job, Rach."
"Tony, you owned a gym," Rachel said. "You're a qualified teacher. You did something you loved, something that served the community. You're better than selling fishing material to old men."
Glancing up, Rachel froze when she realised that Joey was in earshot.
"Joey..."
"It's um... it's good enough for me," Joey pointed out, her feelings obviously hurt.
With her good mood deflated, she turned and left the building, deciding to wait outside for Charlie and change their plans. Suddenly she didn't want to be in the same room as a woman she had once very much respected and felt grateful to. Back when she and Charlie had first met, Rachel had been her Doctor and had helped her through one of the most difficult periods of her life. Back in the Surf Club, Tony glared at his wife.
"It's really not like you to be so judgemental," he said unhappily.
Next time... Rachel makes peace with Joey, Angelo makes peace with Charlie and Annie returns to the Bay...
