Thanks for all the lovely comments on the last chapter! Love, IJKS xxx
Chapter Two Hundred and Sixty Three
"What's happened?" Charlie asked, the moment she sat down with Joey in the Diner.
"I've been shown photos of you going into Michael's house," she explained.
"What? Why? How? Who?" Charlie spluttered.
"Angelo took them," Joey explained. "He confronted me this morning with this stupid theory about how you're cheating on me."
"What? I'm not! Joey, you know I wouldn't..." Charlie said desperately.
Joey smiled and touched her hand gently.
"I know you wouldn't," she said sincerely.
Charlie exhaled heavily, relieved that she wasn't being accused of anything.
"But I'm seriously worried about his behaviour," Joey said. "He's been spying on you and following you around. It's sick, Charlie."
The police officer continued to look puzzled.
"I don't understand," she said. "What did he say to you?"
Joey took a deep breath and relayed the conversation she'd had with Angelo earlier in the morning. Charlie snorted at the thought of him thinking she was having sex with a boy on the table when it had really been Joey.
"Seriously!" Joey squeaked. "Do I look like a boy? I have long hair and everything!"
"It was scooped up in that cap, remember?" Charlie said. "And with the angle we were at, he probably only saw your back. I wouldn't take it personally."
She smiled. Joey pouted, mumbling that she would take it personally if she liked. Still grinning, Charlie put a gentle hand on Joey's arm.
"You definitely don't look like a boy," she assured her. "You're the most beautiful woman I've ever met. And let's face it, Angelo isn't exactly the sharpest knife in the drawer, is he?"
"What kind of photos were they?" she wondered..
"Well, one looks like he was up a tree or something," Joey replied, pulling a face.
"No wonder he's been so weird around me," Charlie mused. "He's been thinking I've been unfaithful to you since at least the end of January."
She shook her head in disbelief.
"What a freak!"
"He's seriously obsessed with you," Joey said. "I mean, when I think about it now, he seemed to be hinting to me that you were having an affair at the Diner reopening."
"He did?"
Joey nodded.
"Why didn't you tell me?"
"I didn't really pay attention," Joey admitted. "I thought he was just being stupid. I mean, as if you'd cheat on me! We've been together for almost a year and I like to think we're even more in love than we were before so..."
She shrugged. Charlie smiled lovingly at her.
"What?" Joey asked.
"I just think it's wonderful how much you trust me," she said. "Thank you."
"Why wouldn't I trust you?" Joey wondered. "You've been the most important thing in my life for a year now. You've never given me a reason to think you'd do something like that. I mean, if you were going to, then you would have done it with Hugo at the beginning."
Charlie looked bewildered.
"That night," Joey ventured. "When Brett had made the complaint about you and we weren't allowed to see each other. You were so panicked and irrational. You felt like the world was ending. If you were going to do something bad, you would have done it then. But you didn't. You defied the rules and came to tell me that you loved me. You wanted us to work through everything together. You make me so happy, Charlie. I love you and I trust you. And I know you wouldn't betray me."
Charlie leant across the table and kissed her. Joey smiled against her lips, running a hand through Charlie's hair.
"What are you going to do about Angelo?" she wondered when they parted.
"I'm going to kick his arse," Charlie said.
Joey giggled.
"You might want to hold off on the violence," she said. "Not that I'd object really. I think he deserves to be taken down a peg or two. But you might get into trouble. A Sergeant on assault charges might not be the best look."
Charlie sighed and nodded.
"I guess you're right," she said. "But I will tell him in no uncertain terms that he's a bastard and he needs to stay out of both our lives."
Joey nodded her agreement.
"I did tell you how vile he was," she said a little smugly. "But no, you always have to try and see the best in people!"
She smirked. Charlie pretended to look offended.
"Says you!" she remarked. "You see the best in everyone."
"Except Angelo."
"Except Angelo," Charlie agreed.
She looked up as she saw Leah approaching from the kitchen, looking unhappy.
"What's up?" she asked as her housemate sank into a chair.
"I did something bad," Leah admitted.
"Bet it wasn't as bad as what Angelo's done," Joey commented.
"What did Angelo do?"
Joey relayed the conversation with a few choice words about his shady character. Leah looked at her in disbelief.
"Someone needs a restraining order!" she said.
"Kind of hard when we work together," Charlie sighed.
"Get him fired!" Joey said. "That would be fun!"
Charlie sighed and shook her head. As angry as she was, she knew he'd worked very hard to gain his redemption and get his life back. She believed he would only behave worse if she tried to take that away from him.
"Anyway, what bad thing did you do?" she asked Leah, changing the subject.
"I asked Elijah out on a date," Leah admitted.
Charlie and Joey exchanged worried glances. Joey had told Charlie what the Reverend had told her about Vinnie and both of them were concerned about the apparent attraction between their friends.
"What did he say?" Joey asked.
"He didn't say anything," Leah said. "I mean, he didn't say no or laugh in my face or anything but he didn't say yes either. And I haven't seen him since. I totally messed this up, didn't I?"
"Maybe you and Elijah just aren't right for each other," Charlie suggested. "Maybe you're not meant to be more than friends."
"But what if I've ruined even that?" Leah asked. "It's just that Miles said he liked me so I thought he was just being shy. I thought if I made the first move, he'd be happy about it. But..."
She shrugged unhappily.
"Are we having a meeting?" Martha said.
The three women turned around and greeted their friend. They updated her on the Angelo situation and Leah's current predicament.
"Okay, my dilemma sounds kind of boring now," Martha remarked.
"Do share!" Joey grinned.
"We've just moved Xavier into the farm and he's being really... weird."
"How weird?" Leah asked.
"He's got this box and when Liam tried to pick it up, out of the car, he totally freaked out," Martha explained. "So now Liam has all these theories about what could be inside it. And with his past, his big concern is drugs. But I think he's overreacting. Do you think he's overreacting?"
"Well, have you asked him what's in it?" Joey asked. "Because hiding drugs doesn't really sound like him. I mean, I know he's got previous but he's been a good, clean living kid for a while now, hasn't he?"
"That's true," Martha agreed. "What do you think I should do about it?"
"Nothing," Leah said. "As long as he's not doing anything wrong, it shouldn't be a problem, should it?"
"And if he is doing something wrong, you should deal with it when the time comes," Charlie added. "Maybe just be aware instead of charging in."
Martha nodded, relieved to have had the chance of talking it through.
"Thanks," she said. "So, what are you going to do to Angelo?"
Next time... Charlie confronts Angelo, Liam's concern for Xavier grows and Elijah and Leah arrange to go on a date...
