Chapter Three Hundred and Seventy Five
"Have I mentioned that I love weekends when neither of us has to work?" Joey remarked lazily.
Beside her in the bed, Charlie stretched and yawned beside her.
"They're the best!" she agreed, rolling over and pulling her girlfriend in for a kiss. "And we'd better treasure this one because the really hard work starts next week."
Joey frowned, knowing that she was right. In the coming week, she would be leaving the bait shop behind and working flat out to get everything ready to make the restaurant a success. She was excited but she was also terrified.
"I hadn't thought about losing my Saturday lie-ins," she said. "Maybe we should cancel the whole thing!"
"As if!" Charlie replied, making her giggle when she pinned her to the bed.
"You're right," Joey teased. "As if I could possibly want this instead of slaving away in a kitchen!"
Charlie pouted, earning herself a kiss. They immediately got carried away.
Indi and Dex exchanged unhappy glances as Sid showed a random woman out of the house. The 'walk of shame' for both of them was more than a little obvious. Both teenagers were disappointed that their father didn't seem to have changed so much after all.
Charlie emerged, rather breathless from beneath the covers and snuggled against Joey's panting form.
"We totally need to set the alarm really early on a Saturday," Joey decided. "Because I cannot live without that of a Saturday morning!"
Charlie giggled and kissed her.
"I can live with that," she agreed.
Out for a morning walk across the beach, in the hope that the view might spark some song writing inspiration, Liam paused as he spotted a beautiful, blonde woman in formal wear, standing by the shore. Superficial or not, he was smitten. She was absolutely captivating and he stopped and admired her without apology. He watched as she drew her arm back and threw something shiny into the sea. Turning back, she caught sight of him.
"Do you have a problem?" she barked before she marched off.
"He's a nice man!" Marilyn insisted.
Sitting round the breakfast table with Alf, Miles, Romeo and Nicole, the tarot reader found herself defending her decision to accept a date with Doctor Sid Walker.
"Yeah, with a reputation for sleeping his way through every town he lives in," Miles replied.
"Well, I don't judge by reputation," Marilyn insisted.
Nicole stayed uncharacteristically quiet.
"I don't like to criticise or think badly of people, love, but maybe you should with Sid," Alf suggested awkwardly. "I mean, he caused a lot of trouble when he lived here before."
"I'm going in with my eyes open, Mr Stewart," Marilyn replied, still with her usual, sunny disposition. "I promise."
Charlie and Joey were fortunately dressed when Liam came round to collect Ruby for their recording session.
"Just remember that if my daughter gets hurt in any way, I will kill you," Charlie warned.
Neither she nor Joey were comfortable with Ruby and Liam still working together in light of one of their feelings for the other. However, the also didn't want to put a stop to Ruby's love of music. They were thrilled that she had found a passion and they didn't want to stifle it now.
"I fully understand," Liam promised. "I wouldn't hurt her for the world and I would never be unprofessional."
Charlie nodded and permitted them to head over to the recording studio in a taxi to lay down some demo tracks and see how it all fitted.
Having escaped to work, Sid at least felt better without his kids interrogating him. Unfortunately, with his date with Marilyn in mind for the following evening, he had to make sure that his one night stand with nurse Veronica, stayed as just exactly that.
Charlie and Joey were strolling along the seafront when a blonde woman, arguing with someone on her mobile phone, barrelled into them.
"Sorry!" she said, sounding harassed.
"No problem," Joey replied.
"Are you okay?" Charlie asked, noting the stranger's anxious expression.
"I think I just change the entire course of my life," the woman replied.
"It was only a small bump," Joey said with a grin.
She succeeded in making their new companion laugh.
"I'm Bianca Scott," she said, extending her hand.
"I'm Joey Collins and this is my partner, Charlie Buckton," Joey introduced politely.
"I don't suppose there's any place around here that serves good coffee, is there?"
"Breathe," Ruby instructed, as Liam began to panic about their recording session.
"What if it goes wrong?" Liam fretted.
Ruby squeezed his hand and tried to ignore the sparks flying around inside her at the physical contact.
"It won't," she assured him. "It's going to be perfect."
"So, you just ran out on your wedding?" Joey asked incredulously.
She and Charlie had taken their new friend to the Diner and she had been animatedly explaining how she had ended up in Summer Bay.
"No, just my engagement party," Bianca corrected. "The world would have been a much scarier place if I'd got as far as the wedding."
She shuddered.
"What happened?" Charlie wondered.
For a long time, she could never have seen herself getting married. She hadn't considered herself to be a commitment type of person. But now, with Joey, it was something she looked forward to.
"I found him cheating on me," Bianca admitted. "It made him late for the toast to our happy union."
"That's rough," Charlie sympathised. "It's happened to me before. It hurts."
Both women looked at Joey.
"I'm fortunate enough not to have had that experience," the future restaurant owner said.
She looked pointedly at Charlie and hoped she never would.
"You never will," Charlie promised, squeezing her girlfriend's hand.
"Aw," Bianca teased. "So, how long have you been together?"
"Coming up to a year and a half," Joey told her.
"And how did you meet and get together?"
Charlie hesitated.
"Are you sure you want to hear a love story in your current circumstances?" she asked.
"I definitely do," Bianca said. "It might delay the bitterness."
Sid had finally managed to take Veronica to one side. He'd explained that their liaison was a one time thing and that they couldn't see each other anymore. She had accepted it in words but he couldn't help but feel unsettled. He had a horrible feeling that his moment of weakness with the fairer sex would come back and haunt him.
"So, you were Joey's knight in shining armour?" Bianca said.
"I wouldn't exactly put it like that," Charlie said.
At the same time, Joey said 'yes'. Bianca chuckled at the adoring way they looked each other.
"I need what you two have," the new girl said.
"Did you ever have it with your fiancé… Vittorio?" Joey asked.
"No," Bianca replied grimly. "It was never… never like what you two obviously have. I mean, it was nice. Until he cheated on me, of course. But I've never really had that all consuming, overwhelming, passionate love, you know?"
"Well, it took me a while to find it," Charlie said. "So maybe you haven't met 'the one' yet."
Indi had been thrilled to run into Romeo on the beach. She was especially entranced by the fact that he had been surfing and only wore a half rolled down wetsuit. He was gorgeous. Unfortunately, the words coming out of his mouth brought her nothing but despair.
"So, Dad's going on a date with one of your housemates?" she demanded.
"Yeah, Marilyn," Romeo said. "No offence but Alf and Miles are pretty anxious about it. I gather he does have quite the rep."
"Yeah," Indi frowned. "If I were you, I'd advise her to keep the hell away from him. He's nothing but a disappointment."
"So, what brings you to Summer Bay, specifically?" Joey wondered.
She, Charlie and Bianca had got through several coffees, indulged in lunch and still had endless things to discuss.
"My sister lives here," Bianca explained.
"Who's your sister?" Charlie asked.
"April," Bianca told her. "April Scott."
"Oh!" Charlie said. "She's dating the boy who's my daughter's ex."
Bianca looked confused.
"Summer Bay is a really small town," Joey put in.
"So I gather!" Bianca said. "But um… excuse me for being rude, how old is your daughter?"
"She's approaching seventeen," Charlie said a little awkwardly.
"You either look especially young for your age," Bianca said. "Or…"
"I had her really young," Charlie informed her.
She looked anxiously at Joey. Both silently agreed that it was okay to be open with their new friend.
"I was attacked," Charlie told her.
"I'm so sorry," Bianca said, for want of another response. "I don't really know what to say…"
"Don't worry about it," Charlie said. "Anyway, things got kind of heavy there! How long do you think you'll be sticking around?"
Liam and Ruby were both on a high after the success of their recording session.
"Charlie just texted back and said she was in the Diner," Ruby reported, having checked the message on her phone. "Would you like to go there for a celebratory milkshake?"
Liam thought about it and then nodded. Presumably Charlie wouldn't object to him spending time with her daughter if she was there to chaperone.
"This is the best day ever!" Ruby decided.
She hugged him. All the feelings she'd tried to lock away returned.
"I've actually got a teaching position at the local high school," Bianca explained. "I was always coming here, at least temporarily in order to be there for April. I was just meant to be married when I did it."
"What do you teach?"
"Languages," Bianca said.
"You'll probably be taking my daughter's class then," Charlie said.
"Probably," Bianca agreed. "What's her name so I can look out for her?"
"Ruby Buckton," Charlie told her. "And she's on her way over here anyway so you'll be introduced properly."
As soon as Sid arrived home, Indi shouted angrily at him. He held up his hands in defence, rather bewildered and stunned.
"I don't understand what's wrong," he managed when she paused for breath.
"How could you two time Marilyn?" his daughter snapped.
"I'm not! We haven't even been out yet!"
"But you made the date with her yesterday," Indi pointed out. "And you slept with some woman last night! How could you?"
"How I conduct my relationships is my business," Sid warned. "Not yours. I do have a date with Marilyn that I am looking forward to. But that does not mean I'm immediately exclusive with her. That's ridiculous!"
As soon as Ruby and Liam arrived at the Diner, Charlie and Joey waved them over.
"Ruby, Liam, this is Bianca," Charlie introduced. "Bianca, this is Liam and Ruby."
Ruby was immediately aware of Liam and Bianca checking each other out. Her thrill from their earlier hug immediately deflated.
"We've met," Liam said, sitting between Bianca and Ruby.
"Briefly," Bianca remarked.
Charlie and Joey exchanged glances as Liam and Bianca eyed each up. Ruby looked heartbroken.
Next time… Charlie and Joey both like Bianca but Ruby definitely doesn't, Indi struggles with her feelings for Romeo, who intervenes with Sid and Marilyn and Nicole and Penn…
