Chapter Four Hundred and Fifty Four

Charlie remained at the table with Joey, feeling extremely hurt.

"Charlie," Joey said gently, reaching for her hand.

"At least I know what she really thinks," Charlie said quietly, feeling numb.

She swallowed the aching lump in her throat.

"Come on," Joey said gently. "You know that's not what she thinks. She's being a petulant teenager, sulking because she can't get her own way. She wants something from you and you're not providing it and you haven't explained why so she's kicked off. It's not right and it's not fair."

"It's not fair that I'm not a proper Mum," Charlie said unhappily.

"You are a proper Mum," Joey insisted, shifting closer.

"She doesn't call me that," Charlie said. "She doesn't think of me like that."

"She only doesn't call you that because she's called you by your name for so long," Joey said. "You know that. Look, don't be silly. Come on…"

She stood, taking Ruby by the hand.

"Let's go and sort all of this out," she said.

"No," Charlie said, not willing to go and face her daughter.

"Charlie…"

They made eye contact.

"Up," Joey said. "Come on, sweetheart. Come on."


Sid knocked on Marilyn's door, having dithered rather a lot and walked all the way from the restaurant. He wasn't convinced that he should be the one to talk to Marilyn when she was the one who had ended things between them without even discussing it first but Joey had been quite stern with him.

"Can we talk?" he asked.

"Is there anything to talk about?" Marilyn asked.

"If you want to just walk away from everything we've built together these last few months, then I guess not but I thought we really had something special," he said. "I thought we had something special."

Marilyn sighed.

"You'd better come in then," she said.


Joey knocked on Ruby's door. There was no response but she was sure she could hear her crying. She let herself and Charlie in anyway.

"Ruby?" she ventured.

The teenager was face down on her bed, sobbing.

"Ruby?" she said again.

"I'm sorry," Ruby said, her voice muffled by her pillow.

"We know," Joey said, glancing at Charlie, who also had tears in her eyes.

Joey nodded at Charlie to sit on the edge of Ruby's bed. Joey sat cross legged on the floor. Reluctantly, Ruby turned over to look at them.

"I didn't mean it," Ruby said.

Charlie caught hold of her hand.

"I was just upset," Ruby said. "I didn't mean it. You're the best Mum ever."

"I wouldn't go that far but thank you," Charlie said quietly.

"You are," Ruby said. "Both of you."

Joey managed a smile and shifted a little closer.

"I was just frustrated that you said no and you wouldn't negotiate," Ruby said. "But I was completely out of order and I'm so sorry."

"Well, as long as you don't really think that, hey?" Joey encouraged.

"I definitely don't think that," Ruby said.

"I just said no because when Dad taught me to drive we fell out really badly and didn't speak for a week," Charlie said. "I didn't want to fall out with you. Ironically."

She looked down. Joey held her other hand.

"I'm sorry," Ruby said. "I didn't realise."

"I just didn't want to fall out with you," Charlie said.

"I was just frustrated because part of the reason was because Nicole thought it would be a cool way to get to spend quality time with you," Ruby explained.

Charlie sighed heavily.

"I didn't realise," she said. "I'm sorry."


Marilyn and Sid sat on the sofa together, both feeling extremely awkward.

"I just don't understand how you could accuse Mitzy of that," Marilyn said. "Even if you truly believed that, you should have stayed quiet. She's dying, Sid. You couldn't have just been kind to her during these last days of her life?"

"Not when she's taking you for a ride, Marilyn!" he exclaimed.

"You're still not sorry, are you?" she accused, immediately irritated all over again.

"It's just because I care about you and want the best for you," he insisted. "I don't want you spending your days cursed with imaginary cancer!"

Marilyn shook her head in disbelief.

"Well, if you're asking me to choose between you and Mitzy, I choose her."

Sid stood up.

"Well then there's no point continuing this conversation, is there?" he said.

He left.


"It's just that when Dad tried to teach me to drive, we ended up not speaking for a week," Charlie explained. "And I don't want that to happen to us."

Ruby nodded in understanding.

"May I make a suggestion?" Joey asked.

Charlie and Ruby both looked at her.

"Ruby would like to learn to drive and she would like you, Charlie, to teach her in order to spend some special time with you," Joey said. "You're reluctant to do it in case you fall out. So, why don't you cautiously do it once and just see how it goes? If you struggle, don't do it again and stop as soon anything becomes an issue. But if it goes well, it could be a really nice thing?"

Charlie and Ruby exchanged looks.

"What do you think?" Ruby asked uncertainly.

"Okay…" Charlie said a little nervously. "We can… we can give it a try."


That evening, John approached Xavier.

"Xave… have you… have you had a think about what I asked you earlier?"

"Um… I'm still thinking about it," Xavier said.

"Okay…" John said, a little crestfallen that he hadn't agreed immediately. "Well, you just let me know when you've decided."

Xavier nodded.


In bed that night, Charlie was still feeling a little vulnerable. She was glad it was the weekend and she didn't have to work the next day. A couple of days with Joey felt like just what she needed.

"Hey," Joey whispered in the dark. "Come here."

Charlie closed her eyes and snuggled into her girlfriend's embrace. Joey kissed her bare shoulder.

"Please forget what Ruby said," Joey told her gently. "She said herself that she didn't mean it. She was upset and just said the meanest thing she could think of. It wasn't right and it wasn't fair. But it also wasn't correct. You are a wonderful, wonderful mother, Charlie and she's proud and lucky to have you. And she knows it."

Charlie sighed heavily and turned over, wrapping her arms around her.

"Sometimes I wonder how anybody could be lucky to have me," she admitted.

Joey kissed her tenderly but meaningfully.

"The day you walked into my life was the luckiest day of my life," Joey told her. "You're the best thing that ever happened to me. People could list the best things in the world and none of them could ever compare to the knowledge that you love me and I love you. Nothing is better than that. So please don't ever question the difference you make to the lives of those you love. Ever."

They kissed again.

"You mean everything to me," Charlie told her. "You're my oxygen."

The following morning, Miles was up and out early, sipping coffee on the beach and reading a new self help book, which encouraged a new, positive approach to life, telling him to say 'yes' to as much as possible. He hoped that this new ethos would be the start of a new approach to life.


Angelo had had a surprisingly nice time visiting his parents and was surprisingly sad to be going home. After everything that had happened with Jack, his family had all but disowned him, having already been the outcast of the family, the let down and the disappointment after the fire he had taken the blame for.

He felt he had worked hard since getting out of prison to get his life back on track. He had taken down a big organised crime ring, although things may not have gone completely to plan, to be fair.

Since then, he had worked his way up into a prominent role at Joey and Charlie's restaurant and he was at a happy place in his life. He had friends that he cared about and that cared about him.

And he had also been given the chance to rectify the incident with the fire and reunite with his family after so many years of things being unsettled. There had been so much hurt over the years and now the rift had been healed. He was actually looking forward to the next time he would get to visit and he honestly never thought that would ever happen. Yes, life was good.


"How about we see if we can take the Blaxland out for the day?" Joey suggested, as they enjoyed a rather lazy morning together.

"That sounds really great," Charlie agreed immediately.

A nice day out at sea, all alone with the love of her life sounded absolutely perfect. She still felt a little tender after the day before, and tired after such a busy week.

"Great," Joey beamed, kissing her.

She stretched across the sofa and picked up her phone to call Alf.


"Uh oh," Angelo said to himself when he spotted a broken down campervan just ahead of him.

Feeling obliged, he indicated and pulled over to see if he could offer any help.


"Morning," Ruby said, exiting her room to find Charlie and Joey on the couch.

"Morning, Rubes," Charlie said.

"Morning," Joey beamed.

"How are you both?" Ruby asked.

She seemed a little sheepish, obviously still feeling bad after the night before.

"We're good," Joey said, leading the way. "Alf's giving us the keys to the Blaxland for the day so we can go out and get some fresh air."

"Great," Ruby enthused. "Have fun. I'm going to spend the day at the beach with Claire and Nicole if that's okay?"

"That's fine," Charlie said when Joey waited for her to speak. "Have a good day. Don't be back too late."

"I won't," Ruby said. "And um… really sorry again for what I said."

"It's fine," Charlie assured her.

Ruby sat down and put her shoes on. Then she hugged both her parents goodbye and went to knock for Claire.


"I'm afraid it's…"

"Fucked?"

Angelo stood up, having spent as much time as he could looking at the engine of the campervan with the little knowledge he had about cars.

"Pretty much," he said. "I mean, I'm not an expert but…"

"Thanks for trying," the driver, a gorgeous, hippy looking blonde woman said.

She put her hands on her hips and looked him up and down.

"I'm Shandi," she said.

"Angelo," he replied, extending his hand.

She chuckled and didn't extend hers. He felt rather silly.

"What um… what are you going to do now?" he asked.

"Hitch a lift, I guess," she said. "Sucks though. My whole life is in this van."

"Well uh… where are you going?" he asked.

"Summer Bay," she said. "I've got someone I need to see."


Having picked up the keys from Alf, Charlie and Joey eagerly headed out to see on the Blaxland. Charlie sat down and watched with a small smile on her face, as Joey concentrated on guiding the boat out. She loved the joy on her partner's face, the love she had for the water and way she felt so at home out here. She stood and moved behind her, wrapping her arms around her waist and kissing her cheek.

"Sometimes I look at you and I just fall in love with you even more than I did thirty seconds beforehand," she whispered.

Joey beamed at her, blushing and leaning back into her embrace.


Ruby and Claire walked over to Summer Bay House to collect Nicole, ready for their girlie day together at the beach. They were looking forward to their day together.

"Hi, girls," Mitzy said.

She had come round to visit Marilyn, who was feeling low over her breakup with Sid. Marilyn had popped out to get them both breakfast.

"Hi," Ruby greeted warmly. "How are you?"

"Yeah, I'm okay, thanks," she said. "How are you? Wow, your energy is… conflicted."

Ruby was startled. She came to sit beside her. Claire perched on the chair.

"It is?"

"Yes," Mitzy said. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah… well, Charlie and I had a bit of a falling out last night."

"You did?" Claire asked worriedly.

"Yeah," Ruby sighed. "I mean, we're okay now. But I was mean and I feel bad."

"I'm sure she forgives you," Claire said, patting her friend's hand.

"Oh yes," Mitzy said. "She loves you. I don't even have to be a fortune teller to tell you that."

"To tell you what?" Nicole asked, arriving downstairs with her beach towel.

"How much Charlie loves her," Mitzy said.

"Oh yeah!" Nicole grinned. "Very obvious."

She sat down with them.

"Are you really a fortune teller?" Ruby asked curiously.

"Yes," Mitzy said.

"Would you… tell me my future?"


Xavier went for a walk with April, having told her that John wanted to propose to his mother.

"I think you just need to find out for sure if your Mum really loves John enough for the answer to be yes, if she'll really want to marry him, if it's the real deal," April advised. "If you think yes, then your answer should be yes."

Xavier nodded thoughtfully, deciding that that was good advice.


Charlie and Joey stripped to their bikinis and lay stretched out on the deck of the Blaxland, enjoying the hot sun.

"This is the life, hey?" Joey sighed.

"Definitely," Charlie agreed.

"I think this boat, so long as you're on it, is my favourite place in the world," Joey admitted.

"The place of our first kiss," Charlie recalled.

Joey smiled.

"Was it?" she teased. "I forgot."

Charlie grinned, leaning over and kissing her.

"Did you really?" she asked.

"I will never forget the moment for as long as I live," she said. "Or that you nearly jumped off the boat in shock!"

Charlie laughed and wrapped her arms around her.

"Well, I learned pretty quickly that I'm much better off spending the rest of my life kissing you instead," she said, pressing her lips against hers yet again.


Ruby, Claire and Nicole all headed down to the beach, all with different thoughts in their heads. Ruby was feeling rather dreamy, having been told by Mitzy that that she would fall in love within the next two months. She felt hopeful and excited and like there was light again at the end of the tunnel. She felt that she was no longer doomed to trudge through life alone and lost and always the one that was never going to be picked, always watched other couples be happy from the sidelines.

However, Nicole and Claire were concerned. Nicole wasn't sure whether to believe in Mitzy's prediction or not but regardless, she was worried about Ruby's vulnerability. She didn't want her friend to have her heart broken. She had already been through enough.

Claire's concern was bordering on panic. She didn't believe the prediction for a second and was certain that it would just bring on more unnecessary heartache for her best friend. She was desperately worried about her and wished there was something she could do to protect her. But she could see that she was already getting carried away with the idea and she equally didn't want to hurt her by bursting her bubble. She felt caught in an impossible situation.


Later that day, Xavier and April went to the Diner and were surprised to find Gina and John there. Xavier's sort-of stepfather had been reluctant to leave the house since he had returned home from the hospital after his heart attack. It hadn't been said aloud but Xavier and Gina both knew he was feeling vulnerable and they were both doing their best to care for him.

"Hi," he greeted, leading April up to their table.

"Oh, hi, Xavier," Gina said. "Hi, April. Are you having a nice day?"

"Yeah, pretty good," Xavier said. "We've just been hanging out on the beach."

"Nice to see you're spending your homework time wisely," the Head Teacher remarked with a wry grin.

"Don't worry, don't worry, I'll get it done!" Xavier complained.

John chuckled from his chair but then coughed. Gina rushed to his side.

"Are you okay?" she fretted.

It was her who had persuaded him to come out for lunch. Xavier watched the way she fussed over him and cared for him, the way it was clear she couldn't bear a life without him. He looked at April and they silently agreed upon his answer to John.


Angelo was a little flustered as he and Shandi climbed out of the broken down van and carried her bags to his car, ready for him to give her to a lift into Summer Bay. He had certainly got more than he had bargained for when he had stopped to try and help her fix her van. And he'd certainly had a great time on her pull down bed! It was much better than the times he had paid for it, that was for sure. And it felt good to be such a different person than he had been then.

"Ready to go?" he asked, blushing slightly but feeling pretty good about himself that someone so hot and so fun and vibrant had picked him to sleep with on a random afternoon by the side of the road.

"Definitely," she grinned. "I think Summer Bay is going to be a pretty fun place."

He grinned back and started the car.


Feeling rather loved up, Charlie and Joey were reluctant to leave the Blaxland and step back into the real world. But they had a text from Kerri earlier in the day asking them out to dinner so at least they had something fun to do that evening, which made reality a little easier to handle.

They headed up to the restaurant to return the keys to Alf, passing through the Surf Club on the way. There, they spotted Ruby, Claire and Nicole drinking smoothies.

"Hey," Charlie greeted. "Have you had a good day?"

"Wonderful," Ruby said in a slightly dreamy voice.

Claire was worryingly quiet.

"That good?" Joey asked, an eyebrow raised.

"I had a reading from Mitzy and she said that I was going to fall in love within the next two months," Ruby explained. "How amazing is that?"

Charlie and Joey exchanged worried glances.

"Um… wonderful?" Joey managed.

"Yeah… uh… great."

Ruby frowned.

"You don't seem very happy," she complained.

"Well, just, uh… well, don't… um…" Joey tried.

"What?" Ruby demanded.

"No, it's great," Charlie said.

"We're happy that you have something to aim for," Joey said.

Claire looked at them helplessly. They now understood why she was looking so concerned. Nicole looked uncomfortable also.

"Anyway," Charlie said. "We need to drop the boat keys back to Alf. And we're out for dinner tonight so just make sure you're home by nine thirty, okay?"

Ruby nodded. She didn't look convinced that her parents were happy for her.


Next time… Charlie and Joey are worried about Ruby, Angelo is keen to show Shandi off and Dex gets a date…