Hi everyone. Sorry for my recent absence. I hope you enjoy this chapter. I am hoping to update both of my other stories tomorrow. Love, IJKS xxx
Chapter Four Hundred and Fifty Six
Miles was cheerful as he arrived at the restaurant the next morning, having very much enjoyed his date with Shandi the night before.
"Hey, Joey," he greeted. "I think I left my phone here last night. You didn't happen to find it, did you?"
"We did," she said. "You're in luck."
She headed out to her office to fetch the lost property box. Angelo was emptying the dishwasher.
"Hi, Angelo," Miles greeted.
The barman glared at him.
"What's up?" the teacher asked, a little unnerved.
"Don't even bother," Angelo snapped.
"What do you mean?"
"You hooked up with Shandi right in front of me," Angelo said, clutching a glass a little too tightly. "Rubbed it in my face."
"I didn't even know you knew her…"
Joey returned with Miles's phone. She felt immediately awkward.
"I spent the whole fucking weekend with her before you stole her from me!" Angelo snapped.
Miles stared at him.
"I didn't know," he managed. "Sorry…"
John had arranged a picnic lunch on the beach with Gina and there, he was planning to propose. He had permission from Xavier and he was prepared to go full steam ahead. He had met the woman he wanted to spend the rest of his life with, the woman he loved and the woman that made him a better man. This was definitely the best next step.
Joey had sent Angelo into the kitchen to clean and cool off, apologising to Miles for her staff being rude to him.
"Honestly, I had no idea," Miles said, perching on a stool. "I wouldn't have stolen her away from him if I'd known. And I certainly wouldn't have taken her out for dinner at the place he worked. I'm not that tactless and crass."
"I know," Joey said. "And he knows that too. He just really liked her and thought she liked him. His pride is dented more than anything, I think."
Miles sighed.
"Do you like her too?" Joey asked.
Miles couldn't help but smile.
"Wow," Joey said. "What is it about that girl?"
"She's definitely something special," Miles told her. "The only problem is…"
"The only problem…"
"She's John Palmer's long lost daughter," Miles explained. "And he has no idea."
Charlie happily finished her shift at lunch time and picked Joey up from work, driving them both home. It was a rare treat on a Monday afternoon and they had eager plans for their bedroom.
"Do you think you hit a certain age and lifestyle when you schedule this kind of thing?" Joey joked, as they let themselves into their apartment.
"Hey, I don't care if it's scheduled, so long as it happens," Charlie grinned.
She bent to pick up the post. Joey smirked, admiring her bottom. Charlie knew exactly what she was doing.
"Oh, come on, we don't need to check our mail first!" Joey complained. "That's not romantic!"
She pouted. Charlie kissed her.
"This one is from the letting agent," she said, opening it.
Joey kissed her repeatedly, running her fingertips up and down her body.
"They're selling the apartment," Charlie announced.
Joey froze.
Miles went for a walk, on his lunch break from work. He saw John on the beach, setting up a picnic on the beach. He sighed, feeling obliged to approach and tell him about Shandi kindly so that it wasn't such a shock. He was worried about him after his heart attack. Would the news be easier coming from a friend? But then it wasn't his news to tell, it was Shandi's. He shouldn't interfere. He sighed, not knowing what to do. He decided to walk on by.
"What do you mean they're selling the apartment?" Joey exclaimed, all thoughts of sex vanquished from her mind. "Our apartment? Where we live? Here? Our home?"
"Yes," Charlie sighed, showing her the paper. "The landlady is selling up. We've got a move to move out, apparently."
"But we love it here," Joey said, utterly heartbroken.
"I know," Charlie said, putting her arm around her.
Gina was curious about her romantic picnic on the beach but she was looking forward to it. She had extended her lunch break, thanks to the power of being a Head Teacher and was now happily settled on a blanket on the sand with John.
"So, what's all this in aid of?" she asked.
"It's in aid of being in love with you," John replied.
"What are we going to do?" Joey asked, sounding extremely anxious.
"Well, there is one thing we could try…" Charlie suggested.
They had moved to the sofa, trying to come up with a plan.
"What's that?"
"We could phone the landlady and ask if she's found a buyer," Charlie said. "If not… we could…"
Joey looked startled.
"We already own a business together," the police officer pointed out. "Why not a home?"
"That's a good point," Joey said. "Can we afford it?"
"I don't see why not," Charlie said. "We're doing pretty well right now with my wage and the income from the business and everything."
Joey nodded thoughtfully. She looked at Charlie.
"Let's do it," she decided.
"Well, this is all very lovely," Gina said, rather touched at the gesture.
"And I really am in love with you, Gina," John said. "You've changed my whole life. You've given me a reason to live and you've made me a better person. I…"
They both looked up as a shadow fell over them.
"Excuse me?" a woman with dirty blonde hair said. "Are you John Palmer?"
"Yes," John said. "Can I help you?"
"I hope so," the woman said. "I'm your daughter."
Utterly disappointed, Joey and Charlie settled into a booth at the Diner. They had phoned their Landlady, only to be told that the property had already been sold to her parents, which was why there had been no viewings and thus it had been so unexpected. So they had a month to find somewhere new and move out.
"I mean, what are we supposed to do now?" Joey sighed.
Charlie reached across the table and held her hand.
"We'll find somewhere," she said. "Plus we can still look to buy like we said. And that'll be exciting."
"It will," Joey agreed. "I'm just sad. I love living in that apartment. And next to Kerri and Claire and Danny. And Watson, part time."
Her heart lurched.
"Claire. What about Claire and Ruby?"
"They'll cope," Charlie reassured her. "They'll have to."
"Hey, guys," Leah greeted warmly. "Oh. What's up?"
"Our landlady has sold our apartment to her parents so we've got a month to move out," Joey explained.
"Oh no!" Leah said.
"We've decided we'd quite like to buy somewhere but a month isn't very long to organise everything," Charlie chipped in.
"Well, you know if you ever need a stop gap, you're always more than welcome back at my place," Leah said.
Joey and Charlie both beamed at her, thanking her profusely.
"Oh, hey, you know Rachel and Tony's place is still vacant, don't you?" she added. "I know it's a bit bigger than what you've got now but it might be worth looking into."
Charlie immediately pulled out her phone to Google it.
John stared at the blonde girl in front of him.
"Excuse me?" he managed.
"My name is Shandi and you had a relationship with my mother," the woman explained. "I've come here to get to know you. If you're willing."
"Um… I…"
He looked at Gina, who looked shocked and uncomfortable.
"Please?" the woman said.
Charlie and Joey were excited to be invited immediately round to Rachel and Tony's old house for a viewing. Of course they had been round before as guests but this was different. Now, they were prospective buyers and it was quite the thrill. The price was lower than expected, as for some reason, they couldn't seem to shift the place, which was perfect as far as Charlie and Joey were concerned. They did their best to play it cool but they both knew that they were eager to take the place. This was their new home.
Next time… John finally proposes to Gina, Ruby still has her heart set on Mitzy's prediction and Shandi continues to make an impact on the Bay…
