Hi everyone. Sorry for the break in updates. I've been on a little break taking my wife away for her birthday. I hope you enjoy the chapter. Love, IJKS xxx
Chapter Four Hundred and Eighty Seven
"Is that Liam?" Vittoria asked, following Bianca's stare.
"Um…"
Vittorio was pretty sure it was, from his fiancée's stare alone. He could feel his world starting to crumble around him. He knew he was barely holding onto Bianca. Now he could feel himself losing her completely. The only hope he had was that Liam's face was currently attached to a very attractive blonde.
"It is!" he said decisively. "Let's go and say hi!"
"Uh…" Bianca sputtered.
However, Vittorio had already grabbed her hand and was practically dragging her up the beach to where Liam and this stranger were still kissing and leaning against the motorbike.
"Hey!" Vittorio called out cheerfully.
The couple pulled apart and turned around. Liam's heart nearly burst out of his chest when he saw Bianca standing there looking awkward but beautiful. No, beautiful didn't capture it. Radiant. She looked radiant.
"Hi," he said.
Bianca just stared at him. Rugged and handsome, casual but beautiful in his own way. Imperfectly perfect. She tried not to swoon but her head and her heart were all over the place.
"Hi," she managed.
"Oh, uh… this is Nina," Liam remembered. "My girlfriend."
Bianca's heart sank into her shoes. Nina. Fantastic.
"Hi, Nina," Vittorio said, bending forward and kissing her hand politely.
Bianca wasn't even jealous. She couldn't look away from Liam.
"Hi," Nina replied.
"This is Bianca and Vittorio," Liam introduced.
"Hi," Bianca said, shaking the woman's hand.
"Oh, you're Bianca," Nina said knowingly. "Liam has told me all about you."
The situation suddenly because even more awkward.
"So, what are you doing back here?" Bianca asked, attempting to change the subject.
"We're moving back to Bay," Liam said cheerfully.
Bianca didn't know whether to be pleased of devastated. Nor did Vittorio.
"Great," they both replied.
"So, we'll be seeing you round," Nina said brightly. "Let's hope we can all be friends."
"Yes, that would be great," Vittorio said. "Although we're rushed off our feet right now, aren't we Bianca? Our wedding is only a few weeks away."
Liam's face fell. Everyone noticed. The awkwardness only increased.
Charlie picked Joey up from work and brought her home.
"Well, that was a pretty odd day," Joey remarked, sinking onto the sofa and snuggling up into Charlie's waiting arms. "But I think Alf was pretty thrilled about seeing Roo again."
"I can only imagine," Charlie said.
"I'm not sure she likes me though."
"Everyone likes you!" Charlie laughed. "Everyone! Why wouldn't she like you?"
"I don't know," Joey sighed. "Just a feeling."
Charlie kissed her.
"Don't be silly," she said reassuringly. "Of course she likes you."
Nina and Liam settled down in their caravan. He'd taken her for a tour around the Bay, thankfully not having run into too many people along the way. He just wasn't ready for interrogation just yet. Tomorrow, hopefully he would feel like it.
"Liam?" Nina said.
"Yes?"
"If you still love this Bianca girl then you need to tell me now before I get too invested in you."
He smiled. He liked the way she was so upfront about how she felt.
"Bianca and I have a connection," Liam said. "I've never lied to you about that. But it's you I want to be with, Nina. She's marrying Vittorio and she and I are in the past. Okay?"
"Okay," she agreed. "But please don't lie to me."
He pulled her back onto the bed and kissed her. She smiled into the kiss, wanting him to be true.
It was the next morning and Nicole, Romeo and Indi were all very nervous. They had an exam and all of them were terrified about failing. Each of them was desperate to pass their exams, pass school and make their way into their futures, whatever that would bring. They felt so much pressure on them. It was intense and it was scary. They had studied and studied but they didn't know if it would be enough.
It was the morning. Roo had stayed the night at Summer Bay House with Alf, Marilyn, Miles, Romeo and Nicole. She had offered just to rent one of the caravans but her father wouldn't hear of it. To be honest, she had been a little relieved. It was nice to be included in what he considered to be family now. Marilyn was as high maintenance as she remembered. Miles seemed like a nice, cool guy. Funny. The kids seemed nice, particularly Romeo, although she found his name amusing, especially after she learned that it was the name he had given himself.
Today, the kids had gone off an HSC exam, which they seemed very nervous about. Miles had also gone off to school, as he was a teacher there. Marilyn had the day planned with her boyfriend, Doctor Sid, as he had a rare day off from working at the hospital.
Now, she and Alf were finishing breakfast at the table everyone else had just vacated.
"How would you feel about meeting Hugo's family while you're here?" Alf wondered.
"Hugo's family?" Roo asked.
"Yes, they're here in the Bay still," Alf said. "Gina, his mother is the Principal of Summer Bay High and Xavier, his brother is a student there. He has another brother, Brendan and he lives in supported housing. I'm not sure where it is but if you got to know Gina and Xavier then I'm sure you could find out all about him. Xavier is particularly close him."
"Okay," Roo said. "Maybe you could introduce us."
"I'd love to," Alf said. "They're really good people. Xavier's a good kid. He has a lovely girlfriend called April. She's really clever, very studious."
Roo smiled to herself. This town really was so insular. Everyone knew everyone.
"Maybe you could tell them about the phone call," he suggested. "Reassure them that Martha and Hugo are doing okay. They're Hugo's blood relatives but they were also exceptionally close to Martha while they all lived here together. They were all family."
Roo looked a little unsure.
"Maybe," she said. "I just… I don't know if I should be spreading it around that I've been in touch with them."
"It's up to you, love," Alf said. "But I'm sure telling Gina and Xavier would still be keeping it confidential."
Joey had given Alf a couple of days off work. She knew it was a very special surprise to have his daughter visiting and that it was very well timed considering everything that was going on at the moment. She hoped that he would be able to make the most of the next few days and reconnect with Roo. She also hoped that it might make her like her a bit more. Charlie had tried to reassure her but she just had that niggling feeling that there was some unease between them. She just didn't know why.
Her phone ringing jolted her out of her day dream.
"Hey, Alf," she greeted warmly. "I was just thinking about you."
"Nothing bad, I hope!" he joked.
"Never!" she promised. "What's up?"
"I was just wondering if you and Charlie were free for dinner tonight? And also if you had a table available for say, seven o'clock? I thought it might be nice if you two and Roo got to know each other."
She could feel him smiling down the phone. She tried not to wonder how much he would have had to persuade Roo into the meal. She just couldn't shake the feeling she had.
"Of course we'd love to have dinner with you," she replied instantly. "And I'll go out and buy a table if we don't have a free one."
He laughed.
"So, seven o'clock?" she said, heading over to the bookings table at the entrance so she could write it down.
"If that's okay with you?"
"Sounds perfect," she said.
Behind him, Roo did her best to look enthusiastic.
Liam was on the beach, practising his guitar. Getting away from Summer Bay had been good for him. It had helped him clear his head and escape some of his demons. Things had got very intense with Bianca and then Vittorio showing up and pulling her away from him just as things had started to get really good between them had really, really hurt.
When he had started to feel the urge to turn back to old habits, he had known it was time to leave. There was no way he was going to fall into a downwards spiral, especially not over a woman he barely even knew. He liked Bianca a lot but she wasn't worth throwing his life away for. Nobody was.
So he'd gone away. He'd gone to a retreat to clear his head. He'd spent a lot of time playing music, not in public, just for himself. He'd done a lot of writing and drunk a lot of coffee. He'd exercised and he'd spent a lot of time missing Bianca, wondering what she was doing and who she was doing it with. He had wanted to call her; he had nearly called her far too many times. Then he had given in and left her a message and she'd never replied.
He had wondered if she was missing him. And now he knew. She hadn't. She was too busy planning her wedding with Vittorio. She'd forgotten him the second he'd departed.
Towards the end of his time away, he had met Nina. She was fun and perky and entertaining. She had a wild side, she misbehaved. But she was kind and she was a good listener. She had experienced life and she always knew the right things to say. He trusted her. He didn't think she was the love of his life. She was open about the fact that he wasn't the love of hers. But they had a friendship and they had chemistry. They liked each other and for now, that was enough.
"Hey," said a voice.
Liam stopped strumming and looked up at the shadow that had fallen over him. It was Vittorio.
"Hey," he said, putting his guitar down. "What's up?"
"I'm just going to say this once and I want you to listen," Vittorio said firmly. "Don't trying to win Bianca back or whatever it is you're planning to do now you're back here. She is marrying me and that's final. There's nothing you can do; nothing you can say. We're together, we're in love and that's it. Done. Give up."
"I'm just sitting here playing my guitar," Liam said casually.
"You know what I'm talking about," Vittorio said, irritated.
"I have no idea," Liam said. "I've got a girlfriend. Nina? You met her yesterday."
"Stop pissing about," Vittorio said, even more irritated. "Bianca belongs to me."
"Last I checked, Bianca didn't belong to anybody," Liam pointed out. "You don't own her. You don't even own her when you marry her. She's her own person. And I'm sure she won't take kindly to you speaking about her in that way."
He stood up, rather pleased to have the upper hand.
"She's only going to stay with you if she loves you, mate," he said, walking away. "And that's got nothing to do with anything I do."
"So, we're on for dinner with this Charlie and Joey then?" Roo asked.
They were still at the house and it seemed that her father was keen for her to make new friends all over the place. He wanted to introduce her to Hugo's family and now he had set up a dinner date with himself, Charlie and Joey. She was already not keen on Joey and to top it off, her girlfriend was a cop. At least he thought she was in a happy relationship so he wasn't about to start trying to find her a boyfriend, not that she hadn't noticed the odd hot guy around the place. That was one thing Summer Bay had never been short of. That was one of the things that got her into trouble in the first place.
"Yes," Alf said. "I thought it would be a nice way for you to start making friends. Joey really is a great girl and Charlie too. I think you'll get on with them really well, Roo. They're younger than you, of course…"
"Of course," Roo said sarcastically.
"But they're smart and funny and they're good company," Alf said, ignoring her. "I think you'll have a lot in common."
"I think that was almost a compliment."
He smiled, not quite sure if she was being nice or not.
"Dad, do you think you'll ever forgive me?" he asked.
"What do you mean?" he asked, even more unsure now.
"For everything I've put you through," she said, earnest now. "Getting pregnant so young. The hassle I gave you when you and Ailsa were getting together. The mess I made with Frank. The lies I told about him and Brett and everything in between. Just… everything. Can you forgive me?"
Alf came to sit beside her and took her hand.
"Everything is already forgiven," he told her. "You're my daughter and I love you. The past is exactly where it's meant to be – in the past."
They hugged. It felt good.
"I told you she liked you," Charlie chuckled triumphantly when Joey phoned to invited her to dinner with Roo and Alf.
Joey disagreed.
"Just because Alf is dragging her to dinner, doesn't mean she likes me," Joey said. "Anyway, you'll see what I mean about the vibe she gives off tonight. And the glaring. Did I mention the glaring?"
"Once or twice," Charlie chuckled.
"Charlie, you're not taking this seriously!" Joey complained.
"Okay, darling, I'm sorry," Charlie said, stopping laughing. "We'll go. You can show me how Roo doesn't like you. Or better still, we can win her over and you can be the best of friends."
"We'll see," Joey said unhappily.
Indi, Romeo and Nicole walked out of their exam all with mixed feelings. All apart from Indi.
"I've failed!" she said dramatically. "I've failed!"
Romeo put his arm around her.
"I'm sure you haven't failed," he said.
She shrugged his arm off.
"I have," she said. "I know I have. I could barely read the questions, I was in such a panic. I ran out of time. I just… I've failed. It's a simple as that. It's over. My entire future is down the drain."
"Indi, chill out," Nicole snapped.
She wasn't feeling brilliant herself.
"It's one exam," she said. "It's not the end of the world. And you've probably done better than you think."
Indi sighed heavily.
"Sorry," she said. "I just get so…"
"Insane?" Romeo suggested, putting his arm back around his girlfriend.
"Anxious," she corrected.
He hugged her.
"How do you think you guys did?" she asked.
"I have no idea," Nicole said.
"I don't know," Romeo replied.
It was the evening and Charlie and Joey were already at the restaurant, ready to have their dinner date with Alf and Roo.
"Now, you'd better not spend the night staring at Roo," Joey teased Angelo.
It felt odd sitting on the other side of the bar for a change but Joey was quite enjoying being a customer and sipping a rather well made cocktail. She and Charlie had caught a taxi down to the restaurant so that they could both enjoy a few drinks.
"What's this?" Charlie asked curiously.
"Thanks, Jo," Angelo said sarcastically.
"You're welcome," Joey replied sweetly.
"Seriously," Charlie interrupted. "What's this?"
"Fine," Angelo said. "I might think Roo is hot."
"And 'might' might be underselling it quite a lot," Joey added. "He drools when she's in the room."
Charlie snorted. Angelo threw a straw at her. She put it in her drink. Angelo rolled his eyes and walked off to serve another customer.
"Is there any woman he doesn't find attractive?" Charlie asked.
"Well, me," Joey said. "Thankfully."
Angelo heard them in the background. He was relieved that she had never noticed his crush.
Alf sent Roo up ahead of him to meet the girls in the bar and quickly ducked into the Diner. He was glad to catch Colleen, who greeted him in her usual bustley manner.
"Hi," he greeted. "Just a quick stop. Listen, love, can you be a bit… gentle with Roo?"
She stopped and frowned.
"It's just… it's taken a lot for her to come back here after everything and I don't want her to feel… unwelcome?"
"Did I not make her feel welcome yesterday?" she barked.
"No, no, of course you did," Alf assured her. "But maybe just… you don't need to mention everything she's done in her past? Failed weddings, everything around her pregnancy and everything like that? I mean, nobody likes to be reminded of things they mind not be all that proud of, do they?"
"No, no… I see what you mean," Colleen conceded.
"Just, maybe try to be a little more… sensitive," Alf suggested. "She's more fragile than she might appear."
Charlie and Joey stood up when they saw Roo and welcomed her into the restaurant. Roo seemed confident and pleased to see them but there was something… not cold but not… warm about her either. Charlie wondered if that's what Joey was picking up on.
"Is Alf not here yet?" she wondered.
"Oh, he's just coming," Roo said, feeling awkward. "He said he had to pop into the Diner. Probably one of his incessant chats with someone. I swear this place hasn't changed a bit. You can't walk more than five paces without bumping into someone!"
Charlie chuckled as they walked to their table.
"Tell me about it," she said. "In or out of my uniform, everyone is demanding something of me, usually something to do with work."
"Yeah, at least I can only provide food for people if I'm actually in here," Joey said, sitting down.
"Not that people don't try to book a table when you're on the beach!" Charlie said.
"Seriously?" Roo laughed.
"We were literally going for a run the other day," Charlie told her. "We were actually running and Colleen flagged us down as if there was some sort of an emergency. She wanted to book a table for her and her friends from her book club!"
They were still laughing when Alf appeared, pleased to see them getting along. They all greeted him happily.
"What have you been up to?" Joey asked curiously.
"Oh, I just had to sort something out with Colleen," he said.
"Nothing to do with her book club, was it?" Roo asked.
"What?"
The girls laughed again. Alf just looked confused. From the bar, Angelo tried not to wish that he had been invited to dinner as well.
"So, how long have you guys lived in Summer Bay?" Roo asked.
"Oh, forever," Joey said. "I used to live down by the docks with my parents and my brother. Charlie and I have been together for just under two years now."
She smiled lovingly at Charlie who smiled back at her before also answering the question.
"I moved here in 2008," she said. "My father came to stay here for a short time with his wife, Morag… oh, well you know Morag, of course."
"His wife? Her husband is Ross… Ross Buckton is your Dad?" Roo asked in surprise.
She hadn't met him before but she had spoken to him on Skype multiple times when she had spoken to her Auntie Morag, the person that really, she had always been closer to than her own father. After her mother had died, Morag had stepped in. There had been a distance between herself and her father. And she had never really got along with his next wife, Ailsa. Morag had been the person who had looked out for her all these years. Morag had been the person who had loved her and who she had loved.
"Yes!" Charlie said. "You know him?"
"Sort of," Roo said. "We've chatted on Skype. I chat to Auntie Morag weekly."
Alf felt wounded. Why didn't she chat to him weekly? Joey read his mind, his pain. They shared a look. Roo caught it. She wanted to react but she swallowed it.
"Yeah, she asked for a weekly catch up," she said pointedly. "So that we didn't fall out of sync. So I quite often get to catch up with your Dad as well. He's lovely."
Charlie smiled to herself.
"Yeah, he is," she agreed.
"I just never matched everything up in my head," Roo said. "I guess I didn't realise what your surname was."
"Buckton," Charlie confirmed.
"Hence the name of the restaurant," Roo realised. "Should have clicked."
She tried not to feel stupid.
"I'm the Sergeant at the local police station. And our daughter, Ruby will be doing her final year of high school next year."
"Oh wow, so you've had her pretty young," Roo said. "I mean, not that I'm one to talk!"
She and Charlie both laughed.
"Yeah, pretty young," Charlie said.
She liked Roo. She seemed pretty easy going, self-deprecating and interesting. She couldn't detect any dislike of Joey so far.
As for Roo, she liked Charlie. She had been a bit nervous of her to start with. Her daughter was on the run with a human trafficker so the prospect of sitting down to dinner with a police officer, particularly a police officer who had been part of the investigation to bring Hugo down. However, she seemed perfectly normal and friendly, funny and nice. She still wasn't sure of Joey but perhaps time would tell.
"And how did you guys meet?" Roo asked, keen for the attention to be on them and not herself.
"I had some trouble," Joey said. "I was assaulted quite badly and Charlie pretty much saved my life. She helped me out of the darkest time of my life. We became friends and just got closer and closer until we realised that we were in love with each other and the rest as they say, is history."
"That's sweet," Roo said. "Apart from what happened to you. I'm sorry to hear about that."
She and Joey smiled at each other. Joey hoped that it might be a sign of progress.
"I'm in a much, much better place now," she said.
"Much better!" Alf chipped in. "I mean, look at you. You've got your own house and your own business and your Charlie and Ruby. You've got everything going for you."
Roo picked up her menu.
"So, what's good here?" she asked.
"Everything, of course!" Joey joked.
Charlie chuckled.
"I'd most definitely recommend the salmon," she said.
"Salmon it is," Roo decided. "And a nice, large glass of red wine."
That night in bed, Joey felt unsettled.
"See? I told you she doesn't like me," she complained.
"I think I've worked out what the issue is," Charlie said.
Joey shifted round to face her properly, even though the lights were out.
"So you agree there an issue?"
"I think she's jealous," Charlie said.
Joey snorted.
"Roo Stewart? Jealous of me?" she asked. "Roo Stewart who lives in New York, has this big hot shot life, is jealous of small town, Summer Bay Joey Collins? I don't think so."
"I think that's what it comes down to," Charlie insisted.
"She lives in New York, Charlie," Joey insisted. "She lives a high flying life in the city, has a posh boyfriend, loads of money, probably eats in expensive restaurants every night before she goes off the next musical opening."
Charlie clicked on the light and studied her girlfriend's face.
"Joey, are you telling me you want to move to New York and go to musicals?"
"Ugh, no, I'd hate to live in a scary city like that!" Joey protested, pulling a far. "No beach, no sea, no fishing, so many strangers! Ugh!"
She shuddered, making Charlie laugh.
"So, why is Roo better than you?"
"Roo's not better than me."
"Okay, I'm confused."
"Roo thinks she's better than me," Joey explained.
"Oh, I see," Charlie said with a chuckle.
"Are you laughing at me?"
"No!" Charlie said, trying not to laugh. "So, she thinks she's better than you…?"
"But she's not. But if she thinks she's better than me, there's no way she could be jealous of me."
"She's definitely jealous of you," Charlie said.
"How? Why, does she like you? She's not gay. But then you weren't gay until you met me…"
"If you'd let me speak, I'd tell you," Charlie said. "But no, she doesn't like me. I mean, I think she likes me but not like you like me."
Joey looked relieved.
"Good because I really don't want any competition. I have enough to fit into my schedule…"
"It's Alf," Charlie said, laughing.
"Alf?"
"She's jealous of how much Alf loves you."
Joey continued to look confused.
"Everything was going fine," Charlie said. "We were even having a laugh together until Alf started praising you for how amazing you are."
"I am amazing," Joey smirked.
"You are."
Joey looked pleased.
"But it must be hard for Roo to hear how much her father adores you when their relationship still needs quite a lot of healing," Charlie pointed out.
Joey frowned.
"Yeah, I guess," she said.
"So, I wouldn't take it personally," Charlie said. "I don't think it's about you. I think she sees you as a rival. It's almost a compliment."
"Almost," Joey agreed. "Apart from my pesky need to be liked by everyone."
Charlie chuckled and hugged her close.
"See it as a challenge," she suggested. "Mission Friendship Roo Stewart!"
"But seriously, I'm so busy with you and Ruby and the restaurant…"
Charlie laughed and kissed her.
Next time… Will and Liam start new jobs, Angelo makes a new friend and Sid tells Marilyn the truth…
