Chapter Five Hundred and Nine
It was Friday and after the weekend chaos of VJ and Lily's runaway attempt, things had finally settled down in Summer Bay. However, Claire had woken up with major butterflies in her tummy. Today, she was going on a date for the first time in years. Since her night out with her friends, she had been texting the girl she had met there almost daily. Her name was Hannah, she was twenty one and so far, she seemed very nice.
Today, they both had a day off work. Hannah also worked in a bar so that was something else they had in common. She was pretty and she was funny and Claire had no idea what Hannah saw in her. But for some reason, she seemed interested. So, today, they were meeting for lunch and she was a huge bag of nerves.
It didn't help that Ruby couldn't be less interested. It was hurtful. Claire had always been supportive of all of Ruby's crushes, despite her own misgivings. She'd even been nice about Alex and she hadn't even said 'I told you so' when it had gone wrong.
But without Ruby's support, Nicole had offered to come round and help her get ready. She was grateful for that and had eagerly accepted. It had been a very long time since she had gone on a date and she really wanted it to go well.
Alf paused in the hallway. He knew he shouldn't listen in on someone else's phone call but he couldn't stop himself. He held his breath as he tried to work out who Roo was talking to and what she was discussing. Listening a little more, he worked out that she was on the phone to the bank, arguing about how little money she had. She lost the argument.
He sighed heavily, wondering if she would let him help her.
"So, we've distracted Vittorio," April said. "And we've got Liam and Bianca both chaperoning the Informal."
"Yep," Xavier said, as they walked down the school corridor together.
He grinned.
"I love it when a plan comes together."
Little did they know, Liam was walking directly behind them. He had heard every word and he was not impressed.
Charlie dropped Joey to work, both of them musing over Ruby's low mood that morning. Neither of them had been able to get much out of her and that was always a worry.
"What do you think it is?" Joey asked.
"I don't know," Charlie sighed. "I just hope it's not a boy. It's always worrying when it's a boy."
She sighed and then kissed Joey goodbye.
"I'll pop in at lunch time," she promised.
Joey smiled and kissed her goodbye before climbing out of the car and heading up to the restaurant.
Alf approached Roo who had just finished in the shower and got dressed. Her hair was still wet but she had come downstairs to make herself a coffee before continuing to get ready.
"Roo, can we talk?" he asked.
"Sounds ominous," she replied.
"I heard you on the phone to the bank," he admitted.
"Dad, you shouldn't be listening to private calls," she accused.
"I wasn't listening…" he lied. "I heard."
They sat down on the sofa together.
"I'm worried about you," he said. "I've got savings, Roo. Please. Let me help you."
"Dad, I'm fine," she lied. "I don't need help."
"I don't think that's true," he replied. "I heard you."
"Honestly, Dad, this is my mess," Roo said firmly, taking his hand. "Please let me sort it out myself."
Ruby was moody and distracted. Xavier had even commented on the grumpy look on her face. She just couldn't stop thinking about this girl who might take Claire away from her. It wasn't that she wanted to date Claire. Of course she didn't. She wasn't gay. She wasn't remotely attracted to girls. She practically fancied every guy she met. There had been Pat. Miles. Xavier. Liam. Alex. And then there were all the actors and musicians she fancied on TV and in the movies. She only fancied men. But Claire was her best friend. She loved her. She loved being a team with her. A unit. She hated the idea of some other girl coming between them, of Claire loving another girl more than she loved her. She was jealous. She couldn't help herself.
"Hey, are you doing okay?" Dex whispered in Liam's class.
"Huh? Oh, yeah, okay," Ruby said vaguely. "Just, you know…"
"Not really," Dex said.
"Do you ever just feel… left out?"
"All the time," Dex replied immediately.
Ruby studied him for a moment.
"Why don't we go out tonight?" she suddenly suggested.
"Go out where?" he asked curiously.
"Oh, there's got to be a party or something," she told him.
"Um…"
"Come on," she coaxed. "Let's stop being boring and left at home all the time. How are we ever going to get out there and meet people otherwise?"
"I guess…"
"Look around you, Dex," Ruby said. "Indi and Romeo. Xavier and April. Claire and that bitch from the bar."
"I don't think she's a bitch… I mean, she sounded quite nice," Dex tried.
"Not the point," Ruby interrupted. "The point is, what do you and I have while they're all coupled up and smug?"
"Um…"
"Nothing! We have nothing. We're just sad and alone."
Dex sighed. She was right.
"So?"
"Just let me know where we're going," he confirmed.
It was lunch time and Claire very nervously arrived at the restaurant for her date with Hannah. She had debated the best location for the date for ages. At first, she had dismissed the restaurant, thinking it would be too embarrassing but then she thought it would be a good idea. It was a place she felt safe and comfortable. Should anything go wrong, at least she would have the support of Joey and the rest of her colleagues.
So, with Nicole having spent an hour helping her choose her clothes and done her make-up and hair, she went to the restaurant to wait for Hannah at what she knew was Joey's favourite table. Joey had thankfully kept her gentle teasing to the bare minimum, not wanting to embarrass her. She was grateful to her for that.
Her heart leapt when Hannah walked through the door, looking way too cool to have even considered going on a date with someone like her. She was tall and slender with cropped, dark hair, longer on one side than the other. Some of it fell in front of her face. She was wearing a white t-shirt and skinny jeans, revealing tattoos all the way up both her arms. She had lovely make up across dark eyes and full lips. A perfect face.
Claire waved awkwardly. Joey greeted her. Claire hoped she wasn't saying anything embarrassing as she led her over to the table.
"Hey," Hannah said, smiling warmly. "It's good to see you."
"Good to see you too."
"Well, I'll let you two get settled," Joey said cheerfully. "And then I'll come back to take your drinks order."
She beamed at them and then hurried away. At the bar, Angelo rolled his eyes at her.
"You're like an embarrassing Mum," he accused jovially.
"What?" Joey replied, wounded. "I didn't even say anything."
"It's all over your face!" he said.
"I just want her to be happy," she said, looking over at Claire and Hannah, chatting and looking at the drinks menu. "She deserves to be happy."
Silently, she wondered if this was the reason for Ruby's bad mood this morning.
They were interrupted by Angelo's mobile ringing. He answered and moved away from Joey.
"Hey," he said.
"Hey, Angelo," Liam said on the end of line.
He didn't sound happy.
"Listen, I'm going to have to cancel chaperoning the Informal," he said, getting right to the point.
"What?" Angelo exclaimed.
Joey glanced over. Angelo turned his back on her. His worst fear right now was that he would fail at the first real bit of responsibility that Joey had given him.
"Why?" he demanded.
"Honestly? Because the kids are using it to set Bianca and I up," Liam said. "And I'm just not interested in being some pawn in their teenage game. So, you're going to have to find someone to take my place. Sorry."
He hung up. Angelo swore and shoved his phone back in his pocket.
"Problems?" Joey asked.
"No," Angelo lied.
Joey raised her eyebrows questioningly.
"Liam's pulled out of the Informal," he admitted.
"Great," Joey sighed. "What are you going to do?"
"I'll have to find someone else, I guess."
At another table, John, Gina and Roo were also having lunch together.
"So, you're offering me an actual job?" Roo asked.
"Yes," John explained.
He and Gina had been up most of the night talking through the idea and it seemed like the best solution as to how best to get the money to Martha and Hugo.
"If I legitimately employ you as a Consultant for my business, then there's no issue with transferring money to you," John said. "Let's say for argument's sake, I might be considering expanding into the US and I've hired you to put some feelers out, see what my chances are. You've got the experience and the knowledge. You happen to have visited. We've chatted. I've hired you. You've gone back to the States. I can employ you and therefore send you money. What you choose to do with that money has nothing to do with myself or with Gina."
Roo nodded, a smile playing on her lips.
"I like it," she decided. "It's a pleasure to be doing business with you. And you know, if you actually did want a US Consultant, I am open to offers, you know…"
They both grinned at each other.
Having noted that Roo, John and Gina were clearly in cahoots about something, Joey walked past their table and approached Claire and Hannah.
"So, would you like to order some drinks?" she asked.
"Could we get a bottle of house white please?" Hannah asked.
"Of course," Joey said.
Claire was aware that Joey did not normally wait tables. She was treating them as a special occasion. She didn't know whether to be touched or embarrassed.
"And have you decided on food or are you still looking?"
"Um… I think I've decided?" Claire said, looking at Hannah.
"Yeah, I think so," Hannah said, smiling at Claire.
Joey tried not to smile like a Mum. The two women ordered and Joey headed off to the kitchen.
"So, do you like working here?" Hannah asked.
"Yeah, it's nice," Claire said shyly. "It's… like a family."
"And that Joey woman is the Mum?" Hannah grinned, looking at Joey's retreating back.
Claire chuckled.
"Yeah," she admitted. "And her partner, Charlie. They're both the Mum's. And that guy…"
She pointed at Angelo.
"He's the annoying older brother. Then there's Alf – he's not here – he's like the best granddad you could ever imagine."
Hannah smiled.
"What about your own family?" she asked. "Are you close to them?"
"No," Claire admitted, her face falling. "I don't have any of my family around."
"I'm sorry to hear that," Hannah said earnestly.
Claire shrugged.
"Well, I've found my people now!" she grinned, feeling herself starting to relax. "What about you? Are you close to your family?"
"I grew up with just my Mum and my sister," Hannah said. "We're pretty tight. Kind of an 'us against the world' scenario."
Claire smile. She longed to have had a loving family like that. But then, she supposed she had something special with Ruby, Charlie, Joey, Watson, Kerri and Danny. She was lucky.
"That's really special," she said.
"And what about relationships?" Hannah asked. "Good? Bad? Ugly? Non-existent?"
"One," Claire said. "Not so great. You?"
"A few," Hannah said. "Nothing terrible. Nothing amazing. I'm still waiting for 'the one'."
She smiled, locking eyes with Claire who felt that fluttery feeling in her tummy again. They were interrupted only by Joey bringing their bottle of wine over.
Ruby had avoided her parents' restaurant, knowing that Claire was there on her date with that Hannah girl. She didn't want to see her friend swooning all over some girl. Instead, she was at the Diner with Dex, April and Xavier, the latter of whom was on the phone.
He returned to the table, not looking very happy.
"What's pissed you off?" Ruby asked.
"Says you," Xavier snapped back. "You've had a face like a slapped ars…"
"Just tell us what's happened," April interrupted tiredly.
Ruby and Xavier had been sniping at each other a lot lately.
"Liam has pulled out of the Informal," he announced.
"What?" April said shrilly. "Why? That's not part of the plan!"
"What plan?" Dex asked.
"The plan to get Liam and Bianca back together," April explained. "We thought if we forced them into the same room on the same night, relaxed, having fun, they might reconnect."
Despite her bad mood, Ruby remained quiet about what she knew, what Bianca had let slip the night she had come round about her conflicted feelings about Vittorio and Liam.
"So, what are you going to do now?" she asked instead.
"We'll have to get him to change his mind," April said.
"I don't think so," Xavier said. "He knows what we were trying to do, April and he's seriously pissed."
"Well, then I don't want to go either," April said. "It's not even my formal. The only reason I was bothered about any of it was because I was trying to stop my sister making the biggest mistake of her life. But if that's not going to happen, I don't really care about celebrating other students finishing school."
She got up and left. Xavier hurried after her. Alone, Ruby turned to Dex.
"So, I found a party for us to go to," she said. "And I was thinking…"
Dex was immediately worried by her tone.
"Do you think we could borrow your Dad's car?"
"Um… no," Dex said flatly.
"Why not?"
"Well, why can't we borrow your Mum's car?"
"Because she'll be using it," Ruby said.
"Well, my Dad will probably be using his," Dex said.
He had no idea what his Dad's plans were. But he was not comfortable with borrowing his car. His Dad would kill him.
"Well, find out. It'll be fine, Dex. I can drive. I passed my test, remember?"
Dex had deep misgivings about the night out he had somehow agreed to.
Charlie popped into the restaurant on her break as promised. She found Joey at the bar, looking over at Claire sat at a table with an attractive looking young woman that Charlie didn't recognise.
"Who's that?" she asked, kissing Joey hello.
"That is Hannah," Joey said eagerly. "Claire's date."
Angelo rolled his eyes.
"You two are such gossips!" he complained.
"We're not gossiping!" Joey said, offended. "We're sharing information."
"Yeah, right," he replied.
"Anyway, shouldn't you be trying to find a new chaperone and a new waitress?"
Charlie looked confused.
"Liam and April have both pulled out of the Informal," Joey explained.
"Oh dear. Can I ask why or would that count as gossip?"
Angelo glared at her.
"Liam is pissed off because apparently the kids were using the Informal as some sort of plan to get him and Bianca back together and April is pissed off because Liam has pulled out," he said. "Basically, if he's not going and there's no chance of him and Bianca getting back together; she's not bothered about celebrating other students graduating."
"I'm sure you'll sort it out," Joey said.
He shrugged and walked away. Charlie exchanged a look with Joey.
"I'm letting him sort it out himself," Joey said quietly so he didn't hear. "He wanted this to be his thing, his project. I'm not getting involved unless I absolutely have to."
"Fair enough," Charlie said, nodding. "Now, who is this Hannah?"
"Well, I don't know much about her but she's very polite and she seems nice," Joey said. "They've talked nonstop and they've laughed a lot while they've been here. Fingers crossed."
"Hey, do you think that's why Ruby was upset this morning?" Charlie wondered.
"I was wondering the same thing," Joey admitted. "Maybe she feels a bit insecure. Like, this Hannah might take Claire away from her or something."
Charlie nodded thoughtfully.
"Well, as long as she's okay," she said.
"While we're gossiping," Joey said. "Carefully look to your right and you'll see Roo quite clearly plotting something with Gina and John. Although I haven't managed to work out what that something is."
"Interesting," Charlie said. "Have you managed to overhear anything?"
"Something about a job for John overseas," Joey said. "But they were quick to stop talking whenever I was around."
"I wonder if John is employing Roo or something…" Charlie mused.
She chewed her lip thoughtfully. Joey couldn't help but think her thoughtful face was very sexy.
"Don't you think it's a bit odd that she's turned up in Summer Bay all of a sudden when Martha and Hugo are on the run?" the police officer said, thinking aloud. "And she's immediately become all matey with Gina and John?"
"Well, you know I've been a bit wary of her from the start," Joey admitted. "And she was certainly wary of me."
Charlie was well aware of the tension between Roo and Joey when Roo first returned to Summer Bay. It had really stressed her partner out.
"But regardless of whatever Roo is up to, my first concern is Alf," Joey said seriously. "I just hope that if she's getting into something she shouldn't, he doesn't end up hurt. That is the last thing he needs right now."
"Agreed," Charlie said.
That evening, Charlie and Joey had dinner with Ruby who was in no better mood. She had phoned Claire to ask her how her date had gone, only to discover that lunch had bled long into the afternoon and they were still together. As far as she knew, they might spend the whole damn night together!
"What's up, Rubes?" Charlie asked.
"Nothing," the teenager lied.
"Is it Claire?" Joey asked.
Ruby looked stricken, her fork paused between her plate and her mouth.
"Ruby, just because Claire might end up in a relationship, it doesn't mean you're going to stop being best friends or anything," Charlie said gently. "Things won't change between you."
"You really don't think so?" Ruby asked.
"We really don't," Joey confirmed.
"Well, anyway, it's made me think that I'm ready to meet someone too," Ruby told them.
She saw the look of panic on their faces.
"Don't worry," she said. "I'm not going to rush in feet first like I did with Alex or get an insane crush like I did with Liam. All I'm saying is that I'm open to meeting someone. That I'm ready."
Charlie and Joey were still a little anxious. Ruby saw it.
Any fleeting thought she had had about actually asking them if she could go to the party tonight vanished from her head. She knew that they would say no. Her mood had been too erratic today and she wouldn't have Claire to 'look after' her. She could see on their faces that they were feeling fretful about her state of mind and that only meant that they were going to be overprotective. And that meant no parties.
But she was determined. She wanted to let her hair down, meet people, go out and have fun. Even if that meant breaking the rules.
That night, Claire found herself very reluctant to say goodbye to Hannah. What had been a lunch date had turned into a date that had lasted all day. She had been surprised to find herself feeling comfortable with someone so quickly. She still had no idea what Hannah saw in her but she tried not to question it, especially out loud. Low self-esteem was not an attractive quality.
"I had such a nice time with you," Hannah said on Claire's doorstep.
"I had a great time too," Claire said, blushing a little.
She was glad the hallway in the apartment block had such poor lighting.
"Well, I hope we can do this again," Hannah said. "Soon."
"Me too," Claire said. "Text me? Or I'll text you? Or…?"
Hannah leant in and kissed her. Fireworks went off in Claire's soul.
As soon as Charlie and Joey had gone to bed, Ruby, having secretly got ready in her room and then put on a dressing gown as if she were going to bed, threw off her robe, grabbed her bag and sneaked out of the house. She didn't dare risk taking Charlie's car but hurried over to the farm where she met Dex who was anxiously waiting for her.
"Well?" she said. "Can we take the car?"
"I guess… I mean, Dad and Marilyn are asleep but… Ruby, I'm not sure about this. We could get into so much trouble," her friend replied.
"Oh, come on… live a little!" Ruby coaxed. "Where are the keys?"
Charlie and Joey were lying in bed together, clothes discarded carelessly on the floor.
"So, did you get a feel for this Hannah girl?" Charlie asked, Joey resting in the crook of her arm.
Joey paused tracing her fingertips between Charlie's breasts.
"Excuse me?" she asked, somewhat sharply.
"Get your mind out of the gutter," Charlie smirked.
Joey grinned and kissed her, resuming her circles.
"She seemed genuinely nice," she said. "They were chatting a lot, which is a feat in itself considering how quiet Claire usually is. And she made her laugh a lot too. I don't know. Maybe it could actually go somewhere."
"Well, I sort of hope so," Charlie admitted. "She deserves to love and be loved. She deserves more than…"
Joey stopped again and looked up at her.
"More than…?"
"More than to pine after Ruby," Charlie sighed.
Joey sighed too and nodded.
"She does."
"Ruby doesn't seem to agree though."
"Do you think Ruby knows how Claire feels?" Joey asked.
"I doubt it," Charlie said. "I don't think Ruby even understands how she feels."
"Do you think Ruby likes Claire?" Joey asked, surprised.
"Maybe not like that but… their friendship is more… intense than a normal one, I think," Charlie said thoughtfully. "They've been through a lot together. She's quietly fuming that Claire has met someone, that's for sure."
"I noticed," Joey agreed.
"I just hope she doesn't do anything reckless in response."
It was late and Dex was not having a good time. For starters, he was terribly anxious about his Dad's car. He knew he should never have taken it without permission. He would never have agreed to let Ruby drive it. And he wasn't sure that his friend was insured to drive other vehicles than her mother's anyway.
Secondly, his anxiety was making his general social awkwardness even worse. He hadn't known that was even possibly but apparently, it was. He had tried and failed to speak to two girls. One had just walked off and the other had actually laughed in his face.
Lastly, he hadn't seen hide nor hair of Ruby, who had immediately ditched him to chat up some random guy they had never even met before. She was now all over him on a sofa in the corner of the room so the chances of them leaving this hideous party any time soon seemed increasingly unlikely.
In conclusion, he was having a horrible time, the party was an awful idea and he wished he was at home asleep like he should have been.
Claire couldn't sleep. She had had a lovely day. She could still hardly believe she had actually gone on a proper date and that it had actually gone well. Hannah had been so lovely and not only that, she was so cool and so pretty. She was intelligent and funny and she had been patient with her shyness and nerves.
But now, Hannah was completely filling her head and no matter how hard she tried, she just couldn't sleep. She couldn't stop thinking about her. And she was confused too because she didn't know how long she was supposed to leave it before she got in touch with her. Or was she supposed to wait for Hannah to get in touch? It was all so confusing!
It was the early hours of the morning and Dex had finally managed to prise Ruby away from the party or more specifically, Jackson, the boy she had been chatting up and making out with within twenty minutes of arriving at the party.
"Ready?" Dex said, eager to nudge her out the door.
"Well, if we have to," Ruby said. "Although I could have happily stayed with Jackson for a few more hours."
"Yeah, I could tell," Dex complained, throwing himself into the passenger seat.
Ruby sat down in the driver's seat, strapped herself in and started the engine, pulling carefully out of her parking space.
"He was so dreamy, Dex," she swooned.
"Don't tell me – you think he might be the one!"
Ruby glared at him.
"Just because you didn't meet anyone," she said unkindly.
"Well, pardon me but I don't think I'm going to meet the love of my life by hooking up with some guy at a party," Dex said sourly.
They fell silent for a few moments.
"Oh shit, no," Ruby suddenly said, glancing into the rear view mirror.
Dex looked behind him. A police car, complete with blue lights and a siren was following them.
"What do I do? What do I do?" Ruby panicked.
"Pull over!" Dex said, his whole future flashing before his eyes.
This was not in the plan. Ruby obeyed. She was at least a little bit relieved when she vaguely recognised one of the two officers as Charlie's colleagues. She was sure she and Joey had had him and his wife round to dinner a couple of times. He knocked on the window. Ruby wound it down, looking anxious.
"Ruby Buckton?" he said, surprised.
"Hi… um… Constable Donovan?"
He smiled.
"That's right," he said. "I work with your mother."
Ruby nodded, smiling weakly.
"We've had a report of a stolen car," he said. "Do you have permission to be driving this vehicle?"
Ruby and Dex exchanged glances. Busted.
Next time… Ruby and Dex are in a whole heap of trouble, Charlie has a warning for Roo and Liam gives into pressure…
