Page 17 of The Retreat

‘How did you two meet?’

The question was from Celeste. Of course.

Talia kept her expression relaxed. This was worked out, nothing to worry about, Imogen had her script.

But then she felt Imogen pause. One second, two seconds.

Shit. Imogen couldn’t remember the story. Talia could feel it. She thought about speaking for her. Just leaning in and starting the story. But something stopped her.

Give her a second. It’ll come to her.

Talia gave the smallest nod, a movement so subtle it could’ve passed for nothing. But Imogen caught it. She straightened almost imperceptibly, and when she spoke, her voice was steadier than Talia expected. Her brain had come back online.

‘Well...’ Imogen said, eyes flicking quickly to the group, then back to Celeste. ‘I work at Northwick General.’

Talia resisted the urge to exhale.

‘Talia was in an accident. Nothing serious. A car clipped her and knocked her off the road. I was working in A&E that night,’ Imogen went on. Her voice had a touch of stiffness to it, like she was feeling her way across a tightrope. But it was holding.

‘She came in, mostly rattled. A bit bruised. I did the initial exam before she was sent on for scans.’

There was a pause, a flick of the eyes toward Talia, gauging. Talia stayed quiet, face neutral.

‘And she was... chatty,’ Imogen went on, a small smile tugging at the corner of her mouth now. She was settling into it. ‘Despite everything. She kept joking that I didn’t look old enough to be a doctor.’

‘Chatty?’ Celeste repeated with a glance at Talia.

Talia smiled. ‘I can be when I need to be.’

‘Oh, I see,’ Celeste said with a light laugh. ‘Working the charm, were you?’

‘I don’t often meet women like Alex. Had to put the work in,’ Talia said with as close to a lascivious smile as she could muster. She turned to Imogen. It was time for a term of endearment. ‘Go ahead, babe. Finish the story.’ OK, that had come out normally. No dry heaving at all.

Imogen smiled. ‘She started asking what time my shift ended. Very casually, of course. Just out of politeness.’

Light laughter. People were enjoying it.

‘But then, before I could segue into a date request, wouldn’t you know it? I was whisked off for a scan,’ Talia picked up.

More laughter from the group.

‘If she’d asked me there and then, I would have said no,’ Imogen said.

Talia tensed.

‘I don’t pick up people at work,’ Imogen said with a laugh. ‘That’s how you lose your medical license.’

Everybody laughed again. Talia relaxed.

‘She was professional to a fault,’ Talia said, meeting Imogen’s eyes briefly. ‘But I could tell she wasn’t totally immune to my charm.’

‘Charm is a strong word,’ Imogen muttered under her breath.

Talia smiled wider. ‘Anyway, I waited until the next day to find her again.’

Celeste looked delighted. Daniel leaned in. ‘Wait, you went back?’

‘Nothing too stalkerish,’ Talia said. ‘I just left a note at the hospital reception. And she texted me later that week.’

Imogen gave a small shrug, like it was no big deal. ‘I thought she was, well, interesting, and one drink couldn’t hurt. One drink turned into dinner. Dinner turned into... I’m sure you can imagine.’

‘The rest is history,’ Talia finished, her tone pitched just right.

Celeste was grinning. ‘Eyes meeting over a stethoscope... Very cute.’

There were nods, approving looks, a little ripple of warmth around them. The story had landed. Imogen was breathing a little easier. Talia could feel it in the line of her shoulders. She hadn’t flinched, hadn’t tripped. She’d nailed it.

‘Me and Lara met at a spit roast,’ Daniel said. There was a small silence, during which Lara shot him a look like she was going to kill him. ‘Sorry, I mean a hog roast,’ Daniel said quickly, laughing. ‘Jesus, baby, can you imagine?’

Lara looked like, no, she really couldn’t. Celeste looked away from it all.

Talia leaned in while Daniel droned on about their meeting, her voice low enough for only Imogen to hear. ‘Nice.’

Imogen didn’t look at her but nodded, a small glint of something in her eyes now. Nerves, yes, but maybe pride, too.

Talia turned back to the conversation, that same steady smile in place. This was only the first test. But it hadn’t been a disaster.

And Imogen, it turned out, was a better liar than she gave herself credit for.