Page 43 of The Retreat
Talia looked over her shoulder in the mirror and caught Imogen’s eyes on her. It wasn’t just a casual look. Talia pulled her gaze away, frightened.
She didn’t know what Imogen felt. Couldn’t tell if the pull between them was mutual or if she was just reading too much into things. Maybe Imogen didn’t want this at all. Why would she? Imogen had been hurt in the same way, by the same woman. Her life hadn’t recovered either.
But that didn’t mean she wanted to start again. Not with Talia. Not after all of this.
What if this was just another mistake?
But then there was the spark.
Too many moments to be a coincidence.
Of course, Imogen might be doing what she’d been paid to do. But what had she said before? ‘I’m not an actress.’ Could she be that good at pretending?
Talia took a breath, her eyes flicking to Imogen again, sat on the bed, arms wrapped around her knees.
She looked calm, but Talia could see the tension in her jaw and shoulders.
Was Imogen waiting for something? Was she feeling the same thing?
Talia cleared her throat, unsure of what to say.
Everything was still so delicate, so uncertain.
Was she ready to risk herself again? Maybe not.
But then again, how could she walk away from this? She hadn’t felt anything like this in forever. It was impossible to ignore.
Talia ran her fingers through her hair, trying to quiet the swirl of thoughts. Yes, no, maybe…
Imogen looked up, their eyes meeting again for a brief moment. ‘Talia…’ She got off the bed and took a step closer, then paused. ‘There’s something I want to…’
Fear gripped Talia. Was she about to say…
‘You hungry?’ Talia asked quickly.
Imogen’s mouth was a soundless circle for a moment. ‘Umm… Yeah. I suppose.’
‘Better get down there, then.’
Imogen nodded. ‘Sure, OK.’
They walked out of the room together. ‘This is it, last dinner.’
‘Right.’
‘You know what that means?’
Imogen nodded. ‘Showtime.’
As they walked, Talia could feel her regret settling. She wanted to kick herself. She couldn’t say for sure what Imogen had been about to say, but shutting her mouth would have been a good way to find out.
Why was she such a coward?