Page 55 of The Retreat

As Talia stepped into Imogen’s flat, she took it all in: the little stack of post spilling over the coffee table, Imogen’s shoes kicked off half-heartedly near a rusty radiator, and a half-dead plant clinging to life on the windowsill.

It was kind of a mess. But it was Imogen’s life, and Talia wanted to be here very badly. It was the centre of the world.

Imogen shuffled in, dropping another handful of envelopes onto the pile without even glancing at them. ‘More bills, no doubt,’ she said lightly.

Talia frowned. ‘I wish you hadn’t given me that money back.’

‘I told you, I don’t want it,’ Imogen said flatly.

And Talia could see it was not a tone to argue with. She didn’t want to ruin this moment. Though she was a little worried for Imogen. She wished there was some way she could help her. But it couldn’t be with money. Talia understood Imogen’s reasoning on that. They were starting something, and Imogen didn’t want to taint it. That gave Talia hope that Imogen wanted this—wanted them—just as much as Talia did. Which was so fucking much.

There was so much they needed to learn about each other, so much time to pour into this to make it solid and true. But Talia was all in. She could feel Imogen’s commitment too. It meant the world. Talia was ready to love someone. She was ready to love Imogen.

Her phone buzzed. She pulled it out of her pocket. One glance at the screen and her good mood had a bite taken out of it. Her brow furrowed. The world she’d just stepped out of was already reaching for her, trying to pull her back.

‘It’s Celeste,’ she said, her voice edged with hesitation.

Imogen pulled a face. ‘You gonna take it?’

Talia didn’t answer right away. The thought of hearing Celeste’s voice again made her stomach drop. She’d been happy a minute ago. She didn’t want to spoil that.

‘I don’t know.’

Imogen shrugged, calm. ‘Go on. I’m here. It’ll be OK.’

Talia managed a shaky smile and answered, pressing speaker before she could change her mind. She wanted Imogen in this.

‘Talia?’ Celeste’s voice crackled through, taut and brittle. ‘I’m sorry to call like this, but we’ve been on a conference call since leaving the lodge. The partners, Rebecca, everyone. We’ve been trying to figure out what happens next.’

Talia’s hand tightened around the phone. ‘I see.’

‘We think… we’ve decided to leave things as they are.’

She frowned, bewildered. ‘What do you mean?’

‘We’re not going to take any action concerning your position.’

‘Are you trying to tell me I’m not fired?’ Talia asked.

The confusion in her voice didn’t even begin to cover the whiplash she felt. Celeste wasn’t exactly being direct.

‘We are not releasing you from your contract. That’s correct,’ Celeste replied.

Talia blinked. ‘Oh. OK.’

‘We’re going to send you some paperwork in the next few days, if you could sign it?’ Rebecca’s voice jumped in suddenly.

Talia raised an eyebrow. ‘Oh, Rebecca, I didn’t realise this was a conference call.’

‘Yep. Hi. So, it’s crucial you get that paperwork back to—’

‘What paperwork?’ Talia cut in. ‘If I’m not fired, what do you need me to sign?’

Rebecca gave a short laugh. ‘Oh, you know. It’s just a thing to say you won’t sue us because Rhona said all that stuff about Monroe employees being overworked and pressured into maintaining a perfect image, that’s all—’

‘Rebecca,’ Celeste snapped.

Talia rolled her eyes. ‘Oh, I see. That’s why I’m not fired. You’re worried about a constructive dismissal claim. Well, I wouldn’t bother. I’m not suing you.’

A pause. Then Celeste asked cautiously, ‘No?’

Talia gave a small laugh, surprising even herself. ‘You honestly think I want what happened at the retreat on public record?’

Imogen clapped her hand over the phone. ‘What are you doing? They’re going to let it go.’

Talia shrugged. ‘I’m not playing this game. If they want to sack me, let them.’

Imogen looked like she wasn’t sure if Talia had completely lost it, but she moved her hand.

Talia shot her a wink, then looked back down at the phone. ‘Look, Celeste, I’m not interested in staying. Fire me. Or I’ll quit. Whatever works best for you.’

There was a beat of silence, and then Celeste spoke again, her voice gentler now. ‘I understand why you might feel that way. But… before you make any final decisions—’

‘There’s nothing else to say,’ Talia interrupted, her words hard and precise. ‘What I did was crazy. But I thought I had to. That’s not great, is it?’

Celeste exhaled slowly. ‘I’ve been thinking about that. Maybe the company needs to change. Maybe the culture has been… wrong.’

Talia looked at Imogen. Imogen looked back at her. What the fuck was happening?

‘Would you consider staying? At least for now?’ Celeste asked. ‘We want to try to do better. To make things right.’ A pause. Then she added, ‘Also, your billables are insane.’

Talia swallowed. ‘I don’t know. Everyone thinks I’m barking mad now, so I just think I’ll be too uncomfortable.’

‘I’ll talk to everyone,’ Celeste said quickly. ‘Don’t worry about that. Just give me time to figure out how to speak to everyone about this.’

‘I could do a seminar!’ Rebecca chimed in far too brightly.

‘No,’ Talia and Celeste said together.

Rebecca went silent.

Celeste cleared her throat. ‘So, would you stay? We could even leave the conversation open about that partnership. I mean, not right away. We’d need to let the dust settle…’

Talia hesitated. Her heart thudded with a strange clarity. ‘I don’t want it.’

The silence on the other end was almost comical. ‘You’re turning it down?’

‘I need to take a breath, Celeste. My work-life balance is in the toilet as it is. Partnership, now? I’ll have a heart attack before I’m fifty. But I’ll stay. For a bit. To see if it’s salvageable there.’

Celeste’s relief was audible. ‘Good. Good. Thank you, Talia.’

Talia nodded, even though Celeste couldn’t see her. ‘OK. Well, thanks for calling.’

‘Of course, and if there’s—’

Talia hung up. She looked at Imogen, who was already smiling.

‘You’re mad. She was still considering promoting you.’

Talia smirked.

‘But you said no? I thought… I thought—’

‘I’ve got time. What’s the rush?’ Talia said.

She barely recognised this relaxed version of herself. But she didn’t mind that. She didn’t mind it at all.

‘But it’s everything you want,’ Imogen said.

Talia raised an eyebrow. ‘Not quite.’

Imogen frowned. ‘What?’

Talia stepped closer, sliding her hands around Imogen’s waist, her voice dipping low. ‘If I had everything I want, you wouldn’t still be dressed.’

Talia bent to scoop Imogen up in one smooth motion, laughter bubbling between them. Imogen’s arms wrapped around her neck, legs around her waist, breath catching with surprise and delight.

As Talia started to carry her toward the bedroom, her foot caught the edge of the coffee table. The pile of post teetered dangerously and then spilled across the floor.

‘Oops,’ Talia muttered, setting Imogen down with a soft thud. She crouched to help gather the scattered letters.

Imogen knelt beside her, eyes landing on a heavier envelope stamped with a university logo. ‘Wait... what’s that?’

Talia picked it up, turning it over in her hands. ‘Looks official.’

Imogen reached for it, eyes wide. ‘I think it’s from this community programme I applied to an absolute age ago.’

Talia was bursting with curiosity. ‘Open it!’ she demanded, excited.

Imogen nodded, biting her lip as she scanned the page. Then her eyes widened.

‘They want to interview me for the community engagement coordinator role,’ she said, a laugh bubbling out. ‘I thought it was dead in the water.’

Talia pulled Imogen to her feet and hugged her. ‘This is amazing,’ Talia breathed into her ear, incredibly excited for Imogen.

‘It’s only an interview,’ Imogen said quickly. ‘They’ll have loads of people with way more experience than me.’

Talia smiled warmly. ‘You don’t know that.’

Imogen looked doubtful. ‘I’ve never done this kind of work. I won’t get it.’

‘They want to interview you. Do you think they’re doing that for the lols?’ Talia asked her.

Imogen chewed her lip nervously. ‘Even so, I’m awful at interviews. I ramble and blush. Then I start talking myself out of the job.’

Talia laughed softly. ‘I’ll help you prep. I’m embarrassingly good at selling myself.’

‘Really?’ Imogen’s voice was small but hopeful.

‘Absolutely. You’re not giving up before you start. Not while I’m around.’

Imogen looked down at the letter, the doubt softening in her eyes. ‘It’s just an interview,’ she said again, but this time it sounded a little more like hope. ‘And it’s not curating. And the pay is shocking.’

‘But it’s curating adjacent, right? So when you get this, and you will, it will be the start of your rise,’ Talia told her.

Imogen laughed, cheeks flushed. ‘You make it sound easy.’

‘Easy?’ Talia grinned. ‘With me coaching you, it’ll be a breeze. Besides, who wouldn’t want to hire someone so gorgeous?’

Imogen rolled her eyes, smiling wider. ‘I don’t think that’s on the requirement list.’

Talia smiled, feeling passion rise once again. Her fingers grazed Imogen’s arm, tracing slow, deliberate circles. ‘Maybe not.’ She leaned in, breath warm against Imogen’s ear. ‘But if they want someone who’s hands-on and knows how to get things done, you’re their girl.’ She smirked, lips brushing Imogen’s ear.

Before Imogen could protest, Talia’s lips claimed hers, playful and demanding all at once. The letter slipped forgotten on the floor. There was now only one thing on both of their minds and it sure as hell wasn’t interviewing technique.