*

Upstairs, Audra enters the guest bedroom, grinning. She tosses her tattered copy of The Beautiful and The Damned onto the foot of the bed. The impact causes the duvet to bloom like a sail catching wind. The white linens ripple, plush, and arid. She pads across the hardwood floors, barefoot, and enters the bathroom. Pulling her hair into a ponytail, Audra washes her face and brushes her teeth. However, before the two minutes are up, Isobel appears in her bedroom doorway.

Like Peter, she knocks with her knuckles, albeit more auspiciously. Audra turns, tensing at the sight of Isobel. She takes a deep breath, spitting toothpaste into the sink and rinsing the dish. Then, leaning against the bathroom door, folds her arms. "Hey."

Isobel enters the room. "We missed you today." She says, slowly tracing the edge of Audra's duvet with her index finger, "Why didn't you come out on the water with us?"

"Sailing isn't my thing. Too stressful."

"It's a yacht, Audra. It sails itself."

There's resentment between them. No— hostility.

"Still," Audra smiles, unconvincing, "I was tired."

Isobel thinks it over, then nods, licking her lips. "Right." She reaches for Audra's book, turning it over in her hand before dropping it on the bed again, "You wanted to... 'read your book.'"

Her sentences, while simple, are skeptical. Her tone is insincere.

Audra nods, "Yeah."

"Okay, well," Isobel continues, turning on her heels, "Like I said, we missed you. Jim missed you. After all, you two are friends. Right?"

The way Isobel says 'friends' seems to imply that she knows something we do not. Like she's holding something over Audra's head, a secret we're not yet privy to. Whatever it is, it makes Audra uncomfortable. She tenses, agreeing through gritted teeth while feigning a grin, "Right." She says.

"And you want what's best for him?" Isobel continues.

Audra nods again. "Absolutely."

"That's what I thought."

Neither women move. Their eyes lock.

Audra inhales. "Is there anything else I can do for you?"

Isobel picks up a framed photograph from the bedside table. Within it, the Talbott family beams. She looks at it, unmoved, then sets the frame aside. "Yeah. We're all going to the club tomorrow. You should come."

"Well, I have training in the morning, and then–" Audra argues, only to be quickly cut off by Isobel.

"Later."

Audra takes a deep breath, then sighs, "You know what? I'll be there."

In agreement, the tension is sucked out of the room. Suddenly, Isobel is all smiles. She clasps her hands together excitedly. "Excellent! I'm looking forward to it."

As Audra scoffs, shaking her head, Peter comes up the stairs, and Isobel turns. He pauses, looking up from his phone and lifting his chin toward them in acknowledgment.

Isobel waves, wiggling her fingers as Audra's heart flutters. She turns away, flushing pink.

Noticing the apparent change in her behavior, Isobel curls her lips. She cocks her head to the side, "He's cute, isn't he?" Audra looks back, their eyes meeting once more before Isobel glances over her shoulder again, shrugging, "Too bad I'm taken." She sighs, "But who knows? Maybe this Talbott will actually want you."

Audra feels like she's been punched in the gut. Her lips part as Isobel grins, "Goodnight."

Then, upon leaving the room, Audra exhales. She sinks against the bathroom countertop and presses her eyes shut, "Fuck."