“I’ll do that.”
“It’s fine, I’m used to clearing up after myself.” Tasha hoped her reply wasn’t going to piss the other woman off further by somehow stepping on her toes.
Sandra shrugged. “Are you better? Jim said you were feeling unwell this morning.”
Unsure whether she somehow suspected she’d never been unwell, her eyes full of mistrust once more, Tasha aimed for simplicity in her reply. “Yes, much better thank you.” She needed to let Sandra come around in her own time. To realise she wasn’t a gold digger or opportunist. However, she continued anyway, “Sandra, do you have a problem with me?”
“No, should I have?” Sandra’s reply was as curt as Tasha’s had been blunt.
“No, but it appears you do.”
“Okay, if you insist on doing this, it’s like this...”
Tasha braced herself physically for what felt like was going to be a full on assault.
“You are young and beautiful and you appear to make Jim happy. All of which is great, but an unknown foreign actress bagging or at least bedding the head of a respected studio in Hollywood makes me suspicious.”
“I understand your suspicions.” Sandra looked slightly taken aback by Tasha conceding this point. “But it isn’t like that. Jim has offered me work. I’ve declined it.”
“Hmmm.” Clearly, she wasn’t entirely convinced. “I just don’t want to see him taken advantage of and between him and Mike raving about you, you just seem a bit too good to be true. Even Lizzie is a fan and that’s unheard of.”
Tasha laughed. “Oh, Sandra. I am flawed in many ways and I have many skeletons in my closet, but I’m only here because I like Jim. Really, really like him. Nothing else.”
“He likes you too.” She seemed to muse, maybe preparing to say something else, but quickly her expression flattened. “Sorry if I have offended you or over stepped the mark. Mike told me to keep my mouth shut.”
Tasha felt sorry for her now as she suddenly looked regretful at speaking out at all. “I’m often told to keep my mouth shut, but I rarely do. Why change the habit of a lifetime? I think it’s nice that you care enough not to keep shtum, but you haven’t offended me. I like your directness, although I’m sure not everyone’s appreciative of it.”
“I have broken the hearts of many a waitress when they insist on telling me they’re not really a waitress, they’re an actress. I do point out to them while they’re serving me coffee and being paid to do so they are most definitely a waitress.”
Tasha winced as she imagined the scene.
“I think it’s often put down to my English eccentricity. Mike said you’re from Walthamstow.”
“Yes, and you I believe?”
“Yeah and I don’t miss it at all. Mike gets all misty eyed with thoughts of home, but not me. I love it over here and the more distance between me and mywonderful familythe better, well, some of them.” Sandra sounded bitter, possibly offering a small insight into why she’d left her family and country behind. Something Tasha could definitely relate to, especially when she considered the mess that undoubtedly awaited her.
She’d been sat at the side of the pool for about half an hour when Tasha heard Sandra bringing someone through. Looking up she saw a young, dark, attractive man who started doing something with the pool. She assumed this was Juan. He smiled at her and as he glanced down at her chest and legs she felt slightly self-conscious in the bikini she suddenly regretted wearing.
To take her mind of the young man and her own discomfort she resumed texting her flat mate, Lucy, then Angie, Dan and Pippa. Juan was still making her feel uncomfortable by staring and when he continued to try and make conversation she began to question whether Jim had been winding her up about Philip and Juan’s relationship.
She picked her phone back up and composed a text to Jim.
Tasha laughed out loud, drawing Juan’s attention once more, but she couldn’t hide her amusement at Jim’s persistent pursuit of Vegas.
