Page 63 of Take the Wheel

‘You can’t let her make things worse,’ Ari said firmly, her voice steady despite the panic threatening to choke her.

Nancy sighed loudly. ‘We just need to focus on getting this door open, OK? That’s the first thing. Just give me a minute. I’ll figure something out.’

Ari’s mind raced as she paced, her pulse quickening with each moment Nancy wouldn’t take herself out of this problem. The last thing she wanted was for Nancy to get caught up in something worse because of her. She could feel the weight of the situation pressing down on her.

Then, for the first time, Ari looked at the door. Really looked at it. And the idea of breaking free suddenly became pretty simple. Because there was more than one way to skin a cat.

Ari took a step back, sizing up the old door. It was decades old and worn out. Was she really going to do this?

‘Nancy? Are you having any luck with the padlock?’

‘Not yet. Just let me… err…’

‘Stand back.’

‘What?’

‘Stand. Back,’ Ari said.

‘I’m doing that, but what are you actually going to—’

With a sharp breath, Ari threw herself into the door, her shoulder colliding with the wood. It went even better thanhoped. The hinges gave way with a loud crack, and before she knew it, the door swung violently open, the wood splintering around the hinges. Ari stumbled forward, her legs catching her as the door completely came off, collapsing into the space beyond.

Nancy’s eyes widened in disbelief. ‘What the hell?’ she gasped, her voice cracking with a mixture of shock and scepticism.

Ari stood frozen for a moment, staring at the now-exposed frame where the door used to be, the weight of what she’d just done sinking in. She’d expected a struggle, some resistance, but the door had crumbled like a dry cracker. Her hands shook as she took in the destruction.

‘Did I… did I just break down a door?’ Ari asked Nancy, stunned.

Nancy blinked at the door, then back at Ari, her jaw still hanging open. ‘I… I can’t believe you did that.’

‘Classic old money. These massive houses and no money for upkeep. Roteverywhere,’ Ari said, delighted with herself. She smiled at Nancy. ‘Thank you for coming to my rescue.’

Nancy looked at her as though she’d gone mad. ‘You saved yourself.’

It was true. Ari had done this. She’d gotten herself out. All it took was her own strength, her own will.

‘Come on. Let’s get out of here. We’ll use the service corridor,’ Nancy said, grabbing her hand. And off they went, half-running, half-laughing, dashing through doors, their heels clicking on the marble floor of the deserted passageway. Ari’s heart was racing once more. Not just from the sprint but from Nancy’s hand in hers, warm and sure, like it belonged there.

They reached an exit. Nancy turned and said, ‘This should take us back into the kitchen. We just need to wait for it to clear.’ She put her ear to the door. ‘Someone’s faffing.’

Ari nodded. And then she realised they were alone—together—nothing in their way, and she didn’t want to wait another second to say what she needed to say to Nancy Doyle.

‘Is this a good moment to talk about you and me?’ she asked.

Nancy looked at her. ‘Not really, no.’

There was a moment of silence, an electricity in the air that neither of them knew how to break. Ari waited in it, hopeful.

Nancy sighed, long and deep. ‘OK, I give in. What do you want, Ari?’ Nancy asked.

‘I told you. You,’ Ari said instantly.

‘But in what kind of…’

‘Nancy, how much should I say right now? Because I’m trying not to scare you off.’

‘Assume that you can’t. Just say it.’

---