Page 17 of Take the Wheel

Nancy bit back a response as the car veered slightly toward the rumble strip before Ari yanked it back, overcorrecting wildly.

‘I just need to get used to it again. It’s been a while,’ Ari muttered.

‘What did you learn in, a panzer tank?’ Nancy gasped as the engine roared.

‘Shut up.’

Nancy grinned, though it was slightly strained as Ari took a turn at a speed that made the tyres protest. She wasn’t sure whether to be terrified or amused. Maybe both.

‘OK,’ Nancy said slowly, adjusting the air vent as if that would somehow stabilise the ride. ‘You know, there’s no rush. The wedding isn’t going anywhere.’

‘I just want to get it over with,’ Ari muttered, hunched over the wheel like she was expecting it to fight back.

‘Yeah, well, if we get there in one piece, I’ll consider that a major success,’ Nancy said, wiping a bead of sweat from her temple.

Ari’s response was to mutter something under her breath as she overtook a lorry in what Nancy could only describe as a reckless burst of confidence. She squeezed her eyes shut for a second.

‘Ari. That was not necessary.’

‘I had space.’

‘You hadambition. That’s not the same thing.’

Ari huffed, readjusting her grip. ‘This is kind of fun. I should do it more often.’

Nancy resisted the urge to cross herself. She realised Ari was speeding up as they approached a roundabout.

‘Brake.Brake, Ari. That’s not the pedal for acceleration—oh mygod.’

Ari slammed the brake so hard Nancy felt her seatbelt dig into her collarbone. They came to an abrupt, jerky stop just shy of the roundabout.

For a long moment, neither of them spoke. The only sound was Nancy’s slightly erratic breathing.

Finally, Nancy cleared her throat. ‘You know, I think I’ve changed my mind.’

Ari turned her head slowly, eyes dark with suspicion. ‘What?’

‘I think I want to drive now.’

Ari’s face shifted into something dangerously close to a smirk. ‘Oh no. You insisted. And now you get to sit there and endure it.’

Nancy groaned, sinking further into her seat as Ari gleefully hit the accelerator too hard.

She couldn’t believe she’d thought this might be fun.

Fifteen

As Ari pulled up to the grand Scottish manor, the tyres screeched against the gravel driveway, a sound that echoed off the stone walls and sent a shiver down Nancy’s spine. The manor stood like a regal sentinel, its turrets and spires reaching towards the sky. Though Nancy had driven for the rich, this was old money. It was its own world.

‘You could have eased into the driveway, you know,’ Nancy told Ari, her voice tight as she unbuckled herself.

Ari flashed her a grin, unfazed by Nancy’s anxiety. ‘But where’s the fun in that?’ She swung the door open, stepping out with an effortless swagger, her confidence radiating as she smoothed her dress down.

Nancy took a deep breath, trying to steady herself as she followed Ari out of the car. A valet took Ari’s keys and drove the car quickly out of sight.

They both looked up at the grandeur of the manor. ‘Sweet Jesus. These people areloaded,’ Nancy muttered to herself.

The heavy oak doors swung open before they could even knock, revealing a tall, impeccably dressed butler standing in the grand entryway. He was older, with silver hair that had been combed back with precision. His tailcoat was pressed to perfection, his white gloves pristine. Nancy, having never seen a butler outside of a murder mystery, was floored by him.

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