Page 29 of Take the Wheel

The room was small but undeniably elegant, with rich velvet curtains in deep burgundy that framed the windows. A queen-sized bed, dressed in crisp white linens, took centre stage. Their bags did indeed await them in the corner.

‘Goodnight,’ Laurence said and slipped off silently, like the service ninja he was.

‘Odd seeing this from the other side,’ Nancy noted.

‘What?’

‘Being served. I’m more comfortable on the other end, if I’m honest,’ she said.

‘Well, you could pass for rich,’ Ari assured her.

Nancy shrugged. ‘If you say so.’ She grabbed her bag and headed into the ensuite, shutting the door with a click.

Ari grabbed her bag and unzipped it, pulling things out haphazardly. She tossed her dress onto the back of a chair and grabbed one of her oversized sleep shirts, moving quickly to get changed.

She was decent by the time Nancy walked in, wearing herEyes on the FriesPJ’s again. It was so oddly un-Nancy. Ari thought she might treasure the sight for some years to come.

But then she saw the look on Nancy’s face. Disconcertion. ‘Umm…’

Nancy was standing by the bed. Thebed.Singular. Not two. Not even two singles pushed together. One large, undoubtedly luxurious, four-poster bed.

Ari blinked. ‘Oh.’

Nancy sighed, rubbing a hand over her face. ‘I should’ve checked earlier.’

‘This is on me, sorry,’ Ari muttered. She stared at the bed as if another one might materialise if she waited long enough. It did not. ‘You’re sure there’s not a fold-out or something?’

Nancy shot her a look. ‘Does this look like the kind of place with fold-out beds?’

Ari sighed dramatically. ‘I suppose not.’

Nancy shook her head and sat on the edge of the mattress, testing it. ‘Well. At least it’s big.’

Ari eyed her, suddenly aware of how casually Nancy had just accepted this. ‘You’re not bothered?’

Nancy shrugged. ‘It’s a bed. We’re adults. I assume you’re not going to kick me in your sleep.’

‘No promises.’

Nancy rolled her eyes. ‘I’m too tired to care. If you want to make a big thing of it, you can sleep on the floor.’

Ari grinned, pretending that this whole thing was hilarious rather than what it really was. Unnerving. ‘When you put it that way…’ She shrugged and flopped onto the bed beside Nancy, bouncing slightly as the plush mattress absorbed her weight.

For a second, neither of them spoke. It wasn’t like they hadn’t been in confined spaces before. They spent hours together in the car. But this was different. Unavoidably intimate in a way that neither of them had planned for. Ari didn’t need that. Not tonight.

But at least she’d sobered up enough to behave herself. She was keeping her hands to herself. Nancy didn’t deserve to be assaulted in the night. No matter how she’d looked at herfor the briefest of moments. This whole situation was weird, Ari decided. And weird breeds weird. That was all there was to it.

Nancy exhaled slowly. ‘Alright. Ground rules.’

Ari raised an eyebrow. ‘Oh, this’ll be good.’

‘No stealing the duvet,’ Nancy said. ‘No sprawling across the whole bed. And no talking in your sleep.’

‘How would I control that?’ Ari asked mildly.

‘I don’t know. Figure it out.’

Ari smirked. ‘Anything else, Sergeant?’

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