Page 6 of Take the Wheel

‘Your knuckles just went white,’ Ari observed.

Nancy forced her grip to loosen. ‘Your mother insists.’

That, at least, made Ari pause. ‘I thought you were just following some sort of driver code. That makes more sense.’

Nancy gave a slow nod, keeping her expression neutral. ‘I suppose she likes the aesthetic.’

‘She likes to keep people in their places, you mean,’ Ari stated. ‘But if it helps, you look good in the hat,’ she added casually.

Nancy couldn’t think of a single reply to that. She let the moment settle before saying into the rearview, ‘Rest. You look green.’

Ari made a vague noise of protest. Nancy let her gaze flick to the mirror. Ari’s head was tilted against the window, looking miserable. Nancy had lied. Anyone else would have been green, but Ari’s skin never let her look less than glowing.

Ari slipped a hip flask out from the centre console and took a sip.

‘You know,’ Nancy said, chewing, ‘most people in your state would be rehydrating. Maybe eating something with actual nutritional value.’

Ari, slouched, lifted a languid hand. ‘You’re assuming I want to feel better. Anyway, hair of the dog and all that.’

Nancy snorted. ‘Hair of the dog is a myth.’

‘Maybe, but it’s gotten me this far.’ Ari took another sip.

‘This is going to be a hellish trip if we have to contend with the smell of vomit in the car,’ Nancy told her.

‘It’s hellish anyway,’ Ari shot back, screwing the cap back on the flask. ‘So let’s get comfy with the devil.’

Things went quiet after that for at least an hour. Nancy didn’t mind silence, but Ari filled spaces as naturally asbreathing. If she was quiet too long, it usually meant she was brooding. Nancy could already tell where her thoughts were drifting. The reason for this trip. The wedding.

She was about to make some half-hearted attempt at distraction when Ari’s phone buzzed on the seat. She picked it up and groaned.

Nancy looked in the mirror. ‘What?’

Ari didn’t answer.

Nancy leaned back, watching her carefully. ‘You gonna say something, or are we just sitting in suspense?’

Ari blinked and shook her head. ‘It’s nothing.’

Nancy considered pushing just a little. But Ari was already reaching for her flask again.

Nancy exhaled through her nose. ‘Fine. Keep your secrets.’

Ari shot her a look. ‘It’s not a secret. It’s just not worth talking about.’

Nancy concentrated on the road, flicking the odd look at Ari. She wasn’t drinking anymore, but she was turning the flask in her fingers, her brow deep.

Five

Ari slumped in the back seat as the world rolled by. She’d been staring out of the window for the last half-hour, watching fields flick past, but she hadn’t seen a single one of them.

Jake had cancelled. That was a problem.

Her phone was still in her hand, the last message glowing up at her.

Sorry, A. Last-minute gig. Prague. You’ll be fine without me, right?

She turned the screen off with a sigh and let the phone drop onto her lap.

---