Fourteen
The car lurched forward with all the grace of a startled deer. Nancy braced herself, one hand gripping the door, the other pressed into the centre console as Ari wrestled the vehicle into submission. It was a battle she was very clearly losing.
‘Alright,’ Nancy said, forcing a calmness she absolutely did not feel. ‘Nice and easy. No sudden moves.’
Ari’s knuckles were white on the steering wheel. ‘I know how to drive, Nancy.’
‘Do you?’
‘We’re moving, aren’t we?’
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 had ambition. 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 my god.’
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.