Fifty-Two
Ari’s fingers pressed against the cool wood of the door, as though somehow that would help her focus, help her figure out what was going on. But it was just silence now.
Finally, after what felt like hours, there was a quiet shift outside. The sound of footsteps approaching, hesitant, and then Nancy’s voice.
‘Ari?’ It was low, uncertain. She sounded… sheepish? It made Ari’s stomach drop. What the hell was going on out there?
Ari leaned in closer to the door. ‘Nancy? What the hell happened?’
There was a pause on the other side, and then Nancy’s voice came again, quieter. ‘It was Helen.’
‘I thought as much.’ Ari said. ‘I hope you headbutted her.’
‘Not exactly,’ Nancy’s voice was thick with frustration, but there was a trace of something else, too. Shame?
‘She’s gone for security. I might be joining you in there shortly,’ Nancy said. ‘I’m a trespasser now.’
Ari’s jaw dropped. ‘Then just leave!’
A little of the old Nancy jumped out. ‘I told you. I’m not doing that. We’ve still got time. It’s gonna take her a while to get back up. I can figure something out.’
‘NANCY. GET THE FUCK OUT,’ Ari told her.
‘No,’ Nancy said. And Ari knew that tone. There was no arguing with her. She was set on standing at this door until she was in as much shit as Ari.
Ari hated this. It was one thing that she was in trouble, but now the most stubborn person on earth was refusing to leave her. It was lovely and enraging.
‘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 than hoped. 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. Rot everywhere,’ 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.’
Ari gathered her strength. ‘I think maybe there’s always been something here. I was just trying to ignore it because you’re employed to drive my lazy arse around, and it would have been creepy behaviour to hit on you.’
Nancy nodded. ‘That’s true. It would have been. But I’m not being paid to drive you right now. I’m technically on the clock as your girlfriend. So, the question is… Is this just overtime to you?’
Ari didn’t know if she should be offended. She decided to confirm her fears before letting that happen. ‘Overtime?’
‘I just need to know what I am to you,’ Nancy asked, a tremor in her voice. ‘Is it just a fling you want or…’
Ari looked into Nancy’s beautiful ocean-green eyes. ‘You want me to say it? OK. You asked for it. I don’t want you to be in the front of the car. I want you to be in the back.’
Nancy frowned, confused. ‘What?’
‘Oh, for Christ’s sake. That was supposed to be romantic.’ Ari tried again. ‘I want to be with you, Nancy. More than that, I want you to want to be with me. Because I don’t know if I could ever deserve someone like you, and you’re probably not too sure about that either, but…’
Nancy was agog. ‘Ari! You don’t know that I think you’re the most incredible person I’ve ever met?’
Ari paused, shocked.
Nancy licked her lips. ‘You drive me insane, yes. But…’ Nancy’s voice became softer now. ‘I know I’ve been stubborn. I know I’m uptight. I know I’ve fought this.’ She stepped closer to Ari, her hand reaching up, gently cupping her cheek. ‘But it’s not because I don’t know if I want this. I think it’s because it scares the hell out of me just how much I do.’ Nancy’s eyes were filled with fear. ‘But…I… I don’t know what the hell I’m doing,’ she admitted.
Ari’s heart skipped a beat at the weight of those words. She hadn’t realised how much she needed to hear them, how much she needed Nancy.
‘You don’t need to. I can take it from here,’ Ari said. And she moved forward and took Nancy’s face in her hands. And then, before either of them could second-guess it, they kissed.
It was a kiss that said everything. A kiss full of all the emotion that had been building up between them for weeks, maybe even longer.
Ari’s hands found Nancy’s waist, pulling her closer as the world outside seemed to disappear. The weight of the house, of the lies, of everything they’d been through, it all melted away in the heat of that moment.
When they finally pulled apart, breathless and a little dazed, neither of them knew what came next. But for the first time in what felt like forever, Ari wasn’t afraid of the future. She wanted to go forward.
‘What now?’ Nancy asked, her voice hushed, as if they were both waiting for the other to say it first.
Ari smiled. ‘Let’s get the hell out of here.’
Nancy nodded and pushed the door gently ajar, peeking through. ‘Clear.’ She pushed it all the way open and grabbed Ari’s hand with a gorgeous grin. ‘Let’s go.’