“If you’re trying to wake her, you don’t need to whisper,” Andrew mutters.
“Eyes on the road,” I snap.
Smart-ass.
He chuckles as he gets out, and opens the back door on my side. I climb out and then lean back in. “Kate,” I say loudly. “Wake up, we’re home.”
Andrew reaches in to help.
“I’ve got this,” I say.
She frowns as she comes to and looks around sleepily. “Huh.”
I hold my hand out to her and she takes it and I pull her over toward me, but she slips off the seat and onto the floor of the car. “Oh . . .”
I chuckle as I reach down for her, she’s all legs and arms and tangled up. “That red dress a little slippery, old girl?”
Andrew rolls his eyes. “Bloody hell,” he mutters under his breath.
I take her hand, pull her out of the car and wrap my arm around her. We slowly walk up the six steps leading to the terrace.
“Walk up the steps,” I direct her.
She goes to sit down on the bottom step. “I’ll just sleep here.”
“Kate,” I say in my best authoritative voice. “Concentrate and walk up the steps please.”
She goes to sit down again and I glance back at Andrew, who’s laughing and leaning on the side of the car as he watches the show.
“Shut up,” I mouth.
He smiles with a wink and lights his cigarette.
That’s the thing with having the same driver for seven years, they get too fucking comfortable.
“Kate,” I snap. “Walk up the stairs and then you can go to sleep.”
“Hmm.” She smiles with her eyes closed, takes one step.
“That’s it.”
She takes two more.
“Good girl.”
“I sleep here.”
I keep pulling her up and we get to the front door, and I ring the bell.
Kate leans on me and closes her eyes; I wrap my arm around her tight.
Two tablets and this is her . . . I would hate to think what would happen if she actually had some hard stuff.
I ring the bell again . . . no answer.
“Kate, is anyone home?”
“Yeah.” She smiles goofily up at me. “We are.”
“I mean, your flatmates.”
She shrugs and goes back to leaning on me.
“Where are your keys?” I ask.
She shrugs once more.
“For fuck’s sake.” I rattle through her handbag and dig out the keys. “What key is it?”
“Red one.”
I get the red key and open the door. “Hello,” I call.
No answer.
I look back toward the car and Andrew shrugs.
“Bed for you,” I say, walk her in, and close the door behind us.
Once we have negotiated her apartment’s front door, I ask, “Where is your bedroom?”
She points up the steep, narrow stairs and I peer up. Oh hell. “Of course it is.”
I think for a moment. What do I do now? I can’t just leave her here.