She was relieved to see that he had turned the car into her road and was parking up on the right, outside her house. Harry turned off the engine.

Laura glanced up at the curtained windows and prayed that Nate didn’t look out and see her. Opening the door quickly, she swung her legs out. ‘Thank you for bringing me home – you didn’t have to,’ she said hurriedly.

‘Laura,’ Harry called, too loudly, as he gripped onto her arm, making her stomach twist into knots. She wanted to hiss at him to keep his voice down, but at the same time she couldn’t be rude to the one person who was being kind to her.

‘You two will work it out,’ he said. ‘Don’t worry about it.’

‘What?’ she said, turning back to him and screwing up her nose. When had she told him about Nate? What had she told him?

‘Just talk to Mia on Monday and you can sort out whatever it was.’

‘Oh, Mia. Right.’

‘Who did you think I meant?’ he asked. ‘Is everything all right at home?’ He nodded towards her house.

‘Everything’s totally fine. And I’m not sorry about what I said to Mia.’ She pulled out of his reach as she sidled off the seat. ‘I meant it. She’s lying about what she’s doing at the company. She’s out for my job for a reason.’ Even Laura could hear the whine in her drunken voice.

She thought she saw Harry shake his head, but it was such a slight movement she couldn’t be sure. ‘I know you don’t believe me, but I’m right,’ she said and slammed the door, stumbling on the pavement as she turned towards the house and up the path, to where Nate stood in the open doorway, arms folded tightly across his chest.

‘Oh God.’ She swallowed down the trepidation that clung to her throat in a ball, but couldn’t budge it. Slowly Laura tried walking in a straight line up the path and hoped Nate couldn’t tell how drunk she was. The outside light caught him in its beam, and she watched as his stare left her and travelled to Harry, still sitting in his goddamn car. Not going anywhere.

Laura looked over her shoulder. ‘Just piss off,’ she muttered at her boss under her breath.

‘He brought you home?’ Nate said. ‘From his own party?’ His eyes flicked over her again. ‘What kind of state have you got yourself into, Laura, that your boss needs to drive you home?’

‘I’m sorry – I …’

‘How much have you had to drink? You drove the bloody car there. Why bother, if you knew you were going to get yourself into this mess?’

‘I’m not a mess,’ she objected, straightening up. ‘I just drank too much to drive home.’