THE car door swung open, and the night air rushed in, cool and scented faintly with jasmine from Amelia’s carefully tended hedge.
Charles stepped out first, smooth and practiced, one hand already reaching back into the car.
“Careful,” he said lightly. “One leg at a time.”
“Pfft,” Amelia scoffed from the passenger seat, her laughter bubbling out before she even moved. “Since when did you become my bodyguard? Huh?”
She shifted forward, dramatically lifting one heel, then the other, stretching her legs out like she was stepping onto a stage instead of onto a driveway. Her purse slipped off her shoulder and landed back on the seat with a soft thud.
“Wait— my bag,” she slurred mildly, blinking at it like it had personally offended her.
Before Charles could reach for it, Amelia hopped down
