As if to prove his point, guests departed through the glass doors leading back to the terrace.
“But we have to stay until the end,” I protested. “We’re the planners.”
“The staff knows what to do. We’ve left very detailed instructions. And you’re in no condition to oversee the breakdown.”
“I’m not that drunk,” I argued, even as I swayed again.
His eyebrow rose. “How did you get here tonight?”
“I drove.”
“Then I’m driving you home,” he said decisively.
“That’s unnecessary. I can get an Uber.”
“It’s nearly midnight on a Saturday. You’ll be waiting forever. I’m driving you home, Landry. End of discussion.”
The commanding tone sent an unexpected shiver through me, triggering a flash of memory from our night together months ago. The way he’d used that same tone in a very different context. The way I’d responded to it.
“Fine,” I conceded, hoping he’d attribute the flush in my cheeks to the alcohol. “But only because I’m too tired to argue.”
“Uh huh,” he said, clearly not believing me for a second.
After a quick round of goodbyes to Lia and Manny and confirming with the head server that everything was under control, Hudson guided me through the hotel to the parking garage. His warm hand remained at the small of my back.
“Nice car,” I commented as we approached his sleek dark blue Lexus. “Very on-brand for you. Practical but expensive.”
“Thank you, I think.” He opened the passenger door for me. “Try not to throw up in it.”
“I’m not going to throw up,” I muttered as I slid into the seat. “I’m a dignified drunk.”
“We’ll see,” he murmured, closing the door.
Once he was behind the wheel, he turned to me. “Address?”
My mind went completely blank. “Um...”
“Your address, Landry. Where do you live?”
“I know what an address is, asshole.”
I knew this. Of course, I knew this. I just... couldn’t quite access the information at the moment. I’d only lived there a couple of months, and it wasn’t like I got mail often.
“It’s in Lincoln Park,” I said confidently. “On... a street. With buildings.”
Hudson sighed. “That narrows it down to about a quarter of the city.”
“I’ll recognize it when I see it?” I offered.
“What were you planning on telling the Uber driver?”
“I don’t know.”
He pinched the bridge of his nose. “Is it on your phone? Can you look it up?”
I rummaged through my clutch and pulled out my phone, but it was dead. “No juice. Charger?”
He glanced at my phone and then shook his head. “Not one that would work for your phone.” Hudson stared at me for a long moment. “You don’t know your own address, and you have no way of looking it up.”
