He did in fact have a bottle in his hand when he opened the door. He'd drank a beer nearly straight down. Beer did little for his need to get drunk, though, so it didn't quite qualify as getting a head start.
He said nothing, but stepped outside, pulling the door shut behind him, shutting out the world behind the door. He walked forward, almost skipping the steps off the porch into the yard. He didn't look back, but assumed she'd follow.