“Oh, now you know my name.” Her lips twisted.
Was that supposed to be a sneer? Her lips were full. Pouty. She hadn’t worn lipstick earlier today. Just a gloss that enhanced the kissable look of her lips. She wore that same gloss now.
“I never forgot your name.”
Her head tilted to the side. “Oh, yeah, that’s right. The woman who’s still the same Goody Two-shoes she was in high school. I’m surprised you even stopped to offer your help.”
The comeback delivered the one-two punch she’d intended. He flinched and took a deep breath before replying. “First of all. I wouldn’t pass by anyone stranded on the side of the road without offering help. Especially on a country road like this one.” She rolled her eyes as if she didn’t believe him. “Second, I owe you an apology. I was wrong for what I said earlier. It was out of line, and you didn’t deserve me to judge you that way.”
Wide eyes blinked a few times. Her shoulders straightened, then she lifted her chin. “No, I didn’t deserve that.”
He placed a hand on the top of her car and gave her a half smile. One that typically resulted in phone numbers, invitations upstairs and one marriage proposal. “Does that mean I’m forgiven?”
Her tongue darted out over her lips. Just when he thought he had her. That maybe he’d see a hint of interest in her expression. She rolled her eyes and shook her head. “You’re still full of yourself, I see. But you know what? If you’re willing to get dirty and change my tire. Fine.” She stepped back and pointed toward the back of the car. “Have at it.”
CHAPTER TWO
“I’MNOTGOINGto be able to change this tire.”
Tamara snatched her eyes away from Andre’s ass a second before he pivoted to look at her from where he knelt beside her car. She hadn’t meant to stare at his ass. She didn’t typically ogle a guy as if he were a choice cut of beef at the butcher. As she’d watched him jack up her car and work the lug nuts, the play of muscles in his arms had caught her attention. From there her attention had wandered to his shoulders, then his back and ended at his ass.
Her face burned even though he didn’t give her the smirk she would have expected if he’d caught her in the act. She shifted her weight to one foot and cleared her throat. “What was that?”
He pointed back to her tire. “I can’t change this. The rim is bent. I won’t be able to get the spare tire on.”
His words burned through the lingering fog of awareness clouding her thoughts. Thank goodness. She wanted to slap herself for letting Andre reignite her sexual interest. She’d broken up with her ex-boyfriend, Thomas, over a month ago, stating that she needed time alone and hadn’t felt any need to “get back out there.” Yet here she was, drooling over Andre after just a few minutes with him.
She frowned at the tire. “Dammit! Really?”
“Really. How did your tire go flat?”
“A pothole one street over. I’ll be reporting that to the public works department first thing Monday morning.” She walked over and glared at the bent rim. “Now what?”
“I give you a ride home,” he said easily.
Tamara’s eyes snapped to his face. He had to be joking. Yeah, he’d apologized for being rude earlier, then tried to sweeten the apology with a played out come-hither smirk. Well, maybe not all the way played out. Her stomach had done a rebellious little flutter.
“That’s not necessary. I have Triple A. I can call them and get a ride and have my car towed.”
Andre was already shaking his head. He stood up and leaned against the side of her car. “Or, I can get the chain, hitch your car to my truck and tow it to your place right now.”
Tamara put a hand on her hip. “You drive around with a chain in your truck?”
“I work on construction sites. I don’t want to admit how often vehicles get stuck in mud, but it’s helpful to have a way to pull them out without having to call a tow company.”
“You don’t have to do that. Really. I’m sure you have plenty of other things to do, and it won’t take long to get someone out here to pull my car for me.”
He shrugged one broad shoulder and smiled. “It’s really not a big deal. I’m on my way home.”
“Home?” She pointed in the direction opposite of where they’d come. “Doesn’t your mom live on the other side of town?”
“She does, but I don’t live with my mom. I have a place here in Peachtree Cove.”
“I didn’t know you’d gotten a place. You left Peachtree Cove with one middle finger up and a promise to never return.”
He cringed and ran a hand over his jaw. “My plan wasn’t to ever move back, but since I won the contract on the revitalization project, I decided to get a place in town. That and...my mom isn’t getting any younger.”
Tamara’s brows drew together. When you worked for the town and the mayor and town manager made sure senior staff was at every event possible, it meant everyone in town knew her. Tamara had deliberately chosen to stay on the outskirts to avoid people dropping by under the pretense of visiting but actually trying to ask her to pull some type of favor for them with the town leaders. There weren’t many houses out her way that were up for rent. Except for the old brick house half a mile down the street from her home.
