A car whizzed by, almost clipping her. Zander punched on his flashers, jumped out, and strode over. “Want me to push you off the road?”
Intense eyes flashed in his direction, but a chunk of mussed hair draped her brows, casting the rest of her face in shadow. She raised the hood. “I need a jump.”
Beyond her rich, sultry voice, he was struck by an odd feeling of déjà vu. “Do I know you?”
“Doubtful. I don’t live around here.” She nodded toward his car. “Can I plug into you?”
“I’ll pull up.” He dragged his attention from her pretty face and eyed her truck. Jalopy had to be twenty-five years old. Traffic sped by. “Slow the hell down,” he shouted as he headed back to his car.
The blazing September sun, coupled with the thick, humid air, had him wiping perspiration from his brow. He removed his suit jacket and rolled up his sleeves. After pulling onto the shoulder and up alongside her, he popped his hood and removed the battery cover.
While she clamped her cables to his battery, he checked her out. No doubt the woman was hot and, if the circumstances had been different, he might have shown more interest.
Her phone blared and she fished it out of her back pocket. “Hey,” she answered. “Hello, are you there?” She stared at her phone. “Crap. My battery died.”
When she climbed into her vehicle, Zander followed. Leaning over, she checked inside her glove box, then rummaged under a pile of photographs on the passenger seat.
He flicked his gaze to her curvy ass. “Can you start your engine, please? I’ve got to get back to work.”
Ignoring him, she dumped out the contents of her giant bag and mumbled, “Sons o’ bitches. Where’s that charger?”
His lips twitched. Clearly, she wasn’t big on technology. He had backup chargers in his vehicles, his home, and his office. He glimpsed her cell phone. Doubtful his charger would work on her outdated flip phone.
Beads of sweat trickled down Zander’s back. “Excuse me.” She stopped searching and pinned him with a frosty stare. “It might help if you start your truck.”
“Oh, right.” She turned the key. “I really needed to take that call.” After a few chokes and sputters, her vehicle roared to life.
With his good deed completed, Zander was ready to take off. “Can you remove the cables so I can roll?”
As soon as she did, the engine died. “Truck’s been having trouble staying juiced.” The brunette re-clamped the cables and started her vehicle. “It’ll be fine in a couple of minutes. Can I borrow your phone while we wait?”
“It’s too hot outside. I’m getting in my car. You can use my phone there.”
“I don’t get into cars with strangers, but where you gonna go? We’re connected to each other.” Her light-hearted laugh reminded him of his childhood. Something he hadn’t thought about in years.
She slipped into the passenger seat and sighed. “Cold air feels great.”
He glanced at the screen as he handed her his phone. Two missed calls and a text from Kent in the past five minutes.
She dug out a torn piece of paper from her back pocket and dialed the number jotted down. “He might not answer if he doesn’t recognize the number.”
“Text him—”
“It’s Savannah,” she said into the phone. “How’s he doing?”
As she listened, he studied her profile. Dark, wavy hair framed her face. Every time she blinked, her bangs fluttered against her eyelashes. She had a sharp nose and full lips that bowed in the middle. Her tight tank hugged her breasts. But her beautiful face and curvy body weren’t his priority at the moment. He wanted her clunker to hold a charge.Time is money.
Tears spilled from her eyes, and she brushed them from her cheeks. “I’m sorry I couldn’t make it in time. I’m on a borrowed phone. I’ll call you back once I find my charger. Later.” When she hung up, another tear rolled down her cheek.
“You okay?” he asked.
“It’s tough losing family. Life is short, you know?”
Though he wanted to comfort her, touching her would be inappropriate. Instead, he settled for, “I’m sorry for your loss.”
“Thanks. He was a good guy.”
Rap, rap, rap.A policewoman peered into his window.Great. Now this.Zander lowered his window.
