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She opened her mouth in confusion, but he just grinned. All that time watching Youtube tutorials wasn’t going to waste. Of course, he’d never had to change his own tire. AAA was a life-saver. It didn’t mean he couldn’t impress some young female with his talents, though.
“Are you from New Hope?” he asked over his shoulder as he loosened the first nut. It was especially tight, so he had to throw some weight into it. “I just got here on a job assignment.”
“Yep, born and raised.” She stood over him, pulling his jacket in tight.
He loosened the last bolt and looked up at her. “And you never left?”
“I went to school at UMN. Got my master’s degree then came back.”
Nodding along and thoroughly impressed, he abandoned the wrench to find the jack in her car. “You didn’t like the twin cities?”
She shrugged and rolled her eyes. “I’d liked it. But I love New Hope. This is where my family and friends live. Minneapolis might be shiny and new, but it has nothing compared to the warmth and comfort of a small town. You’ll never find a better place to belong to.”
He liked the way she clearly spoke her mind, unapologetic and fierce. Her brief testimony made him forget what he was doing, so the swayed a bit as he jacked it too high. “Oops.” He lowered it a few inches until the tire just barely lifted off the ground. “That’s better. You just need enough room to take it off the axle. Like this, see?”
She nodded slowly, her lips pursing.
He removed the lug nuts and pulled off the flat tire, rolling it around to the trunk. Picking up the fresh one, he gave her a reassuring smile and then pushed it on the axle. “Nothing to it. Next time you have a flat, you’ll be able to change it easy. Although I’ll bet a woman like you has no trouble flagging down help.”
She raised one eyebrow and a smile tugged at the corner of her mouth. He ducked his head, feeling his heart racing. The only thing left to do was ask her to dinner. He might only be in town a few weeks, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t have a little fun.
“Say, um…” he began, his mouth running dry. He busied himself with the jack and began to lower the car. “I don’t suppose…”
“Wait!” She flung his coat on the car and snatched the wrench from the spot he’d left it on the ground. “You’re not done.”
He watched her expertly twist the lug wrench in her hand, kneel down in her tight skirt, and screw on the bolts that he’d managed to forget to reattach. She tightened all the way up and then proceeded to lower the jack and stash the tools in the trunk. When that was finished, she lifted the flat tire and dropped it in the trunk.
All that time, he hadn’t managed to close his mouth. She’d been fooling with him, laughing as he’d stumbled through the process of getting the tire changed. The way she flung those tools around, she’d probably changed a few dozen tires in her short life.
; When the trunk was packed, she slammed it shut and grinned at him. “Thanks anyway for the help.”
He licked his lips, suddenly feeling a lot less macho. “I don’t think you needed any help.”
“Maybe not.” She gave him a grin and shrugged, handing him his coat. He could still feel the warmth of her skin in its thick wool. “But, you were fun to watch.”
His eyes shined as he looked her up and down. She was more than just a beautiful woman, that was for sure. An educated, poised, and strong woman. If he’d been intimidated before, it was nothing to what he felt now.
“I guess I’ll be seeing you,” she said, backing toward her driver’s side door.
“Yeah.” He gritted his teeth, willing himself to ask her to dinner. Ask for her number. Ask for anything! But he couldn’t make the words leave his mouth.
“Good-bye, Jordan.” Her eyes shone with laughter as she got in her car and started it up. She took off like a rocket, leaving him in the rear view mirror.
The only thing he could do was kick himself as he let her drive away, knowing that their chances of meeting again was slim to none. So much for a damsel in distress. She had needed a knight in shining armor just about as much as he needed another hole in the head. That was some woman.
