AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“You do?” he quips with a snarky tone.
“Yes! Not every woman is helpless with cars.”
“I don’t think that. Anybody can learn. You just need to be taught.”
“I appreciate the offer, but I’ll be fine.”
Tyler doesn’t listen to me. Instead, he stands beside me and digs inside the trunk, pulling out the tools and the spare. “Just let me help, Lo. I’ll finish in less than ten minutes. And you can be on your way.”
I open my mouth to protest but stop when I see him already on the ground and cranking the car up.
The muscles in his arm tighten as he loosens the bolts, and my body instantly reacts with a clench in my stomach.Stupid traitor.
He looks fucking good, and I hate that I notice.
Tyler gets the spare on quick, cranking the car back down and cleaning up the tools even faster. He works like he has experience as he places the tools back in the trunk and pulls the fabric pad over them.
When he takes the flat tire, he looks at it, running his hands along the treads and the inside rim. “Sorry to say, but this tire is ruined. I was hoping it could be saved, but the inside rim is shit. You need a new one.”
I sigh and wring my hands together. Where the hell am I gonna get the money for that? I need a damn job first. And I can’t get to a job without a car. My mind spins as it fills with stressful thoughts.
Tyler must see it all over my face because he says, “If you need help getting a good price on the replacement tire, I can help. I work at a shop and can get you a good deal and put it on.”
His helpfulness makes me want to scream simply because I like it too much. I like how nice he’s being and how he wants to help. My mouth says different. “Thanks, but I don’t need your help.”
Tyler shrugs. “Fine, whatever you say.” He puts the junk tire in the trunk and closes it. “Go easy with that spare,” he says as he walks away.
And just like that, I watch him get into his car and drive off without another glance in my direction.
Yet the next day, after I call a few places, I realize how many places will take advantage of a young woman like me. Five hundred dollars to replace one tire? Give me a break.
There aren’t many other options.
I just might have to ask for his help after all.
ChapterTen
Tyler
“I’m not sure I did this right. Can you double-check it for me?” I wipe my hands on a grease rag as Don, my boss, walks over to me.
“What’s going on?” He looks at the Volkswagen and groans. Yep, exactly how I feel. Damn, things are a bitch to work on.
I explain the issue and show him the steps I took to fix it as he looks over the engine. While he inspects my work, my phone rings on the counter behind me.
A quick glance back to see who it is leaves me doing a double take.
Her face lights up my screen. It’s a picture of her laughing at the beach from last summer.Shit.I forgot that was the picture I set for her and never bothered to change it.
My stomach twists. She’s calling me? She’s actually calling me?
I wish I could answer, but when my boss talks to me, I need to focus.
The rest of the afternoon flies by as I get lost in fixing the little beetle car that keeps giving me a million issues. I fix one, and another comes up. Damn things like being hard as shit to fix.
“Hey, Ty, come here for a second before you go,” Don calls out just as I’m packing up and closing down the shop.
I pop into his office and brace myself, hoping it isn’t bad news. I fucked up once on the beetle, but Don didn’t seem mad at the time, saying mistakes happen. “What’s up?”
