You take care of the Blakes.”
“Will do. I’m on my way to Mrs. Blake’s yoga class. They should be out in twenty minutes.”
“No downward dog jokes right now, Drew. I’m not in the mood.”
He laughed. “Poor baby. Call me if you need me.”
“You know I will.”
I made three more calls while I sat in the stuffy cab of my truck waiting on AAA. Two were return calls and a message for Jordan cancelling our two o’clock. By the time I’d cleaned up my cab and locked all my valuables in my silver cargo box, I was calmer. I heard a smooth engine pull up behind me and honk. Miserable cur.
I didn’t look up until the car honked again, and I swallowed the curse working its way out of my mouth. “Go arou—”
The hot sun reflected off the silver car’s gleaming paint, slick and shimmery, and I had to shade my eyes briefly before I could see the driver. Even though I fixed my face in a frown, waiting for his approach, I couldn’t deny my heart gave an eager thump. He looked, quite simply put, delicious—his black and charcoal gray argyle shirt a perfect complement to flawlessly tailored black slacks. He looked like he’d just left court—probably had—and come straight to help me out.
I gave him the universal greeting of gratitude. “What are you doing here?”
Jordan gave me a look that said I wasn’t too bright. “I figured, despite your pointed, numerous protests on my voice mail, that you might need a ride.”
All right, so I had a hard time asking for help. So what?
“I’m getting it towed. No big.”
The look remained. “You don’t have a spare?”
“If I had a spare, would I be….” I took a deep, cleansing breath. “No.”
He didn’t say a word about how irresponsible that was. And he didn’t know the half of it. I didn’t even have my jack. I wasn’t about to volunteer that little bit of information. Not that he appeared to be waiting for my excuses. He had already squatted down by the tire, and was currently flicking a finger across the flayed tread.
I let the heavy cargo lid fall and joined him in the front. “You know something about tires?”
“No.” He smiled, and I was briefly entranced by his movie-star teeth. “But I can lean in and stare with the best of ’em.”
A startled laugh burst free, and I swiped a hand over my face. Embarrassed.
“You want me to wait with you?” he asked, raking back hair that fell forward over his mirrored aviators.
I shrugged. “Up to you.”
“Oh my. That didn’t sound like a thank you at all.”
His sarcasm made me laugh, and I groaned, scrubbing a hand down my face. “Sorry. It’s been one hell of a day.”
“Tell me,” he said simply, and boy was I tempted.
I was tempted to tell him how much today had sucked and how much I wanted to smoke. How I was messing up at work and falling for this totally inappropriate guy that smelled like sunshine and looked like sin.
I shook my head. “It’s getting better now.” And that was part of the problem.
It should have been miserable waiting there, especially when AAA trumped their own record for lateness. In truth, it seemed like no time at all. I was almost annoyed when the tow truck finally arrived. Glad when I found out the nearest auto store was within my free tow miles. Jazzed when Jordan offered to give me a ride. The proper thing to do would have been to turn him down, and thank him graciously for the offer. Which didn’t explain how we wound up cooling our heels in the auto store waiting room, waiting for my tire change. I also requested an alignment and rotation. Because I needed one. I swear. Not because it would give me extra time to hang out with Jordan. Hell, if they needed to take the entire truck apart, they should go right ahead.
“If you’re late for something, you don’t have to wait,” I finally said.
“Nah,” he said, “I finished my hearing this morning. I have a teleconference at four, but that’s about it. Hearing was supposed to take
“Will do. I’m on my way to Mrs. Blake’s yoga class. They should be out in twenty minutes.”
“No downward dog jokes right now, Drew. I’m not in the mood.”
He laughed. “Poor baby. Call me if you need me.”
“You know I will.”
I made three more calls while I sat in the stuffy cab of my truck waiting on AAA. Two were return calls and a message for Jordan cancelling our two o’clock. By the time I’d cleaned up my cab and locked all my valuables in my silver cargo box, I was calmer. I heard a smooth engine pull up behind me and honk. Miserable cur.
I didn’t look up until the car honked again, and I swallowed the curse working its way out of my mouth. “Go arou—”
The hot sun reflected off the silver car’s gleaming paint, slick and shimmery, and I had to shade my eyes briefly before I could see the driver. Even though I fixed my face in a frown, waiting for his approach, I couldn’t deny my heart gave an eager thump. He looked, quite simply put, delicious—his black and charcoal gray argyle shirt a perfect complement to flawlessly tailored black slacks. He looked like he’d just left court—probably had—and come straight to help me out.
I gave him the universal greeting of gratitude. “What are you doing here?”
Jordan gave me a look that said I wasn’t too bright. “I figured, despite your pointed, numerous protests on my voice mail, that you might need a ride.”
All right, so I had a hard time asking for help. So what?
“I’m getting it towed. No big.”
The look remained. “You don’t have a spare?”
“If I had a spare, would I be….” I took a deep, cleansing breath. “No.”
He didn’t say a word about how irresponsible that was. And he didn’t know the half of it. I didn’t even have my jack. I wasn’t about to volunteer that little bit of information. Not that he appeared to be waiting for my excuses. He had already squatted down by the tire, and was currently flicking a finger across the flayed tread.
I let the heavy cargo lid fall and joined him in the front. “You know something about tires?”
“No.” He smiled, and I was briefly entranced by his movie-star teeth. “But I can lean in and stare with the best of ’em.”
A startled laugh burst free, and I swiped a hand over my face. Embarrassed.
“You want me to wait with you?” he asked, raking back hair that fell forward over his mirrored aviators.
I shrugged. “Up to you.”
“Oh my. That didn’t sound like a thank you at all.”
His sarcasm made me laugh, and I groaned, scrubbing a hand down my face. “Sorry. It’s been one hell of a day.”
“Tell me,” he said simply, and boy was I tempted.
I was tempted to tell him how much today had sucked and how much I wanted to smoke. How I was messing up at work and falling for this totally inappropriate guy that smelled like sunshine and looked like sin.
I shook my head. “It’s getting better now.” And that was part of the problem.
It should have been miserable waiting there, especially when AAA trumped their own record for lateness. In truth, it seemed like no time at all. I was almost annoyed when the tow truck finally arrived. Glad when I found out the nearest auto store was within my free tow miles. Jazzed when Jordan offered to give me a ride. The proper thing to do would have been to turn him down, and thank him graciously for the offer. Which didn’t explain how we wound up cooling our heels in the auto store waiting room, waiting for my tire change. I also requested an alignment and rotation. Because I needed one. I swear. Not because it would give me extra time to hang out with Jordan. Hell, if they needed to take the entire truck apart, they should go right ahead.
“If you’re late for something, you don’t have to wait,” I finally said.
“Nah,” he said, “I finished my hearing this morning. I have a teleconference at four, but that’s about it. Hearing was supposed to take
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