Page 2 of Right Place, Right Time (Second Chances)
“Don’t worry, Sunshine. I’m not going to hurt you,” he says, sounding resigned.
“I’m sorry,” I say, truly feeling sorry but uncertain as to why. “It’s just that I’m a single girl, all alone on the side of the road and you’re a…” A what, Kate? A stranger? Are you going to go all stranger-danger right now? “I don’t know you at all. Can you blame me for being a little freaked out right now?”
“Not at all. And you should be freaked out. You never know what type of people are out there and would stop for a pretty little thing like you.”
My cheeks heat up…definitely from the heat, not the compliment. I’m sure the pinkish hue that now stains my cheeks is due to all this time spent in the sun. Yep, that’s it. But what an odd thing for him to say…is it a warning? Somehow, I don’t think so. I think I’m safe with this guy. I feel it in my bones.
“So you’re good at this kind of thing?” I say after a minute, gesturing to the car and trying to change the subject.
He smiles a little; I really like his smile. “Yeah, I’ve enjoyed tinkering on cars ever since I took auto shop in high school.”
I smile back at him and watch as he uses a small flashlight I hadn’t realized he’d had to look around the engine. I can’t help but notice his furrowed brow and the strong lines of his face as he focuses on the task at hand.
“I think I found the problem. Was there steam coming from under the hood when you stopped?” He asks, standing up straight and facing me.
I nod my head. “Yeah, really freaked me out. I’ve been out here about an hour already. It stopped after maybe thirty minutes.”
He nods. “It overheated.”
It and me, both.
“I have a jug of water in my car; let me get it.”
I watch him as he walks around to the back of his car and opens the trunk. He returns a moment later with the water and carefully pours it into a small opening near the front of my car.
“This should get you to the next exit,” he says. He tops it off, replaces the cap, and lowers the hood, dropping it at the very last minute to allow it to catch. The bang it makes as it drops causes me to jump.
“Thank you,” I tell him. “I really appreciate it. I don’t know what I would have done if I got stuck out here all day. Or worse…”
“You’re welcome,” he says with a smile, then begins walking back to his car.
“Wait,” I say.What am I doing?He stops and turns around slowly. When his silver eyes meet mine, I shiver despite the heat. “What’s your name?”
“Jay. Jason Spencer.”
Jason Spencer.
“Well, it was nice meeting you, Jason Spencer,” I say, stepping forward and sticking out my hand. “I’m Katherine Dumont, but my friends call me Kate.”
He takes my hand in his, and I feel it…the electricity.
“It’s nice to meet you, too, Sunshine,” he beams at me.
By the time he lets go of my hand, I swear I’ve melted into the ground.
Wow.
Wow.
I can’t help but watch him walk away...and hope, wish, and pray that I’ll see him again someday.
***
Three days later, I’m sitting in one of my favorite sandwich shops reading. As I snack on a chocolate chip cookie and sip on some sweet tea, a ruckus on the other side of the dining room attracts my attention.
It’s a couple of guys around my age horsing around with each other, but that’s not what keeps my attention.
It’s him.
