Page 8 of Just One of the Groomsmen
He might not be doing things like paying necessary bills, or having enough money for luxuries like groceries, either, but he was doing his best not to think about that.
Totally failing, too.
This might be the stupidest, most reckless thing I’ve ever done.
Considering his history of bad ideas that landed him in hot water, that was saying something.
Tucker slowed as he rounded the bend of the road leading into the heart of town. A group of women stood around a car, and the tense postures made him think something was wrong.
When a tall, skinny brunette looked over her shoulder and saw his car, relief flooded her features. She took a few steps toward him, her tall heels and the gravel road making her wobble as she waved her hands, signaling for him to stop.
Which he’d been planning on doing already.
He pulled up next to the vehicle. None of the women looked familiar, so maybe not everyone in town would know that he was back by the time evening fell.
Not like it mattered. They’d find out eventually, and besides, what was done was done. While it’d been impulsive and ill advised, he couldn’t bring himself to take it back.
Ever since that night at the houseboat when he and the rest of the gang had played poker, he couldn’t stop reminiscing on the good times and fixating on how miserable he was in the city. Working his job.
He hadn’t told a single soul he was coming back, deciding to just show up and surprise them with the news.
Now he was thinking everyone was going to wonder why the theatrics.
Speaking of theatrics, the woman who’d flagged him down was gesturing wildly outside of his window, talking even though he couldn’t hear her. He cut the engine and climbed out.
“Oh, thank goodness you came along. We were on the way to my friend’s bridal shower and the vehicle broke down and…” She placed her hand on his arm and he took in her delicate features. Pretty, and even with the heels, he had a few inches on her. Not that he was going to take advantage of her stranded situation, but maybe afterward he could get her number. “I’m so glad you’re here.”
The other two women turned to stare at him, and he flashed them a warm smile. “No worries, ladies. I’ll help however I can. How about you tell me what happened and we’ll take it from there.”
He froze when he caught sight of the bare legs sticking out from underneath the hood. The pink skirt was hiked high on her thighs, and the overlapping accounts of what’d happened as they were driving out of town faded to the background.
He’d always liked girls on the more athletic, curvy side, and this girl’s toned legs were quite a sight to behold. Add in that she was lying on the ground in her dress, no hesitation, and she seemed like his type of girl.
“I don’t think she knows what she’s doing,” the pretty brunette said.
“Idoknow what I’m doing. It just takes more than two seconds to check things out, and I don’t have the parts to fix it hidden in the nonexistent pockets of this dress.”
That voice.
Tucker tensed, thinking he was hearing things. He took another look at the sexy legs and strappy sandals. It couldn’t be who he was thinking of.
Then again, if anyone would lie underneath a car in a dress, it’d be—
She slid out from under the vehicle and he let out an accidental “Gah!” even though his brain had been trying to tell him it would be Addie.
Since he’d just checked out her legs, his brain had also tried to insist it wasn’t.
“Tucker?”
He nodded. As if it wasn’t clear.
A smudge of dirt marked her cheek, her hair hung in loose waves around her face, and she looked so different, he still tried to make her into someone else.
His body finally caught up with the mental overload situation and he extended a hand and helped her to her feet.
“Murph,” he said, because right now he needed an extra barrier or five between his mouth and his thoughts so he didn’t go saying something highly inappropriate about her thighs. That’d make things even weirder and they needed to get back to normal, stat. “I’ve seen you bent over a hood or underneath a car many a time, but I’ve never seen you do it in a dress. I gotta say, it’s rather eye opening.”
That was a little too true. Logically he knew she was a girl, but at the same time, he had no idea.
