Page 7 of As They Are
She hummed. “It’s one of the best things anyone can know. You never know when you’ll need it. My dad taught me.”
“Do you at least need a ride somewhere?”
She sighed. “The only place I need to go is my friend’s house and then a tire shop. The spare’ll work for the first thing, but the second is a little too far for friendly help from a stranger.” Her hand ran over the treads of the flat tire before she leaned back down. “Found it. I must’ve hit a nail. That’s ironic.”
“Why’s it ironic?”
She stood and lifted the spare tire onto her shoulder like it was nothing. “I work in construction. It’s probably a miracle that I haven’t had this happen before, but it gives me a chance to figure out how to plug a tire.”
That was when I realized she was not only fucking gorgeous but also smart. Practical. Could fix all of her own problems.
And she was way,wayout of my league.
In the time that I spent staring at her, she had loosened the lug nuts enough to get to the next step. She looked up at me from her crouched position.
“Need something?”
“Uh, no,” I said. “I was just ... Sorry. I just didn’t want you to be alone while fixing this.”
“I’m sure no one else will come by, but thanks.”
It was a clear dismissal, even to me. I shifted on my feet. I wanted to stay to make sure she was able to get back on the road, but I also wanted more time to talk to her. A woman likeher didn’t show up in a town like this that often. I wondered if I would ever even see her again.
“Still. Moral support and all that.”
She raised an eyebrow. “Are you sure you’re not watching to see if I mess this up?”
My eyes widened. “What? Why would I do that?”
“I’m changing a tire. I’m a woman.”
“Clearly you’re a woman ... I still don’t understand what the implication is.”
Her lips pursed and she got onto her stomach in order to position the portable jack under the truck. “It’s not a typical job a woman does. And a lot of guys like to make sure it’s done right or whatever.”
Horror dawned on me. “N-no, absolutely not! You obviously know more than I do. I’m just here because ...” I trailed off. If I were being honest, I didn’t want to leave. But a woman who was alone changing a tire being watched by a man who didn’t want to leave? Yeah, that didn’t seem the best.
“Because what?” She got back onto her feet and removed all of the lug nuts with ease and finesse.
“We take care of people here,” I finished. “It’s pretty rude to leave someone stranded on the side of the road before making sure they can get somewhere. It’s like driving off before the person gets into their house.”
She paused to look up at me and then back down to the tire. “Been a while since I’ve been around people who do that.”
I put my hands in my pockets to keep myself from fiddling with the sleeve of my shirt. “Let me be the first to say welcome.”
She huffed out a laugh and pulled off the popped tire. “Thanks. Mind being useful and holding this?”
She rolled it to me. I grabbed it and held it still. “See? I have a use other than just standing here.”
“You’re right. I’m sorry I doubted you.” She put the spare in place. It took her barely any time at all to get it on the truck. Then she lowered the vehicle.
Themuscleson this woman. Construction had done a lot for her.
“I think I’ve got it now. Thanks for hanging out with me.”
“Need to go far to see your friend?”
“Thankfully, no. I should be good now.”
