Next - Second Chances

CHAPTER 10

Nolan rested against the back of the car facing oncoming traffic so he could keep an eye out for the tow truck. His headache was pounding again, likely from lack of food and water, and he cursed his lazy Sunday plans being thwarted. He should be halfway through a steak burger and a beer by now. Maybe even a side of onion rings if he felt like it, and if the waitress was hot.

Instead, he was sitting on the edge of the road with a broken car, an empty stomach, and a raging headache. The promised fifteen minutes when the guy on the phone said he would be here had gone by, and it was nearly thirty before he saw a tow truck approaching.

“Thank f**k,” he cursed as he pushed himself away from the car with his hips and waved at the truck as it drove past and parked in front of him. He was walking towards the truck when his feet stopped working, and he stood staring at who climbed out.

Nick fished the docket from her pocket and grabbed her tools from the back of the truck before she looked up and saw Nolan standing in front of the car, his face a picture of shock.

“It’s you!” he said, his voice soft with surprise. His eyes were wide, eyebrows almost up to his hairline and his mouth was agape.

Nick was quick to recover and continued walking towards the car. “What’s the problem with the car?”

Nolan frowned. Didn’t she remember him? He thought he saw a flare of recognition when she approached, and now she was smiling, but it was a professional friendly smile. Not one that said “I know what your d**k tastes like.”

“Uh…I dunno, it just stopped when I came onto the highway.”

Nick leaned in under the hood and tried to focus on what was in front of her, instead of the tall drink of hotness standing next to her. He was wearing faded jeans that looked like they were one wash from falling apart, and they were moulded to his legs in the most enticing way. On top, he had on a plain grey t-shirt that looked impossibly soft, and she really wanted to run her hands down his chest to feel his stomach muscles twitch under her hands.

It was then she realized she was wearing her overalls, top half tied around her waist, a faded black, almost grey fitted t-shirt, a pair of safety goggles perched on her head and likely more than a few grease stains on her face. She wished she had been prepared for this encounter, but then she realized if she had known it was going to happen, she would have done everything she could to avoid it.

“Nothing obvious I can fix from here,” she said, though she hadn't really taken too much time to look. “I’ll have to take it into the garage.”

“Ok.”

Nick walked back to the truck without another word and Nolan watched her take some papers out of the door pocket and shuffle through them. She started filling in some details as she slowly ambled back to where he was standing, and he got to see how her body moved under her t-shirt which made him want to reach out to her.

“I just need some details, then I’ll get you hooked up,” she said as she continued to write.

“Ok, sure.”

“Name?” she asked without looking up and Nolan narrowed his eyes at her.

“Nolan Chance.”

“I’ll need to run some tests and figure out exactly what is wrong with it, then we can give you a cost estimate.”

“Seems like this is going to be an expensive lunch,” Nolan muttered, and he put his hands into his pockets as he rocked back on his heels.

“I need your number and address.”

“Need it huh?” he said and saw how she glanced up at him with a frown. Oh, she knew it was him. She definitely knew, he decided, and he grinned.

“Here, let me write all my info down for you,” he said and held his hand out for her to give him the paper.

She looked up and hesitated, then handed him the page and pen. When their hands touched, he caught the flush on her neck as it rose up to her cheeks, but she quickly looked away and started preparing the car to winch it onto the back of the truck.

Nolan added all his info to the page, then walked to her truck and put it on the passenger-side seat before he slowly went back to stand near her. She was crouched under the car connecting the winch, and he watched as she slipped the gear into neutral, took the keys out of the ignition and went back to the controls on the back of the truck.

“Here,” she said, and she held the keys out to him. Nolan took them, again making sure his fingers drew across her palm for as long as was reasonable.

Nick focused on getting the car into place on the back of the truck, then walked around inspecting it one last time.

“So, do I get a lift?”

“I can take you back to Madison, or you can come to the garage and get a cab there.”

Nolan grinned and nodded his head. “Sounds perfect.”

Nick clenched her jaw and walked around to the driver’s side. By the time he climbed in and buckled up, she was ready to go. She hit the GPS and selected home and started following the directions. Nolan watched the map on the screen and the road signs go by with a half smile, then turned to her.

“Do you need a GPS to get back?” he asked.

“No,” she said without elaborating.

“You just like to know the time it will take?” he tried again.

“No.”

Nolan smiled. She was really going to make him work for it. “So why do you use the GPS?”

“Security.”

Nolan frowned. “How so?”

“My business partner can see the location, and the journey in progress. He knows when I arrive and when I leave and if I deviate from the track he will be alerted.”

“Smart.”

She glanced at him to see if he was mocking her, but he was nodding slowly and looking at her with something akin to admiration. She looked back at the road and tried not to think about how good he smelt, or how broad and inviting his chest was. She was starting to get a headache, her jaw was sore from the clenching and her hands had a vice-like grip on the wheel. Thankfully, Nolan wasn’t talking anymore, but he seemed calm and pleased with himself, which irritated her no end.