“Yes, please. The tire blew and I don’t have the strength to change it. I’m already embarrassingly late.”
Daniel pulled over, grabbed his jack, and crouched by her car.
“Don’t worry. Ten minutes and you’re back on the road.”
She watched in silence while he worked, almost studying him. He avoided her eyes, feeling time breathing down his neck—yet helping her strangely calmed him, like the universe giving him a tiny break.
“Important appointment?” she asked.
“Yes, ma’am. Very important. And you?”
“First day in a new position, and I’m already late,” she said with a small, self-conscious laugh. “Great first impression, right?”
“Sometimes days that start bad still end well,” he said. “At least, that’s what I’m hoping.”
When he finished tightening the lug nuts, he wiped his hands on a rag and finally looked at her. She held his gaze a beat too long.
“Thank you. What’s your name?”
“Daniel. Daniel Carter.”
“Thank you, Daniel. I don’t know what I would’ve done without you.”
“Well, you’d be late. Like me,” he joked.
“Go,” he added. “Good luck with the new job.”