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She drank in how his jeans hugged his trim waist and how his dark t-shirt stretched over a wide chest. Those dark eyes were captivating. She had to crane her neck to take in his full height.
Oh, I love a tall guy.
Carter raised his eyebrows, and she realized she was staring at him—again. Surely her face was going to catch fire.
“My dad would love your SUV.” The words slipped out of her mouth before she could stop them.
He lifted the hood on the Suburban. “I guess he’s into old Chevrolet trucks?”
“Old?”
He grinned, and like nearly all hot guys, he showed her a crooked smile. “It’s a 2005, so I wouldn’t consider it new.” He pointed one of the clamps toward her car. “Can you pop your hood?”
She slipped back into the driver seat and did as she was told before rejoining him at the front of her car.
He tilted his head and scanned her car. His focus moved back to the engine, and he nodded. “This is a beautiful Lexus.”
“Thanks.” Heat prickled her neck, and she felt the strange need to explain how she could afford such a nice car. “It was my mom’s. She wanted to trade it in for a newer vehicle, and I offered to buy it since my Honda needed a lot of work.”
“Has it given you trouble before?”
“Yes.” She grimaced as more embarrassment filled her. “It didn’t want to start a few days ago. I meant to stop by the auto parts store to have them test the battery, but I had this big project at work, so I forgot.” Just like she forgot to mention it to her dad before her parents left for the beach on Saturday.
Carter connected the positive clamp to the Lexus’s battery terminal before connecting the positive clamp to his battery terminal. He followed the same procedure with the negative clamps and then climbed into his SUV. His engine came to life, and another country music song serenaded her. Then he turned off the radio and came to stand next to her. “Want to try starting it?”
“Here goes nothing,” she whispered as she returned to the driver’s seat. She closed her eyes before hitting the button. But instead of her engine purring to life, she only heard the Suburban continue to rumble. She looked toward Carter, who was frowning.
Darcy checked her watch. It was already nine thirty. Nerves now swarmed her stomach. She was running out of time before her presentation.
Carter killed his engine and removed the jumper cables from the vehicles before tossing them into his back seat. He joined her at the driver’s side door of her car and crouched down beside her. “My guess? It’s either the battery or the starter.”
“And you can only know for sure by testing them,” she finished.
“Right.” He tapped her door. “Do you want me to have it towed for you?”
“I don’t have a choice, do I?” Darcy pinched the bridge of her nose.
He shook his head. “I’ll call the tow truck driver we use for our shop. He lives around here. If he isn’t on another job, he can be here quickly.”
“That would be perfect, because I have an important presentation to give at work in under an hour. I need to get there as quickly as possible.”
“Where would you like it towed?”
Anxiety pressed down on her shoulders, and she tried to think. Once the car was towed, she’d still need another car, and the only way to get one would be to use a car service or call her parents and ask to borrow one of theirs.
“My parents are on vacation and probably took my mom’s car with them. I could have my car towed to their house, but then I’d be stuck there.” She wrung her hands. “I’m not comfortable driving my dad’s cars.” She took a deep breath. “I mean, he has a brand-new Corvette Stingray or his Porsche Cayenne. And you know how Charlotte rush-hour traffic is. Plus I’d be mortified if someone dinged his doors in the crazy parking garage at work.” Why was she sharing so much information with a complete stranger? Shut up, Darcy! “Anyway, I need my car fixed right away.”
“I can look at it for you today, if you want.”
Her gaze snapped to his. “You can?”
“Sure. We’re not that busy at our shop. I’m not trying to pressure you though. If you have a mechanic you prefer and trust, go with them. You won’t hurt my feelings.”
“The only mechanic I know is my dad.” She studied Carter’s earnest expression, and for some strange reason she trusted him.
She shook herself. She didn’t even know this man!
She looked at her watch again, and her heart lurched. She needed to figure this out fast. “Let’s have it towed to your shop.”
