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He chuckled. “Well, it’s not exactly my shop. My brother-in-law and his folks own it, but I’m one of the mechanics.”
“Where is it?”
“On Main Street in Flowering Grove.”
“My best friend’s boyfriend is from Flowering Grove. I love Treasure Hunting Antique Mall.”
“The shop is close to that store.” He stood and pulled his phone from his pocket. “I’ll call the driver now.” He leaned on the grill of his Suburban, dialed the phone, and began talking. When his eyes met hers, they seemed to twinkle.
Darcy’s phone buzzed with a text, and she found a message from her manager.
Meredith: How’s it going?
Darcy poised her thumbs over her phone, but her fingers froze in place while she debated what to tell Meredith. A tow truck was on the way, but how long would it take? She had expected her doctor’s visit to be quick, but she’d never imagined getting stranded before her big meeting.
“Fred will be here soon.”
Darcy lifted her chin as Carter leaned on the driver’s side door. “Thanks.”
“Is there someone who can pick you up?”
She moved her fingers over the steering wheel. She could reach out to Haven’s boyfriend, but he worked forty-five minutes away. “No.” She held up her phone. “I can call for a rideshare.”
“Where do you work?”
“Uptown Charlotte. Not too far from here.”
“I can drop you off.”
Darcy studied Carter’s expression and once again was surprised by how much she trusted him. At the same time, she could hear her mother’s admonishing voice in her mind:
You got in the car with a stranger, Darcy Jane Larsen? Didn’t I teach you better than that? It’s a wonder you didn’t wind up on the news!
And yet... it would be foolish to turn him down, considering her time crunch. “You sure?”
He shrugged. “It’s not out of the way for me.”
“I appreciate it. I’ll reimburse you for gas.”
He shook his head. “No need.” His phone rang, and he examined it. “I’m sorry. It’s my brother-in-law.” He held it up to his ear. “Hey, man.” He listened as he walked over to his SUV and leaned on the fender. “I’ll be on my way soon. What do we need from the store?”
She shot off a text to her manager:
Darcy: My car is dead, but a tow truck is on the way. I also have a ride set up. Hope to be there in less than thirty minutes.
Meredith: Sounds good. See you soon.
She slipped her phone into her purse before retrieving her laptop bag. She climbed out of the car just as Carter wrapped up his call and slipped his phone into his back pocket. When he smiled, she felt a strange flutter in her stomach.
“Gage is sending me a shopping list.”
“Your brother-in-law?”
“Yeah. He’s been married to my sister for six years now.” He rubbed his chin. “Time sure does fly.”
“Right,” she said, even though she had just been thinking about how time didn’t fly. Instead, it had frozen for her when Jace had died. How odd that Carter would comment on something she had just thought of less than an hour ago. She held out her key fob. “I guess you need this.”
“Thanks.” When Carter took the key, her fingers brushed against his warm skin. His eyes drifted over her face. “So what do you do besides get stranded in parking lots?”
