Alex stared down at the flat repair kit, turning it over in his hands and looking about as irritated as I probably did when I discovered the useless thing in the trunk.

"This came with your car?"

"Yep." I nodded. "Well, at least I think it did. I don't know else it got there."

"A repair kit instead of a spare tire," he muttered under his breath. "What has the auto industry come to?"

"I'd like to know that as well," I answered with a smile, pleased with the fact that my rescuer was showing all the signs of being a normal, everyday good guy with only the best of intentions.

In just the few minutes and minimal conversation we'd shared since he strolled up to me with that tire iron in hand, my stomach had settled significantly, and I was ready to move onto the next part of the day. The one where I somehow made it back home in one piece and the matter of my car was handled.

With a weighted sigh, Alex tossed the repair kit back in the trunk and shut it. Then he looked up, his eyes meeting mine. Still mostly bright but holding a touch of concern now.

"Where do you live?" he asked.

"Not far." I shrugged, keeping my voice casual as I chose my words carefully. Even nice people don't need to know your location. "A short drive but too long to walk."

He nodded and took a few steps around the car, closing some of the distance between us with a confident stride, his face looking busy in that manly trying to find the next solution way. "Do you have someone that can come pick you up?"

"Uhm, yes," I offered slowly, my head running through the small list of people to call. If it only involved a ride, Leann was probably my best bet, so that was taken care of. But then I looked down at the busted tire. "I'm just not sure what to do about–"

"The car, right," he finished for me. "Well, this isn't exactly my expertise..." He looked down at the tire and rubbed a calloused hand over his smooth jaw. I couldn't help studying the clothes he was wearing, wondering what his expertise was. He was giving off a slightly rugged feel with his dirty, dark wash jeans and a casual black t-shirt, muscular arms that had seen some sunshine. "But I can tell you that you're gonna need a tow."

Those last words had me blinking out of my reverie. "A tow?" My stomach sank. Even if I knew it was the next logical move here, it was coming up as more phone calls and more stress. "Great..."

"Hey, don't worry." Alex laughed, showing off that smile again. As the sun peeked out from a cloud overhead, his blue eyes seemed to sparkle in the light. "Most auto shops will have a tow company on call and they'll take care of it for you."

"Oh, okay." I blew out a relieved breath of air. That was one less phone call to make, at the very least. "You wouldn't happen to know of an auto shop nearby would you?"

Disappointment furrowed his brow. "I can't say I do. I'm pretty new to the area."

Well, crap.

Wait.

New to the area?

I went immediately on alert, forgetting where I was and how nice Alex had been to that point. All I heard in my head, over and over again, was that he was new to the area.

New to the area. Like the Amato guys that had just come into town from Chicago? Against my good sense, my mind started reeling.

My instincts were so well intact that it didn't matter to me how Dante said they would only be wandering between Fairhaven or Brighton as they prepared for the job in Philly. Or that they'd be keeping a low profile. It didn't matter that people moved to new towns all the time and it was never associated with criminal activity.

At that particular time, new people equated danger, and I couldn't quite shake the prejudice I'd built up in my head over the last few weeks since my brother's warning.

"Why are you new here?" I blurted out like an idiot, quickly regretting my tone and the awkward rudeness. "I mean, um..." I cleared my throat and tried to recover, adding a touch of friendliness to my voice. "Where are you from?"

Alex regarded me with caution for a few anxious heartbeats, before brushing off the weirdness I'd brought to the atmosphere. He ran a hand through his hair. The cut was just long enough for his fingers to get lost in the dark strands.

"Upstate New York, originally," he finally answered. "A town so small you'd miss it if you blinked."

The tightness in my chest released a bit, and I nodded. "But you live here in Renlow Park now?"

He hesitated, eyes sharing the same wariness mine probably had when he asked me the same question, so I could hardly judge his hesitance to answer. Especially when I'd already made a weirdo of myself. But after another moment, he relented.

"Temporarily," he explained, voice soft and serious. He gestured in the general direction past the grocery store and added, "My brother owns a restaurant up the road from here. He's having some trouble getting it off its feet, so I'm here to help him out for a while."

"Oh, that's..." My shoulders fell but not in just relief at his words. Guilt wracked through me, and I felt horrible for making assumptions on a stranger I didn't know from Adam. A stranger who had stopped to help me in my time of need. I'd doubted his goodness after being on the receiving end of it. What kind of damaged person does that? What had my fear turned me into? "That's so nice of you."

"I'm just doing what I can," he said, smiling as he shoved his hands in his pockets. Rocking on his heels a little, he took a look around. "Ya know, with all these businesses nearby, we must be close to one who can help you out here. Might not even need to pay extra for a tow if they're willing to come change the tire real quick."

My heart picked up a beat of excitement. "That would be fantastic."

"It also just occurred to me that I don't know your name," he said.

"Oh, right," I laughed, turning to face him better. "It's Davina."

"Davina..." He said my name nice and slow, sounding out all the syllables as though he was tasting them. The sound beamed over my skin like sunshine. "That's a pretty name."

"Thanks," I exhaled a short breath and felt a blush cover my face.

Alex extended his hand toward me, and I let him take mine, enjoying the warmth of it and the way he squeezed gently but firm. "Nice to meet you, Davina."

A genuine smile touched my lips. "Nice to meet you, too."

And just like that, we'd officially met and the search was back on as he glanced across the road at the adjacent shopping center.

I followed his eyeline, knowing I'd only half looked earlier when the distress was high, and after some more thorough observation this time, I found luck was finally on my side.

Duke's Tire & Auto sat across the busy main road like a lighthouse of hope, connected to an old gas station. Alex and I spotted it at the same time.

He let out a celebratory, "Fuck yeah!" at the same exact time I said, "Oh, thank goodness," and our eyes met with a laugh before we both looked away.

Pulling out my phone, a quick Google search got me a phone number. It also let me know that Duke's wasn't open at the moment, but it had only just closed, so Alex said I should go ahead and call anyway.

Someone named Kip answered. He told me that he'd just locked up. But my spirits didn't even have a chance to deflate before he asked me to tell him what happened. I guess I sounded panicked enough for him to give me a chance. How nice.

"Well, my tire bit the dust right over at the Shop-Rite." I leaned against my car and explained.

Alex took station beside me, one leg crossed casually over the other as he stared at me on the phone with keen interest in his eyes. They brushed over my face like a careful stroke of paint, the calmest of blue, and I had to look away from his penetrating gaze to give Kip my full attention. 

Was that the sun making everything feel extra fucking warm? 

Focus, Davina. 

"Any chance you could replace it for me?" I asked Kip.

"Oh, for sure," he quickly reassured me. "Depending on what kind of car you've got and what tire you need, I could probably get you all fixed up by tomorrow afternoon."

"Really?" I swear, I felt like flying. "That would be amazing."

"It's not a problem at all," Kip said. "Let me just get some information from you and then you'll need to drop your key off in the box out front of the shop. Is that alright?"

"That's perfect. I can do that."

After giving him the information he needed, I hung up the phone with a giddy sigh of relief. "Well, that was quick and easy."

"It sure was," Alex said, staring up at the sky with a smile as I stared up at him. It was such a nice smile, and I wasn't sure if I was just riding the high of happy adrenaline now that my car issue had been resolved, but I felt like I was standing with a friend.

My eyes lifted to the sky as well, inhaling a deep breath. The air around us grew quiet as we remained there in the parking lot, leaning side by side against my car, wondering what came next.

There was a brief moment when it felt like we were standing maybe too close, given we'd just met and hardly knew each other, but I couldn't bring myself to move right away and neither could he. A long moment of calm silence passed before one of us spoke again.

"So..." He looked over at me, eyes searching mine, his voice hesitant. "Do you mind if I wait with you until your ride gets here? I don't want you to be alone."

Aww, that's so...

Hang on.

"My ride..." The reminder brought me back to reality. "Shit, I have to text my friend."

I pulled my phone out and sent an SOS to Leann. She responded almost instantly.

Leann: What the hell are you doing all the way out there?!

Leann: I'm already on my way. Are you alone?!

I spared a quick glance at Alex and felt a little shimmer.

Me: I'm not alone.

Leann: Did your mother send you there for those stupid apples?

Leann: Caterina Harlow has no chill! 

Leann: See you soon.

I rolled my eyes at her string of replies, already hating how the explanation was going to go. Not to mention the fact that she'd be seeing me with Alex when she pulled up since I was definitely going to take him up on his offer.

"All squared away?" he asked, pulling my attention back up to those sparkly blue eyes.

"Yes." I nodded and stuffed my phone back in my pocket. "And no, I wouldn't mind at all if you waited with me."

That smile again. "Good." Then he tipped his chin toward my front seat. "I'll grab your groceries. You lock up."

***

Shortly thereafter, Leann was expected any minute and I found myself wishing her drive was longer. How was that even possible?

After things took such a bad turn with the tire, I was sure nothing could help turn it around, but spending even minimal time with Alex had improved my day far more than I expected.

We sat on a bench at the entrance of Shop-Rite, exchanging casual conversation about the weather and lemonade and how he was lucky enough to have a car that came with a spare tire.

He told me he worked in construction, specifically roofing, which explained the tan and those rough hands. And I told him how I'd never been to New York.

He seemed happy to steer the conversation back in that direction, telling me about playing baseball with his brother when they were little. I sensed a touch of homesickness in his storytelling, and I could only hope the two of them would get plenty of bonding in while he was in town helping with the restaurant.

When Leann finally pulled up, my limbs dragged as I came to my feet, not quite ready to leave but knowing it was time. I glanced through the open passenger window, catching my best friend's eyes about the size of dinner plates, her gaze beaming between me and Alex.

I turned to snag his attention before he saw the embarrassing display. "Thank you, again," I said to him as I clutched my grocery bags and let the air settle around us one last time.

"You're welcome." He scrubbed a hand over his mouth. "Even though I didn't really do much."

"Trust me," I assured him. "Keeping me company was more helpful than you can even imagine."

"Good. I'm glad to hear that," he smiled, all perfect teeth and good vibes. His eyes swept carefully over my face again and then he cleared his throat. "Well, I hope everything goes alright with the car."

"Thanks." I turned toward Leann's SUV and reached for the handle, giving Alex one last glance before I climbed in. "Bye."

He waved. "See ya."

When I got into the car, the first thing I told Leann was that we needed to swing over to the auto shop across the street and drop my key off. 

She nodded, staying quiet, so I settled into the passenger side. I pulled my seatbelt on, the sound a reverberating click in the unusual, dead quiet of my best friend's vehicle.

The drive across the street was quiet. The first two minutes of the drive home were quiet, too. 

And then...

"Who. The fuck. Was that?!"