Page 17 of Confessions of the Funny Fat Friend

He thought my dress was pretty? I bit back a smile. “I can handle it. I wouldn't want us both being late to work.”

He glanced at his watch. “If we work on it together, I bet we can get there on time.”

Everything in me screamed that I needed to be independent. That I didn't want him to see me as any more of a charity case than he probably already did. But then Mara’s words came to mind.Let him choose his intentions.“If you're sure,” I finally said.

His grin was crooked as he stepped closer to me, taking the tire iron. “My dad would whoop me upside the head if I didn't stop to help.” He glanced toward all the cars on the road. “I'm surprised someone hasn't already.”

“That's not the way out here,” I said.

“It should be,” he replied simply and quickly spun the tire iron on the nuts. I watched as he easily removed the tire and reached for the donut. I passed it to him, watching his muscles move as he slid it over the bolts.

He tightened the lug nuts in a star pattern, just like my dad taught me. Then he lowered the jack, setting the car firmly on the ground. Tyler knew what he was doing; that much was clear. And if I was being honest, watching his muscles do the job was more than a little attractive.

He finished the bolts, making sure they were secure, and said, “You should be good to go.”

“Thanks,” I said, taking the jack and the tire iron.

“No problem.” He picked up the wounded tire. “Do you want me to take this to get it patched?”

I shook my head. “My brother works at a dealership, and he always gets our tires fixed free.”

Tyler nodded, bringing my tire to the back of my car. Once it was in place, he closed the flap over it and shut the trunk. With the job done and us standing on the side of the highway, cars whizzing by, I had no idea what to say. I was used to being alone, used to taking care of myself, but him stopping and helping, inconveniencing himself, I didn’t know how to react, how to let him know that it meant the world to me.

So I only said, “Thank you,” and moved toward the driver’s side of my car. But he reached out, touching my hand to stop me. Just that simple touch sent a jolt of electricity up my arm.

His eyes were warm on mine as he said, “If you ever get in trouble like that again, you can call me.”

I was about to tell him I had it handled, but he added, “Can I have your phone?”

“Why?” I asked, completely confused.

“So you can call me next time you’re stopped on the side of the road.”

My heart quickened. This was a fantasy—someone like Tyler demanding he cared for me. It couldn’t be true. But he extended his hand, waiting like there was no world in which he wouldn’t get exactly what he wanted.

And maybe it was what I wanted too, so I reached into my purse, which was still around my shoulders, and handed my phone to him. When he returned it, his name was saved in my contacts with a hammer beside the letters.

Chuckling, I said, “I like the emoji.”

He winked. “Just in case there are any other Tylers in your life.”

“You're the only one,” I said without thinking, and at the dimming in his eyes, I was worried I said too much.

He cleared his throat. “We better go or you’ll be late.”

A fraction of the light in his eyes returned as he said, almost to himself, “I think I was right on time.”

8

Tyler

As I pulled onto the highway, I could not get the image of Henrietta bent in front of her car out of my mind. How the fuck had no one stopped to help her? Where I was from, if you saw a lady on the side of the road, you stopped. You helped. You made sure she didn’t get so much as a finger dirty.

But the knees of her dress weren’t the only dirty thing around here. I was having less than honorable images of her bent like that in front of me. My mind had me pulling up that dark green dress, seeing the fabric slide over her full thighs.

Someone honked at me, and I realized I’d almost drifted into the next lane.Fuck, I needed to focus. My hardening cock was already aching against my jeans, for a colleague I’d barely met. I shifted to give myself some relief and did my best to focus on the road and the job at hand.

We had a lot of work to do to get started pouring the foundation for the project. It would be a lot of moving pieces, and I needed to be at my best. Playing sports in high school had helped me learn how to zone out the crowd and focus on the task in front of me, so that's exactly what I did for the rest of the day. It was harder during lunch when I had less to distract me, and even more difficult on the drive back to the complex.

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