Chapter 6
Summer went by way too fast, and the first official day of school was in one week. We had a week of institute days, and today was the first day. I was in literal hell. I hated every moment of it and dreaded the fact that we had four more days to sit through the bullshit.
When the day ended, most of the staff stuck around to get their offices or classrooms ready, but I almost sprinted from the building.
Yazmeen thought it was hilarious, but the only thing on my mind was going to bed, not just for a nap, but for the night.
My car was damn near on two wheels when I pulled out of the staff parking lot.
Unfortunately, I’d only gotten a few miles away from the school before something felt off. My car began to feel a little lopsided and sounded strange. I pulled over to the side of the road and cut the engine.
Thankfully, it wasn’t a busy road, so I got out and slowly walked the perimeter of my car. When I got to the passenger side, both the front and rear tires were flat.
“What the hell?”
I was immediately annoyed. It was hot, I was tired, and flat tires were the last thing I felt like dealing with. I opened the front passenger side door and retrieved my phone from the cup holder. I called my father, and he answered right away.
“What’s up, baby girl?”
“Hey, Daddy. I’m stranded on the side of the road with two flat tires.”
“Oh shit. I can’t help you, Lani. Did you forget I’m out of town for work?”
My father worked as a construction manager and sometimes oversaw projects in other cities.
“Oh no. I forgot. I’ll call Sonny.”
“Keep me posted and let me know when you're home safe.”
“Okay, Daddy. Love you.”
“Love you too, baby girl.”
I quickly ended the call and went to my brother’s contact. The phone rang several times before he answered.
“Wassup, Lani? I’m kind of in the middle of something.”
“I’m stuck on the side of the road with two flat tires.”
“Shit! Umm, damn. Let me call a tow truck for you. We had a pipe burst at the spa and—”
“Oh no! You go ahead and take care of that. I can call a tow truck myself.”
“Hold on. I can’t leave you hanging like that. Did you call Jacob?”
“Yeah. Daddy’s out of town for business. It’s fine. You and the rest of the guys take care of that. I’ll call a tow truck . . . Hold on. There’s one pulling up behind me now. I’ll keep you posted.”
“Wait a minute, Lani. Don’t hang up until I know if it’s legit.”
“Sonny, I’m sure he’s legit. Plus, I always got that thang on me.” I stepped away from my car to read the side of the tow truck. “The side of the truck says, Noble Towing & Auto Repair. I’m sure he’s legit.”
“Okay. That’s the shop on 31st Street. They’re legit, but still keep me posted.”
“Will do.”
As I ended the call with my brother, I walked to the back of my car and waited for the man to get out.
When he did, I knew he was a blessing from above.
Not only was his timing perfect, but so was he.
His skin was the perfect shade of brown with tattoo-covered arms. His hair was braided in plaits with a few going down the side of his head and some going straight back.
The strong facial features he possessed drew me into a trance, and I couldn’t tear my eyes away if I tried.
“Ma’am, are you okay? Do you need help?” he asked.
“Huh?”
“I asked if you were okay and if you needed help.”
“Oh. Umm, I’m sorry. I’m fine, but I have two flat tires. The men in my family aren’t trash, but unfortunately, they’re all handling some very important things right now.”
He chuckled and gave a slight nod. “It’s cool. I’m glad to help. Let me take a look.”
He followed me to the passenger side of my car where he could see my very obviously flat tires. After kneeling to look at each of them, he turned to face me.
“It looks like both your tires have been intentionally punctured.”
“Intentionally, as in on purpose?” He nodded. “I knew what the word meant, but I’m having a hard time processing why someone would intentionally puncture my tires.”
“Can I ask where you were coming from?”
“I’ve been at work all day.”
“Where do you work?”
“OC High School. My car has been in the parking lot.”
“Maybe one of your students—”
“School doesn’t start until next week. No students were present today.”
“Well, I can admit, it does sound strange, and I could be wrong. It would be pointless to put your spare on since you have two flat tires. Because of how they’re punctured, you’ll need to replace them. The only logical thing I can do for you right now is to tow your car to the shop.”
“I guess we’ll have to do that.”
“You’re welcome to ride with me, but feel free to call an Uber if you feel safer,” he offered.
I looked him up and down, imagining him with his shirt off and sweat dripping down his chest. It probably would be safer for me to call an Uber, but I wasn’t anywhere near ready to leave his presence.
“Umm, I’ll ride you, if that’s okay.”
“I’d love for you to ride me, but it might be a little inappropriate since I’m on the job.”
“Huh? Oh shit. Please tell me I didn’t say what I think I said.”
He wore the sexiest smirk I’d ever seen in my life as he responded. “Nah, I could never lie to a pretty woman like you. You definitely offered to ride me, and I’m not turning you down. I’ll take a rain check, but the passenger seat of my truck is available for now.”
“I should be more embarrassed, but I’m not. Thank you for your help.”
“Stand over there while I move the tow truck in front of your car.”
I moved aside and watched as he positioned the tow truck to attach my car.
When he got out, he went straight to work, and I couldn’t take my eyes off him.
He wore a fitted white T-shirt that hugged his lean but muscular frame.
His khaki pants didn’t intentionally hang low, but I could see the waistband of his underwear.
I imagined what he might be packing in those pants, but I hadn’t had a chance to get a good look.
“Okay. We’re all set. Let me help you get inside.”
When he took my hand, my body began to buzz. For some reason, I realized I didn’t know the name of this sexy stranger who’d come to save the day.
With my hand still in his, I introduced myself. “I’m Noelani, by the way.”
“I’m Rowdy. It’s nice to meet you.”
“Rowdy?”
“Yeah, but you can call me Ro.”
“Rowdy is your government name?”
He nodded. “It was my father’s idea, and my mother foolishly went along with it. He’s doing life in prison, so that should tell you the type of nigga he is. I’d rather not talk about him though.”
“Understood. He chose a very unique name for you. I like it.”
“Thank you.”
He continued to hold my hand as we headed to the tow truck.
“Noelani! What is this?” a man shouted angrily behind us.
We stopped and turned around, and I was confused by Kenai’s presence.
“Umm, Kenai, what are you doing here?”
“What’s going on here?” he asked, ignoring my question.
“Umm, two of my tires are flat. He’s towing my car.”
“You’re leaving with him?” I nodded. “Do you know him?”
“Yes. Rowdy, this is Kenai. We work together at the high school.”
“It’s nice to meet you, bruh. We need to get going if you want your car fixed today,” Rowdy said.
“I’ll see you tomorrow, Kenai.”
“I don’t think you should leave with a virtual stranger. I’ll give you a ride,” Kenai offered.
“No, thank you. I’m good.”
I’d much rather take my chances with this handsome stranger than get in the car with Kenai. Once I was safely inside, I looked in the rearview mirror and Kenai remained in the same spot, glaring in my direction. He didn’t go back to his car until Rowdy pulled away from the shoulder.
“Wassup with you and buddy?” Rowdy asked.
“Tuh! Not a damn thing.” I was low-key offended by his question.
“He wants something to be up. He looked at you like you were his, and I was overstepping.”
“I don’t care how he looked at me. We’ve never dated and never will.”
“Has he ever shot his shot?”
“A couple of times, but I told him he’s not my type.”
“How’d he take it?”
I shrugged. “He had an attitude, but he’ll get over it.”
“You don’t have to take my advice since you don’t know me from Adam, but I suggest you steer clear of him. He wants you bad. I could see it in his eyes.”
“Will do.”
“Once we take care of your car situation, we can discuss where and for how long you want to ride me.”
My eyes widened as I stared straight ahead. I felt his gaze on me, but I refused to look at him. I wanted to tell him I’d ride him any time, any place, but I refrained and kept my gaze out of the passenger side window.