Chapter 6
Dakota rushed out her front door Friday morning, balancing her purse, tote bag, and lunch bag. Her heart hammered in her chest,
and her black suede round-toe heels clicked along the stone path to her car. She was late, thanks to forgetting to set her
alarm last night. She had only twenty minutes before her appointment would arrive, so she had to hightail it to the store.
Impressing this bride-to-be was critical. She needed this sale.
She glanced over at a fancy SUV parked in the driveway of the large colonial Airbnb next door, but she kept moving forward.
She unlocked the back door of her car and shoved her bags in the back seat. She started to open the driver’s seat door and—
Oh no.
She halted at the sight of a flat tire.
This was the last thing she needed today. She was already running late, and now she had to change a tire in her best suit and heels. She looked up at the sky, stomped her foot, and kicked the flat tire in futility. As if that was going to help.
“Great,” she muttered, opening the front door and popping the trunk. She hurried to the back of the car and let out a groan.
Her trunk was full of bags of clothes and odds and ends she had meant to drop off at the donation center last week.
She had no choice but to unload the trunk, bag by bag. Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted the garage door opening at
the house next door. She tossed each bag down on the driveway, yanked up the trunk liner, and grabbed the tire iron and scissor
jack.
As soon as she’d gotten her learner’s permit, her father had made sure she knew how to check her oil, measure her tire pressure,
and change a tire. She could handle this, no problem—even in a nice pantsuit and heels.
“Do you need help?”
She froze, the muscles in her neck and back tensing. She recognized that voice. Dakota peeked around the trunk and, sure enough,
found Hudson Garrity standing on the strip of grass separating her yard from the Airbnb.
Not again.
She straightened, maintaining a death grip on her tools. “What are you doing in my driveway?”
He scowled. “You live here?”
“Obviously.” She glanced around, and her stomach sank as she took in the open garage next door. “Don’t tell me—”
“We’re neighbors? Okay, I won’t, even though it appears to be true.”
What were the chances her ex-fiancé would be staying at the house next door? And that he was the owner of that impressive
SUV? Coupled with his upscale black credit card, it looked like Hudson had achieved his dream of making a lot of money.
Well, good for him.
Her nostrils flared.
Hudson pointed to the car. “You have a flat tire.”
“Thanks, Hud, but I already figured that out on my own.” She lifted the tire iron.
He took a step toward her. “Need some help?”
“Nope. This isn’t my first flat.”
He gestured toward her. “You’re not exactly dressed for the task.” He brushed his hands down his black hoodie and faded jeans—which
fit him oh so well. “Let me do it for you.”
“No, thanks. I’m sure you have more important things to do today.” She shooed him away with her hand. But despite her brush-off,
he was beside her in a few long strides. She shot him another dark look. “I don’t need your help, Hudson.”
He shook his head. “Some things never change.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” she demanded.
“Stubborn as always.” He held out his hand. “Give me the tire iron, Dakota.”
She huffed a breath and for a moment considered telling him off. But she was running out of time. If she was late for her
appointment, she could lose this customer—and as much as she didn’t want Hudson’s help, he could change the tire faster than
she could. After all, last time she’d changed her own tire, she’d spent a lot of time fighting with the lug nuts. Plus, if
she smudged grease on her suit, she’d have to change her clothes—which would no doubt make her late.
Her shoulders slumped as she handed over the tire iron. “Fine.”
Squatting down, he slipped the tire iron onto the first lug nut and spun it as if the lug nut had never been tightened. As
he loosened the remaining lug nuts, she folded her arms over her middle and observed the muscles in his shoulders flexing
under his hoodie.
Hudson stood up to his full height and pushed a hand through his short dark hair. Then he scooted around the car, returned with the scissor jack, and quickly lifted the car. After removing the flat tire, he slipped on the spare and replaced the lug nuts.
“How long have you lived here?” he asked, tightening everything into place.
“A little over a year.”
He lowered the car and shielded his eyes from the sun. “What’s your cat’s name?”
Had he been spying on her? “How’d you know I have a cat?”
He pointed to the window. “I think that’s his favorite place to sit. He was there when I got home last night and the night
before.”
“Trouble.”
He rolled the flat tire toward her trunk. “What?”
“His name. It’s Trouble.”
Hudson actually smiled, and her stupid, traitorous heart skipped a beat.
He leaned the tire against the bumper and then loaded the scissor jack and the tire iron. “I’m sure the folks at Barton Automotive
can fix the flat. I could even drop it off for you.”
“Why do you care?”
He sighed. “Do you need me to take the tire for you or not, Dakota?”
“Nope. I got it.”
“Fine.” He loaded the tire into her trunk, then reached around the flat and pulled out an old towel that must have fallen
out of one of the donation bags. “Can I wipe my hands on this?”
“Sure.” She began placing the bags of donations into the back seat. She would have to drop them off today on her way home.
When he closed the trunk, she faced him, and they stared at each other for a moment. But enough was enough—she had to get going. She pulled her keys from her pocket, and they jingled. “Thanks, Hudson.”
“You’re welcome, Dakota.” Nodding, he started toward his SUV. She couldn’t help but notice that his faded jeans, simple hoodie,
and sneakers were a stark contrast to his expensive-looking vehicle.
Her hands shaking, she hopped into the driver’s seat and motored out of her driveway. She ended up at her shop with only two
minutes to spare.
***
Later that evening, Dakota flipped off the lights in her store, turned the Open sign to Closed, and locked the front door.
Relief wound through her as she made her way to the back door. Today had been the most successful day she’d had in more than
a month. She’d managed to sell the new client a gown, and she’d even found bridesmaids’ dresses she liked. The woman also
said she’d send her groom back with his attendants for their tuxedos.
Layla had finally come by in the afternoon for her first fitting, and though Dakota hadn’t been able to get Hudson out of
her mind most of the day, she had managed to steer their conversation away from Layla’s older brother. More than anything
Dakota just wanted to go home, flop on her couch, and veg out, but she had less than two hours to get ready for her skating
students.
After powering down her computer and turning off her office light, Dakota slipped out the back door and drove down the block
to Barton Automotive. She paid for her tire repair before Carter Donovan installed it for her. She was grateful he had been
able to fix it, and the cost was much less than a new tire would have been.
When she walked back out to her car, a delectable whiff of coffee filled her senses, and she gazed down the street toward Bloom’s. Her thoughts turned to Hudson once again, and she imagined he liked his coffee black like his heart. She snickered.
Then another thought hit her. Hudson had gone out of his way this morning to change her tire for her. Without his assistance,
she would’ve struggled to do it herself and most likely would’ve had to either change her clothes or call her father for help.
But now that Hud had helped her, she felt indebted to him, which made her uncomfortable. She didn’t want to owe him anything,
and she certainly didn’t want him to think she still had feelings for him. Giving him the wrong impression would make the
situation even more awkward now that he was staying next door.
One way to solve that was to get him a gift card for the coffee shop as a thank-you. That way, she’d no longer owe him, but
she’d be showing him gratitude for his help—something her mother had always taught her to do. Sending thank-you notes was
important, and a simple gift card would do the trick.
Dakota drove to the coffee shop and parked in front. Then she hurried up the sidewalk and inside the coffee shop before taking
her spot in line to purchase a gift card.
***
Later Dakota nosed her car into the driveway. After leaving the coffee shop, she had dropped off the donations, but now she
had to eat something, change, and hurry off to the rink. It would be a long night, since after she and Kayleigh gave their
lessons, Dakota planned to stay past closing time to help Kayleigh, Brice, and the rest of the team decorate for tomorrow’s
’80s night.
Turning toward the colonial next door, she saw the empty driveway. While she was grateful Hudson wasn’t home, her curiosity
got the best of her. Was he having supper with his aunt and sister?
She removed the gift card from the side pocket of her purse, located a pen, and then wrote on the envelope: “Thanks for your help with the tire. Enjoy a cup of coffee on me. Sincerely, Dakota.”
After grabbing a tape dispenser from the desk in her office, she zipped over to the colonial and taped the gift card to the
storm door. Then she scampered back to her house, thankful to have avoided another run-in with him. When he found the gift
card, they would be square.
She returned to her house and fed her yammering cat before changing into jeans and a t-shirt. She made a turkey sandwich and
leaned against the counter to eat while watching the news and scrolling through social media on her phone.
When her phone chimed with a text, she pulled up a message from Parker.
Sorry I haven’t texted. It’s been crazy at work. Would love to see you again.
Dakota swallowed the last bite of her sandwich. She kneaded her forehead and considered her niece’s words about how she’d
spend the rest of her life alone if she didn’t make time for a relationship. Despite Skye’s words, Dakota wasn’t convinced
she could create a connection with Parker if it wasn’t already there.
At the same time, Parker was easy to talk to and genuine, which were qualities she admired.
Dakota poised her thumbs over the phone and began to type:
Maybe we can plan something for next week? Things should slow down for me.
Conversation bubbles appeared almost immediately.
Sounds great. I’ll reach out next week.
After setting her plate in the dishwasher, she sighed. Maybe Skye was right and she needed to get back into the dating game.
But if that was true, then why did she feel so reluctant?