Sunday, 10:30 am
I was sitting inside my favorite Boulder coffee shop, The Daily Grind, sipping a mug of plain coffee as I proofread my latest book. I'd been there for hours and my eyes were bleary from staring at the tablet screen. I looked up and saw a very put-together blonde in her middle years standing at the counter. I idly gazed at her as she stirred cream into her coffee. She had a great figure - legs obviously toned from hours of tennis, a trim waist, and perky tits about the size of grapefruit halves. A deepwater tan said she was also a woman of leisure, probably an heiress or a divorcee with a wealthy ex.
I looked back down at the screen, but my brain was cooked. I knew I wouldn't type another word today. I should have left 30 minutes ago. But I stayed, hoping for a break in the weather. I'd ridden my bike to the coffee shop when there wasn't a cloud in the sky. Now, it was pouring rain. And I'd left my rain gear at home. You'd think I'd know better after 37 years of living in Colorado.
I watched the woman zip the collar of her cotton tennis jacket up around her neck. She must not have had rain gear, either. Then, she pushed the door open and was gone.
The rain was in no hurry to stop. Time to go, I decided. Carefully, I slipped the tablet into its case. I gave it to Jennifer, the counterperson, and told her I'd come back for it later.
"Cool," she said. "I'll take care of it for you, Logan. Thanks for coming in!"
I was dressed in Levi 501s and a thin, tight white t-shirt from my favorite surf shop. I was soaked to the skin before I could even get my bike lock opened. Resignedly, I began to pedal across the mini-mall parking lot when I saw the woman standing by her car with an umbrella. There was a jack and a tire iron on the ground next to the deflated rear tire of a silver Range Rover. I peddled over to have a look.
"Got a punctured tire?!" I asked her, instantly realizing what a moronic thing that was to say.
"No, I let the air out myself so I could enjoy standing in the rainstorm and changing my goddamn tire!"
It was cuttingly sarcastic, but I didn't take offense. She seemed sweet, just frustrated. And, I'll forgive a beautiful woman almost anything.
"I deserved that. Clearly, I felt the need to express my keen perception of the obvious."
She looked at me for the first time and laughed.
"I'm sorry I was snippy. I just called Triple A and the dispatcher said they couldn't send a truck out to me until noon, at least. I thought I could change it myself, but I really don't know where to begin! Just a fool in the rain, I guess..."
"Go back in the coffee shop, get yourself warmed up. I'll change it for you. Give me the keys, too, so I can drive it around to the front, like a valet. That way, you won't have to get any more wet."
"That's a very kind offer, especially after I was so bitchy to you. I'll take it. But I'm gonna stand here and hold the umbrella for you."
"I'm already soaked to the skin. I can't get any wetter. Go inside, drink your coffee. I'll be by to pick you up in a jiffy."
"And I thought chivalry was dead," she said as she handed me the keys. "What's your name?"
"Logan"
"June Swan. Pleased to meet you Logan. You're my knight in shining armor!"
She offered a moist hand. I gave it a gentle shake. We made eye contact, and I was a little surprised at how that little exchange lifted my spirits. I guess it had been a long time since I'd felt appreciated by a woman.
June walked off toward the coffee shop and I went to work on the tire. But as I busted the first lug nut loose, my forearms and biceps straining at the task, I noticed she had stopped to watch me. Before I could really look over, though, she turned on her heel and made a beeline toward the coffee store awning. She moved with a smooth gait, like a race horse, and looked as good going as she did coming.
I broke the other four nuts loose and fitted the jack into the jack hole below the door sill. I cranked the big SUV up about a foot then spun the loose nuts off the wheel. I pulled the tire and wheel free and went to the back to get the spare. Wrestling the Range Rover's road-dirty tires in the rain got my jeans and shirt filthy. But in only a few minutes, I had the car off the jack and ready to go.
I didn't want to stain the luxury SUV's soft glove leather seats with my dirty clothing. So, I popped open the rear hatch and found a plaid wool blanket stuffed under the rear bench seat. Placing it over the driver's seat, I fired the big V-8 up and drove it to the front of the shop. June came out and I held the door for her.
"Thanks so, so much. Can I give you a $20 for your trouble?" she said.
"No trouble," I said. "I can't take your money. Besides, I'll get repaid in good karma!"
I turned and walked off to get my bike, which I'd left in the lot. She pulled up beside me and said, "Let me give you a ride home. It's the least I can do!"
I wasn't going to argue. After wrestling the bike into the cargo compartment, I got in. June had already placed the plaid blanket over the passenger seat and had the heat on and blasting. I told her where I lived.
"Listen, would you mind if we stopped by my house? I left a stock pot simmering on the stove, and I'm a little worried it might have boiled dry by now."
"Sure, no problem. It's Sunday...I got all day."
Stevie Nicks was playing on KBCO, singing the live version of "Landslide." I'd always loved that song and hadn't heard it in ages, so I asked June if I could turn it up. "Of course," she said.
She peered out the windshield, squinting to see the road. I leaned back against the door, taking the opportunity to see her in profile. She had a well-defined chin and good face bones, like a model. I could see the outline of her round, full breasts under the wet tennis jacket. Her sex appeal was undeniable.