His Glorified Maid

Three

Carlos' eyes burned right through her; impatience dominated, but that something else was still there. Definitely amusement, she decided.

The two men before her were undoubtedly skilled and experienced businessmen. Their casualness told her that they did not consider their new venture seriously. She could only conclude that meant there would be no real investment in it, and she was wasting her time.

She pasted on a smile, which wasn't a smile and managed as sincerely as she could muster, "No. I wish you well," before walking away. She couldn't stop the sidelong glance at the delicious-smelling goods as she departed.

She would go home, eat too much of the chocolate ice cream in her brother's freezer, and feel sorry for herself a while before figuring out her next steps. Needing a chance to cool off before climbing behind the wheel, Michaela walked the block where she replayed every moment in her head, dissecting everything to see where things had gone so wrong. Maybe she should have just accepted the job. Who cares that it didn't turn out to be what she wanted it to be, what she'd hoped for. It would've been an income until the right thing came along. Right?

Wrong. Her nerves would end up fried under the scrutiny of Carlos if he were her boss. With another mental facepalm, she re-lived every cringe-worthy word that left her mouth as she pulled out and drove home.

Michaela glided along the road smoothly as it travelled around a series of S-curves. She loved the beauty of the fields of planted vines. She enjoyed watching the rows appear and disappear, distinct and individual, yet a part of something much greater.

As the road straightened out, she could see a car parked on the opposite side of the road with a flat tyre. She slowed down, pulled a U-turn, and parked in front of the luxury SUV with tinted windows. She knocked on the driver's side and watched the window slide down. She was greeted by a beautiful woman who had the most perfect honey-coloured hair she had ever laid eyes on. She also looked familiar.

"Oh my god, are you here to help? I'm so late. Thank you so much. I'm Jenny," she said as she stepped out of the car.

Jenny. As in Jenny Everton. Mrs Lawrence Everton. That's why she looked familiar.

"Call me Mike."

"You are the first person to stop. I tried calling for help but of course, I'm in a dead zone."

"Before my dad let me drive a car by myself, he made sure I learned how to change a tyre."

"Can you show me?"

Jenny had an energy that made her want to smile despite her crappy day.

"Absolutely," she said before directing her to retrieve the four-way lug wrench, a rudimentary jack and a spare tyre from the car. She would make a point of mentioning other items that Jenny should stow in the boot that would be handy, such as a flashlight, gloves, blocks to wedge the wheels, and a raincoat with reflective strips.

Then she surveyed Jenny. Her outfit looked expensive. "Are you sure you want to continue? Your pants might get dirty."

Jenny scoffed in response, which brought a smile to Michaela's lips. She walked back to her car to retrieve gloves from her own emergency kit. On her return, she was greeted by Tyler, a very energetic and handsome five-year-old. She paused a moment to introduce herself. She knelt next to him so that they were both the same height. It made it easier to explain to the curious youngster what they were doing and what still needed to be done.

"Your lug nuts are under the hubcap, so you'll want to remove that first. Now you want to use your four-way to loosen them about a half of a turn." Michaela was tempted to step in as Jenny struggled to loosen one. "Stand up and use your full body weight. That's it. Now the rest."

"Let's celebrate the small wins for a second."

Michaela smiled. "Would you like some help?"

"I've got this," Jenny responded tartly. "Nothing to it."

Once the lug nuts were loosened, Michaela indicated for Jenny to lower herself to the ground beside her.

"Are you sure you want to lie on the ground that way? You might ruin your pretty dress?"

A smile danced behind Michaela's eyes at Jenny's mock sweet tone. "I'll take my chances."

"Can you see the exposed metal here behind your front tyre? This is where you want to position the jack so you can raise the vehicle without damaging the frame."

Jenny positioned the jack and raised it before removing the loosened lug nuts by hand. In a clumsy move, she was finally able to lift the flat tyre off and place it out of the way on the ground.

"That was heavier than I anticipated," Jenny said, smearing a little blackened rubber across her cheek.

"Place the spare on and tighten the lug nuts by hand. We'll tighten them properly with the four-way once the car is back on the ground."

After Jenny was done, Michaela checked that the lug nuts were sufficiently tightened. Then she let Tyler check them too. He had listened to everything she had to say and even corrected his mum when she didn't follow her instructions correctly. He was a little charmer and like his uncle, had stolen a small piece of her heart with one look of those giveaway steel blue eyes.

She took a second to scan first her knees and then Jenny's. Luckily for her, the damage was only skin, but she didn't think Jenny's pants could be saved. It only made her respect her more when she brushed it aside.

"Thank you so much. You must give me your number so I can thank you properly when I have more time."

Michaela was trying to politely decline. It was the act of any good Samaritan, and she was just glad she could help. It wasn't until the persistent Jenny was distracted by her phone ringing that Michaela had the chance to run away like a coward. In another universe, she could see herself being friends with Jenny, and even Lawrence, because of their warmth but that would put her near Carlos, and she needed as much distance as she could get from him.

As she drove away, she knew she had made the right decision to turn down the job. Carlos was best left in her dreams.