Page 3 of Roll With The Punches
Iris rarely called him, even though they texted nearly every day, usually several times during the day.
With his heart in his chest, he grabbed it and answered. “Hey. What’s up?”
“I’m sorry to call you so early, but I need help.”
“What’s wrong? Are you all right?”
“I’m fine. Do you remember my friend Sylvie, the girl I roomed with in college?”
Okay, so this wasn’t about her or their parents. He tried to will his pulse into a slower, more normal rhythm. “Vaguely. Why?”
“She’s leaving her husband and asked if I can help her move. Calvin’s going, too, but we need help.”
He knew he’d have to run it past Brandon, but could tentatively offer assistance. “I might be able to help. When is she moving?”
“This weekend. He’s going to be at a business seminar out of town. She wants to get out while he’s gone. She doesn’t have anyone up there she can ask for help. He’s abusive. She’s afraid if she says anything to anyone up there that it’ll get back to him, and then she’s doubly fucked.”
“Up there,where?”
“New Hampshire.”
Oy. “New Hampshire?”
“Yeah. I’ll pay for your ticket to fly up with us on Thursday. I need to book them this morning. She’ll pick us up when we get there, we’ll pack the house, get the rental truck, load it, and be out of there no later than early Sunday morning, driving back here to Sarasota. Depending on when we leave up there, we’ll probably get back some time late Monday, and we’ll put nearly everything into a storage unit she’s already reserved. I know this is a lot to ask, but she’s really scared.”
His sister was one of the most stable people he knew. She had a great job with an engineering firm, had a long-term live-in boyfriend, but hadn’t married him or had kids yet. “And Calvin is definitely going with us?”
“Yes. Sylvie’s husband owns the house, but a lot of the furniture was stuff she had when they got married. She knows if she walks away from it she’ll never get any of it back. Most of it was stuff from her grandparents’ house, lots of sentimental value to her. Morse’ll burn it on the front lawn rather than give it to her.”
“Do they have kids?”
“No. Two dogs, which she’s also taking. They’ll ride in her car with her. Please? I’ll pay for your meals and—”
“Let me talk to someone real fast, and then call you back.” He didn’t lie to her and specifically say he was going to ask his boss if he could take the time off, although if she made that assumption, he wouldn’t correct her.
He would have to clear this with Brandon, though. Just as a matter of courtesy, not even as a D/s dynamic kind of thing. Although he couldn’t imagine Brandon saying no, he couldn’t go.
“Okay, thanks.”
He ended the call and immediately called Brandon. Today, Brandon had to drive to Ft. Myers, to one of the bulk warehouse stores in his district that he managed. He’d still be driving.
He answered on the second ring. “Yeesss?”
“Hey, Sir. I need to talk to you.” He quickly laid out the issue to him and then waited.
Either Brandon would or wouldn’t okay it. He wouldn’t argue with him if the answer was no, however.
His Sir’s word was law, as far as Jeff was concerned. And Brandon had never been an asshole.
“I can’t go with you this weekend, and neither can Stuart,” Brandon said. “I have to supervise an inventory down in Ft. Myers on Friday, and Stuart’s covering for another guy out with a new baby.”
“I know, Sir.”
“Do you feel this will be safe?”
“Calvin’s not the kind of guy who will take shit from anyone. I think between the two of us, if the guy shows up, we’ll be okay. But the plan is to get out of there before he comes back and avoid that happening in the first place.”
“As long as you promise to be safe, then I don’t see any reason to say no. But thank you for asking me and not just assuming.”
