Page 19 of Daddy's Pride
I bet he will.
“Are you still in touch with any of your colleagues? Is that the right word?”
“Most of my squad mates are still serving. The rest are scattered across the country, so I don’t see them often.”
“That’s a shame.” Is he lonely?
“How do you know the phonetic alphabet?” he asks.
“I worked in a call centre for a while, so I had to learn it. Although most of our customers didn’t know it. I got to hear some very creative alternatives.”
“Such as?”
“Dildo instead of Delta.”
He snorts. “You’re joking.”
“Nope.” I cross my finger over my heart.
He takes the plates to the sink. I follow and lean against the counter as he washes up.
“Why do you put up with the way your brother treats you?”
I hunch my shoulders and scuff my foot against the floor. “He’s family.”
“That’s not a good reason.”
“Maybe not. I was laid off a year ago. I couldn’t find another job and was reduced to taking out a loan to pay my rent. He offered me a job. I’m indebted to him.”
“Helping you out doesn’t give him the right to take advantage of you.”
“I know. I’ll look for another job.”
Miles gives me a pointed look. Didn’t I sound convincing?
I take my phone from my pocket and wave it. “I’ve got phone calls to make. Don’t worry. I’ll be out of your way soon.” I turn to go.
Miles catches hold of my wrist and pulls me back. “You’re not in my way, boy.”
My knees turn to jelly. “Good to know.” I wave the phone again and go to the lounge.
Calling the bed and breakfast is easy enough. The owner assures me she hasn’t given my room away and that it will be ready and waiting when I arrive later today. I’m not so successful in calling for a tow.
“Is something wrong?” Miles asks from the doorway.
“I’ve tried every garage within a fifteen-mile radius of where my phone’s GPS says we are. None of them are answering.”
“It’s Sunday. They might not be open at all.”
I hadn’t thought of that. I live in a city where businesses only obey Sunday trading laws because they have to. “Shit. I’ll have to pay over the odds for breakdown cover to get picked up today.”
“Why?”
“What do you mean, ‘why’?”
He scratches his beard. “You could stay until tomorrow.”
“Seriously?”