Page 7

I sat behind the wheel of my truck, simultaneously waiting for my erection to go down and wondering if I needed to call a wellness check for the omega inside: Ollie Planche.

I’d never seen somebody blanche like that. He’d been fine, Shy, but fine. Then he was pale and unsteady.

My idle monitor alerted me that I’d been sitting for too long. I growled at it, but decided that the only thing I could do was trust him.

Ollie had assured me—twice—that he was ok. I would be a real asshole if I let my concerns override that.

Still, I wished there was a way I could return to check up on him without coming across as a creeper.

I reached for my phone. Maybe Tripp had a delivery there.

I froze. I didn’t have Tripp’s number.

“Fuck!” I shouted as my idle alert went off again. I slammed my hands against the steering wheel.

There were no good options.

I snarled as I swiped through my contacts and hit the call button.

“What’s up, Axel?” my supervisor, Tammy, asked. “I see you’ve been idle.”

“Got a situation I need an opinion on.”

“Shoot.”

“During delivery and pickup for Mr. Planche, he got really pale and stumbled. He assured me that he was ok, but I don’t know if I should call for a wellness check.”

“You said he told you that he was ok?”

“Yes.”

There was a moment of hesitation, then she spoke again. “I know you, Axel, and you never get rattled like this. Tell you what, I have a number on file since he’s listed as a business customer. I’ll give him a call in an hour or so for a random customer service follow-up.”

I let out a sigh of relief. “Thanks, Tammy.”

“I’m only doing this because I know you wouldn’t have called unless you felt there was no other option. But don’t make it a habit.”

“I won’t.”

“Good. Now you should get moving again.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“I’ll follow up after I’ve talked to him.”

“Thank you.”

“Uh-huh. Bye.”

“Bye,” I replied as the line went dead.

I shook my head as I restarted my truck. Tammy always hung up immediately after saying goodbye without waiting for a response. She was blunt, but I trusted her. If she said she’d call, she’d call. And she’d call for a wellness check if she thought something was wrong. I could continue my route without worrying that Ollie might be having a medical crisis.

It was something, at least.

I exited the cul-de-sac and continued along my route, but my thoughts drifted to Ollie every few moments. Had I made the right decision by leaving him alone?

The knot in my stomach started to loosen when Tammy called me back a little over an hour later.

Still, I realized that I needed to check for any updated company policy regarding customer medical concerns.

And… I needed Tripp’s phone number.