Sink: The Lost World by Perrin Briar

until then. And if you want me to pay for your college education, you’ll do what I say then too.”
    Her father had entered his business negotiation phase, and he was in a position of greater power. There was no getting through to him when he was like that.
    They sat in silence until the limousine pulled to the side of the road.
    “You forced me into tonight,” Cassie said, eyes blurry with tears. “You forced me to do this. The next time you make plans for your life, make sure I’m not a part of them.”
    She threw the door open, making Rosetta start back, and then ran down the path to their house.
    “Is she all right?” Rosetta said to Bryan.
    “She’ll be fine,” Bryan said. “It’s me I’m worried about.”
    He selected Zoe’s number on his cell and called her. The phone rang and rang. Bryan began to think Zoe wasn’t going to answer when the phone clicked.
    “Bryan, I’m tired,” Zoe said, her voice full of sorrow. “I need to go to sleep.”
    “I know,” Bryan said. “But we need to talk.”
    “Not now,” Zoe said.
    “No, not now,” Bryan said. “But soon. Are you free tomorrow?”

16
     
     
    Bryan sat at the hotel bar . He had a glass of untouched whiskey before him. Zoe entered and he waved her over.
    “Would you like anything?” Bryan said.
    “No, thanks,” Zoe said, unwinding her scarf.
    “Windy today, isn’t it?” Bryan said.
    Zoe didn’t reply. Bryan nodded to his cell and smiled.
    “Phone’s switched off,” he said.
    “Can we make this quick?” Zoe said. “I’ve got a busy day.”
    “Sure,” Bryan said, a little hurt by Zoe’s cold indifference. “I wanted to apologize for last night.”
    “There’s nothing to apologize for,” Zoe said.
    “I think there is,” Bryan said. “Cassie behaved very poorly toward you. I’m sorry for the way she treated you.”
    “Aaron was a little off too,” Zoe said.
    “But he wasn’t as disruptive as Cassie,” Bryan said. “I swear, I brought her up to have better manners than that. I only hope that it hasn’t affected our relationship.”
    “You know what, I think I will have a drink,” Zoe said.
    “Have mine,” Bryan said, sliding his whiskey over to her.
    Zoe threw her head back, downing the whiskey in one go. She hissed through her teeth.
    Then they sat in silence, Bryan looking at Zoe, Zoe looking away.
    “This is what I was afraid of,” Bryan said. “Things have changed between us. Now we know we can’t become more, our relationship has become finite. We can’t go back, can we?”
    “C’est la vie,” Zoe said.
    “So the first attempt wasn’t great, but so what?” Bryan said. “The next dinner date will be better.”
    “What next dinner date?” Zoe said.
    “We’re going to meet with the kids again, aren’t we?” Bryan said.
    “I can’t see the point,” Zoe said.
    “So, that’s it?” Bryan said. “Quitting after the first hurdle? I thought you had a lot more gumption than that.”
    “What do you want me to say?” Zoe said. “It was a nice idea, but it didn’t work out.”
    “You know what they say,” Bryan said. “If at first you don’t succeed…”
    “It’s not going to work,” Zoe said. “The next date couldn’t be much worse.”
    “Exactly,” Bryan said.
    For the first time since she entered the hotel bar, Zoe smiled. It was small and lackluster, but it was still there.
    “There she is,” Bryan said. “The woman I want to be with. In business these kinds of problems always happen.”
    “This isn’t business,” Zoe said. “It’s family.”
    “A business can do everything we can,” Bryan said. “This is just a rough patch, that’s all. Things will get better and easier.”
    “But Cassie and Aaron aren’t going to change,” Zoe said. “Is it right to force them into this?”
    “Maybe we’ve both sheltered them a bit,” Bryan said. “It’s what happens when you try to bring up a child in a single parent family. You try to take on the responsibilities of