was two. Since the day she got it, she's brought it everywhere. I've tried to take it away, but after a little research, I realized it's her security item and that there's nothing wrong with letting her have it.
“Why don't you take my phone and try calling him?” I suggest. “Maybe he can drop it off.”
Topher groans quietly while Brenna seems a little relieved at that idea. I hand her my phone, and she scurries away to call him. Meanwhile, Topher and I get up and start cleaning up the table. The whole time, anger radiates off him. He tosses the plates into the sink with a little more force than normal. The minute he breaks one of the glasses, I can't take it anymore.
“What's your problem tonight?” I snap.
He rolls his eyes. “Like you even care.”
Okay, ouch. “If I didn't care, I wouldn't ask.”
It looks like he's going to ignore me and I'm about to drop it when he finally opens his mouth again. “I just don't understand why you're still letting him have anything to do with her. She broke her arm today, Saige. You trusted him with her, dropped her off in one piece, and got her returned broken.”
“I know,” I sigh. “But...”
“There shouldn't be a but,” he argues. “He fucked up and wasn't watching her. Are you going to go back to supervising their visits? Because clearly that seems to be what he wants.”
My jaw drops. “You can't honestly be insinuating he broke her arm on purpose.”
Colby is a lot of things, but abusive and manipulative is not one of them. Selfish and arrogant, maybe, but I know he wouldn't hurt a hair on Brenna's head. Surprisingly, Topher must realize that too because he backs off that topic.
“No, I guess not, but I think you're giving him too much time with her. I don't trust him.”
It's a pointless argument—one we've had too many times at this point, and I'm really not interested in having it again. Especially not when he has the leverage of Brenna's broken arm on his side.
“I don't know what you want me to do, Topher. He's her dad.”
A little voice behind me has me freezing in place. “He's what?”
10
COLBY
I climb out of my Audi and hit the button to lock it before heading into the restaurant. It's one of the overly fancy ones, where you need to be someone in order to get in. The hostess recognizes who I am without me having to say anything and leads me to the table. Three men in business suits stand up and each shake my hand.
“It's nice to see you again, Mr. Hendrix,” says one of the suits.
“Likewise,” I reply.
As I sit down, I glance around the restaurant. It's not a place I would choose to come myself. There's something about the chandelier that must be worth over ten mil that feels gaudy. Still, when these men try to impress someone, they try hard. And them wanting me for this endorsement deal means they're pulling out all the works.
“So, where did we leave off with negotiations?” The head honcho looks down at his tablet. “Ah, that's right. You had a problem with the fact that you cannot be seen drinking anything from one of our competitors.”
I nod. “It's an impossible thing to ask of me. You can't honestly expect me to only ever drink Coke products for the entire duration of the contract.”
Oh, did I forget to mention that I'm meeting with the CEO of Coca-Cola? Yeah, I guess that part matters.
“I'm not sure this is something we can budge on, sir.”
Just as I'm about to answer, my phone vibrates in my pocket. I consider hitting ignore, but the moment I see Saige's name and a picture of Brenna on the screen, I know I have to answer it. This is the second time she's calling, so it must be important.
“One second, sorry.”
I bring the phone to my ear. “Hey. Is everything okay?”
“Colby,” Saige cries, and the panic in her voice is enough to send chills down my spine.
“What happened?”
“It's Brenna,” she says, and I'm already halfway out of my seat. “She heard me talking to Topher about you being her dad. She's locked in her room and won't come out.”
Frustration spurs inside of me, knowing this is exactly what I wanted to avoid. “I'll be right there.”
I hang up the phone and focus my attention back on the three men, who stare back at me with shock on their faces.
“If you can't change