Page 7 of Crossing Lines

“Right,” I say. “Deniz. I’ll head over to the restaurant now.”

“Perfect,” Mom says. “She’s a neurosurgeon from Istanbul and?—”

“You don’t have to run through her CV with me. I’d like to find out about her naturally.”

“Of course, of course. I think she might be the one.”

“Hmm.” What more can I say? I don’t go on these dates hoping to find true love. I go just to have a break in the loneliness that’s haunted me for too long and to also pretend I’m not working myself into oblivion. There’s the added benefit that I get to sit down for a hot meal that isn’t a protein bar scarfed between meetings or cold takeout eaten alone in a house too big for one person—my only indulgence when I moved here.

“Have you heard from Zeki lately?” she asks.

“No, why?” Of course, she brings up Zeki. She can’t talk to me for longer than a few minutes without shifting the conversation to him. He’s fifteen years younger than me and hasn’t worked a day in his life. Well, if you don’t count partying and lifting a drink to his mouth.

“He hasn’t been answering my calls.”

Ever since Dad died five years ago, Mom expects us to answer anytime she calls, which is normally multipletimes a week. But Zeki likes to conveniently not answer, leaving me to deal with the fallout. Like always.

“Fine,” I say, tired at having yet another thing added to my to-do list. “I’ll track him down now. Love you, and talk later.”

“Love you, too.”

I hang up and call Zeki once I’m in my car and heading to the restaurant.

“Naber? Nasilsin?”Zeki answers on the eighth ring. Music plays in the background, so loudly I have to lower the speaker volume.

“Anneis looking for you.”

He snorts. “When is she not?”

“I know, but if you don’t call her, she’s going to file a missing person report.”

“I’ll call her later. I’m in the middle of something right now.”

“And where is this something?” I ask.

“Cancún. Why don’t you take that aircraft of yours and visit me?”

“Pfft, you only want me to come so you can get a ride back to the US.”

“Do not.”

“Do too, and there’s no point when you’d get bored in Skyrise.” It’s also why I was happy to move here, somewhere that’s much smaller and quieter than anywhere Mom or Zeki would prefer. I love them, but sometimes I feel more liketheirparent than anything else. They relyon me for everything—financially, emotionally—and that weight...it’s heavy. Putting some physical distance between us helps me manage this role reversal, with Mom in Miami and Zeki bouncing between my houses, living his carefree life. Maybe when I sell the team, I’ll try that lifestyle too—see what it’s like to not have everyone lean on me constantly.

“Never say never,” he says. “I’m actually planning to visit you soon.”

“Oh?” The word comes out before I can stop it, flat and a little too sharp.

“Don’t say it like that.”

I pause and ask, “Like what?”

“Like you don’t believe me.”

“Well… I’ve lived here for almost a year, and you haven’t once visited.”

“Exactly,” he says. “That’s why it’s time to change that.”

“Are you in trouble?”

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