Wes returned his fist bump and waved to several of the others still inside the shop, buying new gear and bait. “Ran a little late dropping off Marissa.”
“How is she?”
“Nine going on thirty,” Wes said as he climbed on board the charter.
“I hear that,” Phil said. Phil was on his second marriage with seven children in their new blended family. All girls, ranging in age from eleven to six months old. If Wes enjoyed this free-from-obligations weekend, Phil needed it to survive.
“How’s the family?” he asked.
“Good. The oldest ones are doing a spa weekend with their mom, and the baby is with the grandparents.” He reached into the cooler and handed Wes a beer.
“Thanks.” He cracked the seal and took a gulp as he stared out at the water. “Perfect day for this.” The conditions looked pristine out on the water. Soft waves crashed against the boat as they baited their hooks with squid, attached the appropriate amount of weight, and prepared to drop their lines to the bottom of the ocean floor once the rest of the group boarded and the captain set sail.
“Hey, man, any day away from work is the perfect day,” Phil said, sitting on top of the cooler.
“How’s business?”
“Same old thing.” He shrugged. “Steady work, so I can’t really complain. I hear you’re renovating Dove’s Nest.”
“Yep. Luckily I was able to talk Sarah Lewis into not immediately demolishing it.”
“Sarah Lewis?” Phil asked with a note of interest in his voice. His buddy had once had a crush on Sarah in junior high. Unfortunately, Sarah hadn’t returned the interest. Or she’d been oblivious to it. Or she’d had a crush on him, the way Carolyn had suspected. Did she still? “She’s back in town?” Phil asked.
Back in town and unexpectedly messing with his emotions this time around. “She inherited the place from Dove.”
Phil’s eyebrows rose above his sunglasses. “Odd choice.”
Wes shrugged. “I don’t know. I had originally thought so, too, but I’m starting to think Dove knew exactly what she was doing leaving it to Sarah. She’s upgrading it to be competitive in the tourism market, and now she’s planning to stick around a few more weeks to host a reopening event.”
A development he hadn’t at all expected. Her announcement that day was one he didn’t exactly hate. Marissa was ecstatic, but he’d almost been hoping she’d be leaving soon so he could shake off this unexpected attraction to her and get on with life.
Yet, some part of him was happy she was sticking around a bit longer, even if he was determined not to act on his attraction. “For someone outside her comfort zone, she’s kinda killing it,” he said.
“Uh-oh,” Phil said, studying him, one hand shielding the sunlight from his eyes.
“What?”
“Something going on there?”
His buddy had always been perceptive. “Nah…she’s just an old friend.” One with delicious lips and a rocking body. He took a swig of beer. “And Marissa’s really taken to her…the whole computer technology thing has bonded them, I guess.” He paused. “She’s actually spending the weekend there with Sarah,” he said as casually as possible.
But Phil’s warning, knowing look had him even more uneasy. “Be careful, buddy.”
Be careful…Why did it feel like that warning was coming a little too late?
Chapter Twelve
Empty ice cream bowls, pop cans, and bags of Doritos littered the desk in the den between their laptops, and they hadn’t changed out of their pajamas all day. If she was being completely honest, it had been one of the best days Sarah had had in a long time.
“This app is incredible. I can’t believe your dad won’t use it,” Sarah said, her mouth full of Doritos as Marissa displayed the features and functionality of the coaches’ app she’d developed. Sarah had helped her fine-tune a few things that day, and they’d uploaded it to the app store under a new account Sarah created for her a few hours ago. It was linked to her bank account for now, but she’d talk to Wes about transferring it to Marissa’s once he got back.
“He says his paper and pen are more reliable,” Marissa said, dipping her finger in her empty ice cream bowl and then licking the melted chocolate sauce.
“Well, they can’t be hacked, I guess,” Sarah said.
Over her career, she’d met a lot of technology resisters. People like Wes who were reluctant to get on board with online trends or systems that could make their life easier. For most it was fear of change, and for others it was the inability to learn something new. Sarah suspected that with Wes, it was the former. He liked consistency and routines. He trusted things he could rely on. But if he gave this app a chance, she knew he’d quickly appreciate the efficiency.
“He doesn’t like technology because he says no amount of science and technology was able to save my mom,” Marissa said quietly.
Sarah’s stomach lurched. This was the first time Marissa had mentioned Kelly or her illness, and she wasn’t exactly sure what to say. She’d let Marissa lead. If she wanted to talk about it, Sarah would listen. “I can see how he could feel that way,” she said gently.
Wes and Marissa had been through the unimaginable, losing a wife and a mother. Sarah wouldn’t even pretend to know how hard that must have been. And it could be easy to lose faith in medical advances and technology when they hadn’t worked to save the most important person in their lives.
Marissa sighed. “I was little, so I don’t remember a lot about it, but I remember how sad Dad was all the time.”
Sarah nodded. “I was very sorry to hear about it.”
Marissa crunched on a chip and looked pensive for a moment before asking, “Did you know my mom?”
Sarah nodded as she curled her legs under her on the chair. “We had different friends in school, but we had some classes together, and she was on the debate team with me. I remember her personality the most. She was as vibrant as her red hair.” Kelly was fiery and bold and brave. Everyone liked her. It was impossible not to—she had a magnetic personality. Her presence lit up a room, and she was kindhearted and nice to everyone.
“People say I look like her,” Marissa said.
“You do. So much,” Sarah said, reaching out to brush a strand of the little girl’s hair out of her face. “But I see a lot of your dad in you, too.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. Mainly your facial expressions, and of course your smart-assery,” she said with a grin.
It made Sarah feel good that Marissa trusted her, but it also made her slightly uneasy. They were getting close, and she’d miss her when she left town and went back to L.A. Leaving after high school had been easy, and she’d been so busy in college and then working to prove herself in a male-dominated industry that she hadn’t paused long enough to acknowledge any void of personal connections she had in her life. She maintained her friendships with Whitney and Jessica as best she could, but even those had started to slide. Being back here was making her realize that maybe she was missing out on some things. Important things.
“So you said you needed my help with your work. What’s up?” Marissa asked, suddenly all business.
Sarah grinned. “Well, I’m kinda stuck and I’m hoping your perspective as a nine-year-old can help. You use apps all the time, so if you could have an app that did anything, what would it be?”
Marissa frowned, tapping her finger against her lips. “Message friends? Upload videos to YouTube?”
Sarah nodded. “Got those features already.”
“Play games.”
“Yep…” Maybe those things really were the main focus for kids. “Anything else?”
She thought for a long moment; then she nodded slowly. “Yeah, what about something that organized toy collections digitally?”
Sarah’s ears perked up, and she pulled her laptop closer. “I’
m listening.”
“Well, there’s a Funko app that allows people to add their Funkos to their collection, and it gives the value of the toys and allows people to add new ones to the wish list, that kind of thing.”
Sarah nodded. It was good, but that app already existed. How could she make it different? Relevant to SmartTech Kids. “It’s good, but unfortunately it already exists.”
Marissa pointed a finger at her, her left eyebrow raised as though she were on to something. “But only for Funkos. I collect Beanie Babies and I know some of them are worth big cash. I’d love to scan the barcodes and get an idea of the overall value… And my dad has old football cards. Some are even signed.” The more she talked, the more excited she sounded, and Sarah caught the enthusiasm as well.
“That’s actually really great.” She typed several notes into her proposal file as she listened. “I’m sure there are a million things kids collect. SmartTech could apply that technology to a lot of different things.” As a kid, she’d collected Barbie dolls. Expensive, special-edition ones. Never played with them, kept them in their boxes. They were stored at her parents’ house in Phoenix, but it would have been great to have an app like that as a kid to organize her collection and determine its value. “Marissa, I knew you were a genius,” she said.
Marissa beamed at the praise. “And you could also add a feature that lets kids send their wish list to adults for Christmas and birthday gift ideas.”
“Like an online registry of sorts.” Sarah typed frantically, ideas finally starting to take shape. She sat back, and her shoulders sagged in relief. “Thank you so much. I think you might have just saved my ass.”
Marissa laughed. “Think I could apply at that company you work for?”
Sarah wasn’t sure she’d want Marissa stuck working for a company the way she was. Corporations had a way of limiting their employees’ creativity. “I’m sure you could do anything you set your mind and heart to.”
The app store open on Marissa’s laptop screen chimed, and they both turned to look at it.
“Oh my God—someone downloaded my app,” Marissa said, awe in her voice. “It worked. It actually worked.”
Sarah turned the laptop toward her and scanned the screen. Someone had definitely downloaded it. “That’s awesome! I told you this thing was great.”
Marissa jumped up out of her chair, and her tiny arms went around Sarah’s neck. “Thank you, Sarah. You’re the best.”
Sarah’s entire world seemed to shift as emotions strangled her and made it impossible to respond. Damn. She could deny her feelings for Wes all day long, but there was no denying that she was falling for his little girl.
How inconvenient.
…
Wes knocked on the door of the B&B early Sunday evening, then opened it and went inside. He hadn’t been home to shower and change yet, coming straight from fishing, and he was painfully aware that he probably smelled of bait and fish guts, but he didn’t want to impose on Sarah longer than necessary.
Phil’s warning wasn’t far from his mind. He did need to be careful. His own feelings aside, he didn’t want his daughter getting hurt when Sarah went back to the city. He appreciated what she was doing for Marissa—maybe a little too much—but maybe he needed to put some distance there.
His little girl had been through enough loss for one lifetime, and she’d feel the sting when Sarah left. Sarah had the best of intentions saying they’d keep in touch, but once she got back to her life in the city, he wasn’t sure she’d really be able to follow through.
“Hello?” he called out as he entered the foyer.
No answer.
He made his way through the rooms and the kitchen, but they weren’t there. Taking his cell phone out of his pocket, he texted Sarah.
Hey, I’m here. Where you guys at?
Backyard came her reply.
Outside. That was good. He’d almost expected to find them still in their pajamas from Friday night, buried under takeout containers and bleary-eyed from staring at a computer screen.
Wes made his way to the backyard and stopped short.
Was his daughter actually playing soccer? Without his coaching and urging and begging?
Marissa ran around the gazebo in the middle of the yard with obviously a new soccer ball and Sarah was using her cell phone to record her.
What were they doing?
He walked across the grass toward them, and Sarah turned to face him. She wasn’t in pajamas, but the yoga pants and tank top…sans bra was a close second. The thin, body-hugging fabric accentuated her hourglass shape, and the spaghetti straps of the tank top made her collarbone and sexy shoulders that much more pronounced. The nipples visible through the material had his mouth feeling like a desert.
So much for two days out on the ocean to clear his head. One sighting of her had his heart and mind a complete mess again.
She folded her arms across her chest, and he lifted his gaze quickly, embarrassed to be busted checking her out. But then, her messy ponytail and face free of makeup actually took his breath away. She was naturally pretty, and her lack of vanity was attractive as hell.
He was in trouble. “Hey,” he said, his voice slightly hoarse. “What are you two doing?”
“Testing out a new element to add to my app,” Marissa said as she kicked the ball toward him.
Wes stopped it with his foot and glanced at her. “The coaching app?”
Marissa beamed proudly as she said, “Yep. Sarah uploaded it to the app store yesterday, and there’ve been twenty-six downloads so far.”
Twenty-six downloads in a day. Wow… “That’s awesome, sweetheart.” He really had no idea, but she seemed happy about it, and that’s what mattered.
“We’re only selling it for a dollar, so I’m not rich yet, but soon, right, Sarah?”
Sarah laughed. “Absolutely. Especially if we can figure out this new feature the reviewers mentioned.”
“Reviewers?”
Sarah turned to face him, looking just as hyped about it as his daughter, and his pulse raced even faster. Her passion for this technology stuff was surprisingly turning him on even more. “Yeah, users are providing feedback, and Marissa is listening. We’re trying to upload an imaging tool that will track a player’s speed with the ball, kicking strength, that kind of thing.”
“An app can do that?”
Marissa rolled her eyes at him. “Have you been listening to me at all?”
Apparently not. Maybe he needed to start.
That feature alone could help determine player position quickly within a team. But he wasn’t quite ready to jump on board yet. “Hey, do I get a hug?”
Marissa moved closer but then crinkled her nose. “Oh my God, Dad, you stink.”
He cleared his throat, embarrassed as he glanced at Sarah, who took several steps away from him as well and covered her own nose. “I haven’t been home yet…I thought maybe you were ready to go.”
“We actually still have work to do. Right, Sarah?” Marissa asked.
Sarah nodded. “I’m happy to keep going on this.”
She was incredible. As much as the grandparents adored Marissa, after two days, they were usually exhausted and happy to hand her back. Sarah seemed to be enjoying the time as much as his daughter was.
“Okay, I’ll head home and shower and then come back… If it’s okay she stays a little longer?” His question was directed at Sarah, but Marissa answered.
“It’s fine.”
He shot her a look. “I was asking Sarah.”
Sarah nodded. “It’s fine. No rush.”
Marissa ran off with the ball again, and Wes shook his head. “Two years of trying and failing to get her to show any interest in sports, and you were able to do it in a weekend.”
She shrugged. “Just needed the right motivation, I guess.”
…
Wes still wasn’t sure how he felt about that hours later as he put Marissa to bed. He was happy that she was being more active, so did it matter the motivation? He was more disappointed in himself that he hadn’t figured it out. And he owed Marissa an apology.
“Hey, I’m sorry I was reluctant to use your app,” he said, pulling the bedsheets up over her as she fluffed her pillows behind her head.
“It’s okay. But before it was free; now you’ll have to buy it,” she said with a smirk.
“Do I at least get a family discount?”
“I’m a small business owner, Dad, with a new start-up. I can’t be giving my product away.”
He laughed. “Good answer.” He needed to adopt his daughter’s business sense.
“So did you catch anything this weekend?” Marissa asked.
Other than feelings for Sarah Lewis that he’d been trying hard to write off as just attraction to a beautiful woman? “A few small ones. Nothing noteworthy,” he said. He sat in the chair beside her bed and turned on the lamp. “You had fun…with Sarah?”
“It was so much fun. We finished the app, then we got a lot of work done on our secret project.” Her grin was full of secrecy. “And I was able to help Sarah with one of her work projects, too.”
“That was nice of you, and I can’t wait to hear more about this secret project whenever you’re ready to tell me.” He paused. “Just remember that Sarah has a life in L.A. She’s only here in Blue Moon Bay for a little while, and then she’s planning to go back.” He’d do well to remember that, too.
“She might decide to stay,” she said.
Wes frowned. “Did she say that?” Was Sarah changing her mind about selling? She couldn’t actually be contemplating keeping Dove’s Nest and running it herself.
A Lot Like Love Page 11