Marissa’s question was a good one. One Wes wasn’t sure the answer to as he paced outside, waiting for her to emerge. They weren’t exactly fighting; that would require communicating. He hadn’t spoken to her since the day before, when he’d been so angry about the app being hacked and Marissa’s safety being put at risk that he couldn’t even remember the conversation clearly. All he remembered was the anger and the hurt. Her driving away and the instant remorse he’d felt.

“No, we’re not fighting,” he said. Catching his reflection in the mirror, he almost did a double take. That day, he was feeling every one of his thirty-two years. The stress and the pressure of his new love-life conflict had dark circles appearing under tired-looking eyes. And the gray strands appearing along his temple hadn’t been there six months ago. They were no doubt courtesy of CyberStud480.

“We just haven’t seen her in a few days,” Marissa said, emerging from the changing room in a pair of jeans and hoodie that had cat ears on the hood and a tail hanging down the back.

“That’s cute,” he said. “What do you think?”

She shrugged. “It’s fine. Don’t change the subject.”

He sighed. Marissa had been incessant the last two days, wondering where Sarah was, asking if they should bring her a surprise at the B&B…flowers, a coffee… His little girl had a million suggestions. But Wes insisted that Sarah was too busy to hang out.

He still hadn’t manned up and told her about his accusing Sarah of exposing his daughter to the dangers of technology. “We will see her at the reunion,” he said casually. Truthfully, the idea terrified him. He had no idea where they stood now or where he wanted them to stand. Inviting someone into his and Marissa’s life hadn’t been easy. Trusting hadn’t been easy. And then to have things turn out the way they did…

“So things are okay?” Marissa asked, still looking unconvinced as she studied him.

He sighed, sitting in a chair outside the changing room and pulling her closer. The day before, he’d asked her about the messages and luckily she’d only received one…mildly inappropriate text from the guy. She’d been too nervous to tell him about it, knowing he’d shut down her access to the online app store. But it had definitely been one of those teachable moments parents always talked about, even if it was uncomfortable.

“Look, Sarah came by yesterday,” he said.

“Our house?”

“Camp. She came back from L.A. in time, but I’d just found out about the hacking, and things didn’t go so well.” He ran a hand through his hair.