“What about one of those?” Marissa said, pointing to the hut behind them. Harrison’s Blown Glass. Hanging outside were hand-blown glass ornaments in different shapes and colors, capturing the sun’s light and reflecting against the sidewalk and surrounding buildings. “She could hang it in her house in L.A. and it will remind her of home. Of us.”

Wes smiled, inhaling the entire melting mess in one big bite and standing as brain freeze threatened to numb his mind. “I think it’s perfect. She’ll love it.”

He may not know how to fix the tension between himself and Sarah, but this apology present was a great first step.

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Eleven

The next day, a light tap on her bedroom door had Sarah getting up from her laptop and opening it. No one was there, but on the floor sat a pretty box with a tag on it. She picked it up and read: To Sarah…From Wes and Marissa.

Wes was here?

Her heart raced a little at the thought of seeing him. The day before, he hadn’t shown up and neither had Marissa, and she’d hoped he wouldn’t prevent the little girl from continuing to work with her, just because of the obvious tension that would be between them now. So far, she’d helped Marissa with the website and her sports app, but she’d yet to pick the little girl’s brain for ideas for her SmartTech proposal, and time was running out.

Opening the box, she took out a beautiful blown-glass ornament and gasped. It was breathtakingly beautiful with various shades of blue mixed in an intoxicating way inside the dome. Her heart warmed as she carried it inside the room and hung it near the window. The colors reflected the sun, and the kaleidoscope effect across the bedroom floor would have had a calming effect if her pulse wasn’t frantic.

Hearing their voices downstairs, she took a deep breath before leaving the room. She couldn’t avoid him now. Following the sound, she found them in the den. “Hey, did someone leave a gift outside my door?” she asked, trying desperately to sound casual. Normal. But her voice sounded slightly too high-pitched to pull it off.

Marissa didn’t seem to notice any tension as she grinned. “Did you like it? We bought it yesterday on the boardwalk.”

“It was beautiful and very thoughtful,” she said, avoiding Wes’s gaze. Her heart was pounding so loud, he had to hear it across the room. “Thank you.”

“It was Marissa’s idea,” he said.

Of course it was.

“I thought it was a nice gesture as well,” he said awkwardly.

“What Dad means is, you’re welcome,” Marissa said with an exasperated look at her father. “We thought it might be a nice reminder to visit us when you go back to the city.”