Page 22 of Severed Rivalry
“I’d probably like her.”
“I know she’d like you.”
My daughter turns her attention to me. “Do you like his sister?”
“Well, it’s been years since I’ve seen her, but I did. Ci isn’t lying. She’s—at least, she was—a force to be reckoned with. She’s a little younger than me and was still in high school when we met.”
Cian cuts in. “On second thought, tell me when and I’ll take you to meet her. But for your mom’s sake, you have to promise not to get into trouble. Ayla’s a magnet for it. I’m still not over her encounter with that bear.”
“Bear?” Renée asks at the same time I ask, “That bear?”
“In her defense, it was the wrong time of year, but?—”
“That’s no defense at all.” My head swings from my daughter to Cian and back again. “Nope. No Ayla for you.”
I could’ve timed the“But, Mom”that’s drawn out to multiple syllables not two seconds later. She probably expected the“Don’t ‘but mom’ me”I offer in return.
But it’s Cian who captures my attention from the corner of my eye. He regards the two of us as if watching a tennis match, his eyes bouncing back and forth between Renée and me. A small smile plays on his lips and his eyes crinkle at the corners.
His white dress shirt and olive-colored vest are both dressy and casual.
“Do you find this amusing?” I say with a sharpness that’s not harsh, but humorous.
“I do. You’ve met your match.” He turns to my daughter and lifts his water glass. “Well played.”
“Thank you.” She grins and raises hers to mirror his.
Oh no. The two of them ganging up on me hasbadwritten all over it.
Cian
Dinner is not at all what I was expecting. Sariah is tense, despite my reassurances. Reaching out my hand, I take hers in mine and rest them on the center console. My thumb strokes the soft skin there as she stares where we’re joined.
Renée doesn’t appear to care, except that she seems to watch her mom’s actions and reactions. Though her words are the opposite. She tests me. I’ve disrupted their order and she, for all intents and purposes, is feeling me out to see what I’ll mess up and how.
“What’s your favorite subject?” I ask through the rearview mirror.
She shrugs. “I like civics and history. The rest is boring.”
“Boring,” Sariah offers under her breath. “Translation—allAs. She’s bored because she’s not challenged. But convincing the school board to allow her to accelerate has been ridiculous.”
“I can’t help it that it’s easy.”
Sariah turns to face her daughter in the back seat. “Too smart for your own good, I always say. Can’t wait to see what you do with it.”
“Who knows?” The glow of the phone indicates she’s back with her device and leaving the conversation to die.
“And you? How’s your job?”
Sariah sighs. “It’s good. I love the concept of it and am thrilled we got the funding. I can see the need for the app, and now we get to fill that void. Testing will be a whole differentanimal, but being in on the ground floor has given me a chance to see the whole process. I don’t think I’ll ever be up for building one on my own, but I’ve seen it done, so there’s always the possibility.”
“What do you mean by testing?”
“I do pen testing—penetration testing—and cyber security. It’s on me to make sure it’s secure and hackers can’t get user data. Can you imagine what could happen if all those struggling teens’ info was on the streets?”
I nod. I don’t want to, but nefarious people do disgusting things all the time.
“How did you get involved with Connect2Coach?”
