Total pages in book: 54
Estimated words: 51193 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 256(@200wpm)___ 205(@250wpm)___ 171(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 51193 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 256(@200wpm)___ 205(@250wpm)___ 171(@300wpm)
“I accept your apology,” I say, slipping from his grasp. “But we can’t go back to the way things were before, not without you showing me. Words mean nothing without actions.”
“You want me to make a grand gesture? Is that it?” He drops to one knee in front of me, taking my hand in his. Jamie lifts my hand to his mouth and plants a kiss on my skin, causing me to laugh at his silliness. “I’ll do whatever you want, Shan. I’m an idiot for messing this up. I care about you, even though I haven’t shown it. Just give me one more chance.”
He kisses my hand repeatedly, his breath warming my skin. “Please.” His voice is so desperate, pleading, and I want to say yes to him. But I can’t. Not until he shows me he’s changed.
I chuckle. “How about you get up and stop making a fool of yourself? That would be a good start.” Glancing over at the crowd gathering to our right, I add, “You’re making a scene, Jamie.”
I tug his hand, and he rises to his full height. A crowd forms around us, dozens of eyes on us. Jamie and his teammates attract enough attention on campus. I’m sure people have already uploaded pictures of us online.
“If you want me back…” I say, lowering my voice, “… then prove it. Show me you’re serious. Your actions have to speak louder than your words.”
Jamie shoves his hands into his hoodie pockets, biting the inside of his cheek. He does that when he’s nervous. I’ve memorized all of his nervous ticks over the years.
His blue eyes find mine, and when they do, I can’t breathe. There’s so much fire and intensity behind them. “I’ll show you I’m serious,” he says, a grin tugging at his mouth. “Give me time.”
“We graduate in a few weeks. A lot can change by then.”
“I don’t need that much time,” he confesses.
“What do you have in mind?”
He flashes a wicked smirk, a devious look on his handsome face. “I have an idea. Just you wait and see.”
Chapter Twenty-Two
Jamie
After begging Shannon to take me back, I rushed over to my dad’s office in Center City. I ride the elevator to the top floor, fly past his secretary, and hurry into his office, slamming the door behind me.
My dad spins around in his leather chair, a confused look on his face. “What’s wrong?” He gets up from the chair and meets me in the center of his oversized office.
“I need your help.”
“Okay, what’s going on?” He leads me over to a small sitting area. A wall of windows spans the entire left side of the room, exposing perfect views of the city. “Are you in trouble?”
“No, it’s nothing like that. I need your help with a game I’m working on.”
He lets out a sigh of relief and leans back against the leather couch. “Don’t scare me like that, J. I thought something happened at school. Why did you run in here like it was important?”
“Because it is,” I challenge. “If I don’t get this demo working by next week, I’ll lose my shot.”
“Shot at what?” He seems confused, as he should be.
“With Shannon.”
“What does the game have to do with her?”
“You’ll see.” I drop the bag from my shoulder to the floor and remove my laptop, handing it over for him to see what I’ve been working on.
Something’s missing in my code. If anyone can figure it out, my dad can. Dad studies the code without speaking. We sit in silence for several minutes before he sets my laptop on the glass table in front of us.
“You have a winner on your hands with this game. Mind if I make a few changes?”
“Yeah, go ahead. That’s why I’m here. I can’t get the loop to repeat without it stopping here,” I say, pointing at the screen.
He nods. “I can fix it.”
As he turns to look at the computer, I clutch his wrist to steel his attention. “One more thing… I want to talk to you about the merger.”
He clears his throat, his expression darkening. “What about it?”
“I was planning to come work for you after graduation, but now I don’t know if it’s the right move.”
“Why? Because of Cecelia?”
“Yes. I can’t work for her dad. And I can’t work with her. Not anymore. She’s the reason Shannon broke up with me,” I admit. “Cece is toxic, and she had something to do with the merger. What does her dad have on you? None of this makes sense. You don’t need the money, so why sell to Carmichael?”
Dad lets out the breath of air he was holding and sinks into the leather, glancing out the window to avoid my gaze. “It’s a long story.”
“Please don’t tell me Cece’s right. I know you didn’t copy Diablo and Doom.”