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“So, now what? You just hand your company over to Cece’s dad?”
“No, I’ll still be part of the company, but I’m working on something else for you, Mike, and Grace. I hope you will consider joining us.”
“What do you have in mind?”
“A new company.” Dad reaches across the couch and squeezes my hand. “I want you to be the lead developer and the CTO. What do you say?”
My mouth falls open in surprise. All of this is so… sudden. He wants me to be the Chief Technology Officer of his new company, and I haven’t even graduated from college yet.
“Who’ll run the company?”
“Mike will be the CEO and Grace the COO. They will handle the day-to-day operations. I want you to focus on developing new games.”
“What about you? Kevin Carmichael is the CEO of 10X. So where does that leave you?”
“I’ll retire after the merger and let Kevin handle everything.” He moves his hands to my back and pulls me closer. “I was thinking we could do this together, you and me. Like it used to be when you were younger. I have a few more billion-dollar ideas up my sleeve. So, what do you say? Want to do this with me?”
I lean into him, hugging him tight. “I knew you didn’t rip off those games,” I say against his neck, and he laughs. After his body stops shaking from laughter, I continue, “There’s nothing I want more than to work with you.”
He kisses my cheek, squeezing the life from me.
“You wanna ease up, Dad?” I ask, laughing.
He chuckles, releasing me from his grip.
I learned everything I know from him. Before I went to college, we spent hours together every day, and when he couldn’t be with me in person, he always video chatted with me. Just thinking of sketching out new worlds and ideas together brings a smile to my face.
“Are you ready?” he asks.
“To boldly go where no man has gone before…” I joke, quoting the opening of Star Trek: The Original Series, our favorite television show.
Our laughter fills the room, shaking through us.
“So, you think you can fix my game?”
He lifts my laptop from the table and scans the code in front of him. “I’m givin’ her all she’s got, Captain,” he quips, making a reference to Scotty from Star Trek.
I shake my head, laughing, and my dad joins me. Man, we’re legit nerds. You wouldn’t know it by looking at us, though there’s no denying it. My older brother is nothing like us. Sure, he’s into technology and loves playing video games, but he’s more of a businessman. The same can be said for my sister. I think she just likes ordering people around. But my dad and me, we’re the same in every way.
“I can’t wait to get started,” I tell him.
He slaps my back. “Me, too, Jamer.”
Chapter Twenty-Three
Shannon
On my way home from class, I get a text from Jamie asking to meet him in the game room at the SAC. It’s an odd request, even for him. It’s been five days since Jamie begged me for another chance, and I’m finally ready to give him one.
Typing out a quick reply, I change directions.
Why does he want to meet at the SAC? The last time we spoke, he promised to make a grand gesture to show that he’s serious. Greasy food and foosball aren’t exactly romantic. I rush through the open doors at the Student Activity Center and follow the crowd upstairs.
When I step inside the game room, I’m surprised to find Jamie and a few of our friends—Jordan, Bex, Jemma, and Taylor are standing next to Preston, Drake, Tucker, Trent, and Jamie. No one else is in the room, which is unusual at this hour. The game room is usually crammed with jocks fighting over the air hockey and foosball tables, the nerds in the corner where Jamie is playing Xbox.
I approach Jamie, giving him a confused look. “What’s going on?”
“I want to show you something.” He smiles so wide it reaches his blue eyes.
Jamie’s hand slips behind my back, and he edges me closer to the projection screen on the wall. Several gaming systems are set up in front of it with controllers on the floor. I never understood why the university would want to encourage students to play games while they’re at school.
Our friends follow behind us, and I look over at Bex and Taylor to see if they’ll give me a hint as to what Jamie has up his sleeve. Bex shrugs, holding up her hands with a goofy expression on her face. No one seems to know why we’re here.
Jamie lifts a remote from the table in front of the couch and flicks on the screen. I stare at the video game in front of me, wondering why it doesn’t look the least bit familiar. It’s called Quest for Shanaya. The graphics are amazing, so bright and vivid they practically jump off the screen.
