Chapter 52
Emma
Case slides to his feet and rounds the desk toward me.
Are we about to have sex?
Is he going to swipe an arm over the desk to clear it before he strips me and takes me right here and now?
He points at the drawer right in front of me. “There’s a tablet in there I need. I want to show you something.”
My dream of office sex won’t be coming true today.
I roll back to give him room to open the drawer.
He yanks out a tablet. He swipes a finger over the screen to power it up.
“I want you to look at something for me.”
I glance up to his face. He’s not smiling. If anything, he looks worried, or concerned.
Anxiety roots itself in my stomach in the form of a knot. What could he possibly have to show me? Please don’t let it be related to Drake coming back to New York.
I may have been eager for that to happen a few days ago, but now I want my brother to take his time.
I’m not ready to say goodbye to Case yet.
‘This is Letter Leap.” He places the tablet in my hands. “We’re working out a glitch, but you shouldn’t run into a problem if you play the first few levels. Give it a try.”
I scan the screen, taking in the brightly colored graphics.
When I gaze back at Case, he’s scrubbing a hand over the back of his neck. Something has shifted dramatically since he walked into this office. “You want me to play a game? Do you want my opinion on it? Drake sent me an early copy of Gem Stars.”
His eyes close briefly. “Please just start the game, Emma.”
Nodding, I set my focus on the screen. I tap the start now button and take time to set up the features, including adding my name. I choose the skill level of a first grader since I’ve worked with many during my time at Garrington Academy. I assume this is the point where a parent would hand the tablet over to their child to play.
An animated frog pops on the screen.
He croaks out a greeting to me. “ Hi, Emma. Welcome to Letter Leap .”
Working my way through the first few puzzles, I feel my pulse quicken. This is surreal. I can’t believe this.
I stop to glance up at Case standing next to me. “This is Spell Snake. All of it is exactly what I envisioned. I gave Drake all the details right down to the old talking apple tree with the crooked teeth and the long eyelashes.”
I expect a smile to creep over Case’s lips, but instead, I see fury behind his eyes.
I place the tablet on the desk. “What’s wrong?”
Case sets a hand on the corner of the desk, and the other on the back of the chair so he can lean closer to me. “Did he tell you he was using your idea?”
I shake my head. “No.”
“ Fuck ,” slips from between his lips.
“I don’t mind,” I try and smooth out his anger. “He’s my brother. It’s fine. I got him to help me with an English paper when I was in high school.”
His jaw tenses. “This isn’t the same, Emma.”
“It is to me.”
He crouches to look me directly in the eyes. “Did you come up with the concept for this game on your own?”
“I’m not sure,” I answer tentatively because I have no idea what’s running through his head. “I thought a snake was a great idea, but obviously, Drake thinks a frog is better.”
“You need a lawyer, Emma.”
Panic shoots through me. A lawyer? What the hell do I need a lawyer for?
In the scramble to rush to my feet, I almost knock Case flat on his ass. He stands, giving me room to do the same.
“What’s going on?” I knit my shaking hands together in a fist in front of my stomach. I feel nauseous. “Drake told me about people pitching ideas to Cabbott that were replicas of apps that belong to other tech companies. Do you think that’s what I did? You think I stole the idea for this app from someone?”
Case reaches for my hands. He quiets them immediately by drawing them to his chest. “I think your brother stole the idea from you.”
I laugh. “That’s not what happened. I suggested an idea, and he developed it.”
Case exhales sharply. “You are the creative mind behind Letter Leap. You’re entitled to compensation and recognition for that.”
I try to wrap my brain around what he’s saying. “What kind of compensation?”
He brings my hands to his face to skim his lips over one of my palms. “A royalty. We’ll work that out. You need to get a lawyer to negotiate terms, Emma, but Cabbott will be generous. I promise we’ll be more than generous for this idea and the development of Vary Tales.”