Page 107 of Trip Me Up

38

SAM

“Mr. Jones! You’re back!”

Kyle. It’d be hard to do what I planned with him in our office.

This wasn’t Jackson’s first rodeo. “Kyle, come chat with me in the hall so we don’t disturb Sam’s work.”

Kyle zoomed past me in a flash of new-leather scent. My ancient chair creaked when I settled into it. I was going to miss that chair.

I muted my laptop’s speakers—I couldn’t let Kyle hear what I was doing—and typed,Begin goodbye routine.

Confirming. Are you sure?

Was I sure? I was throwing away three years’ worth of work. Countless nights in the office with Kyle, guzzling coffee to fuel my flying fingers. Days when I didn’t see Bilbo Baggins except in the morning when I woke up and in the evening when I scurried home to walk and feed him before rushing back to campus. I’d spent my last birthday there, chasing down a bug.

Not to mention all those people who’d lovedMagician in the Machine.Who’d come to me during book signings and said it distracted them after their wife left them, while their grandmother was in the hospital, when they had a bad day at work. Shutting down CASE would take that away from them.

But letting Paul Swift have CASE meant that books written by CASE—and, let’s face it, other A.I.s to come—would be cheaper, faster. They’d squeeze out books written by people like Niall. His books had touched many people. Including me.

It was time to act like Lobelia.

Courage.

My finger didn’t waver. Much. I hit the Yes button.

A progress bar appeared on the screen.

The door opened, sending my heart into my throat, but it was Jackson. He closed the door. “I sent Kyle off to get us coffee at the place on the other side of campus.”

“Must be nice to be a programming legend, inspiring adulation from everyone.” I opened my desk drawer, but all it contained was a few pencils and a copy ofMagician in the Machine.I closed the drawer.

“Adulation or not, Ph.D. or not, you’re a good programmer. And you’re a good person. You’ll land on your feet after this.”

“Mother doesn’t think so.”

“She knows only one way for women to make their way in the world. You’ll show her there’s a different path.” Jackson leaned over my shoulder to check the progress bar. “That’s fast. It must’ve been a beautiful program.”

“It was. CASE was my baby.” An unruly, disobedient one. But mine all the same. I sniffed.

“Ah, Samwise. I’m sorry.”

I touched the progress bar with one finger as it counted down CASE’s final minutes. “Thanks for being here with me. You’re sure you don’t need to go back to work?”

“Nah. Marlee will cover for me. Family is more important.”

I grimaced. “I’ll try to be a better sister. Especially now that—” My throat closed, but I waved at the office. Sure, it was tiny, but it’d symbolized my independence.

“If you want to stay with us for a while until you figure things out, you’re welcome.”

When he found out what I’d done, Martell would cut off my funding, and I wouldn’t be able to pay rent. Staying with Jackson would be better than moving back home with Mother and Charles. I tried to smile. “Thanks. Just for a few weeks, until I’ve saved up an apartment deposit.”

“Smart negotiation tactic. Unless I pay you well, I’m stuck with another person under my roof.” He groaned. “And a dog.”

This time, my mouth curved all the way up. “I am Mother’s daughter.”

“That you are.” He lifted his chin toward my laptop. “How’re we doing?”

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