“You’re Drake’s sister?” His green eyes narrow. “I’m his boss; his best friend.”
My hand tightens on the towel. “You’re Case Abbott?”
He turns his back to me. “Jesus, yes. I’m him. I wouldn’t have barged in if I knew it was you. I’m sorry, Whitney.”
Ouch.
Do I look eighteen to him?
Should I take it as a compliment that he mistook me for my younger sister?
“I’m Emma.” I sigh. “Drake’s other sister.”
Raking a hand through his brown hair, he repeats my name. “Emma. You’re Emma.”
I nod even though he can’t see me. “I’m here to surprise Drake for his birthday.”
Taking a step forward, Case walks out of the bathroom before he turns to face me again. “I’ve got my own surprise to spring on your brother.”
What does that mean? As tempted as I am to ask, I don’t because I’m feeling way too exposed to continue this conversation. “I should get dressed.”
“Do that, and then we need to talk.”
With that, he closes the door behind him.
What the hell just happened, and more importantly, how did I not realize that my brother’s best friend is drop-dead gorgeous?
***
By the time I’ve run the brush through my hair and gotten myself dressed in the jeans and black sweater I brought into the bathroom with me, I’ve tried to call Drake seven times.
Seven times.
He didn’t answer.
I left six panicked messages asking where he is.
Case said that he has a surprise for Drake. I’m terrified that I might have cost my brother his job. It’s clear that he doesn’t own this apartment even though he told me he did. He told Whitney and our parents the same thing. We were all thrilled that he was successful enough to afford a place like this.
Is Case Abbott the type of man who would fire his best friend over a little white lie? Or a big lie about a very expensive piece of property?
I already know the answer to that. Drake has called me a few times over the past two years complaining about Case firing people. Some of those ex-employees had been with Cabbott Mobile from the beginning.
Since my makeup bag is in my suitcase, I have no choice but to leave the bathroom barefaced.
Case already thinks I look like a college freshman, so what do I have to lose?
Sucking in a deep breath, I steel myself so I can fight for Drake’s job. I owe him that after everything he’s ever done for me.
I swing open the bathroom door and head out to face the man who holds my brother’s future in the palm of his hand.
Chapter 3
Case
Emma Owens.
I have no fucking idea what she’s doing here. She seems to be under the impression that Drake is about to walk through the door.
My door.
I can’t say I’m surprised that he passed this place off as his own. Impressing his family was always important to Drake. He told me how thrilled his parents were when he was accepted into the computer science program at Brown University.
That’s where we met.
I was already on the path to my future. I was programming anything I could think of that would garner me a shot at my own company straight out of the gate after graduation.
Drake’s goal was to land an entry-level position with one of the corporations based in Silicon Valley.
That changed when I sold my first company when I was twenty-one. It was a payment app that’s since been buried by more streamline innovations. The money I made on that deal was enough to propel me forward.
I brought Drake on board my newly formed company because he wanted a job, and I needed his skills. Cabbott Mobile was launched, and we’ve never looked back.
I glance down at Emma’s suitcase.
I want that out of sight within the hour because I’m expecting someone. I need Drake’s sister out of here for that very same reason.
The sound of her clearing her throat behind me turns me around.
I mistook her for her younger sister earlier, but now that I’m getting a better look, I can see that she’s not Whitney.
The picture that Drake sent me months ago that was taken at a party for his parents’ anniversary didn’t include Emma. Come to think of it, I’ve never seen an image of her.
She stands at least a foot shorter than me. My guess is around five foot two.
Her dark brown hair is damp. The ends are curling around her shoulders. Her thickly lashed brown eyes are focused on my face. A sprinkle of freckles dots her nose and cheeks.
She’s stunning.
“I tried to call Drake, but he’s not answering.” She steps closer to me on bare feet. “Do you know if he’s in a meeting? It’s not like him to ignore my calls.”
How the hell am I supposed to answer that?
Drake didn’t hesitate when he told me that he was taking some time off so he could elope. I assumed everyone in his inner circle knew, but maybe that’s a smaller group than I realized.