“Such a gentleman you are, Adam,” Danielle spat. “Remind me never to date you again.”
“Like I'd be interested in dating you again,” he spat back. “I can see why Malcolm doesn't want you back.”
The two of them continued arguing and sniping as I stepped out of the dining room and into the hallway. Casey had no idea where the bathroom was, as I obviously hadn't showed her earlier. Which reminded me that I needed to thank my mom for the bit of cover.
Now though, I had no clue where she might have wandered off to. I started toward the half-bath near the stairwell, but Alba stepped out of there. She looked at me with a curious expression on her face.
“Have you seen Casey, by chance?” I asked.
She shook her head, “I'm sorry, Malcolm. I haven't,” she said.
“I think she’s lost somewhere around here,” I muttered.
I continued on down the hallway, looking in every room I came across, but found no sign of her. But then I heard footsteps on the stairs, so I turned around and headed back in that direction. Casey walked down the steps gingerly, her face paler than usual. Her forehead glistened with sweat.
“You alright?” I asked.
“Sorry, I needed to use the bathroom, and the one down here was occupied, so I went upstairs to look for one,” she said, stopping on the bottom step, and looked up at me. “I hope that's okay?”
“It's fine,” I said. “You sure you're okay though? You look a bit shaky.”
I reached out and touched her forehead, wiping away some of the dampness from her skin. She wasn't warm, so I didn't think she was running a fever. But, something clearly wasn't right with her.
“Yeah, I'm fine.”
She looked down at her feet instead of looking me in the eye. She was tense and upset but was doing her best to hide it. Not very successfully.
“I can tell when you're lying to me,” I said.
“Not here,” she said. “I can't talk about it here.”
Her eyes darted around wildly, as if she were afraid we weren't alone. Afraid that somebody was eavesdropping on us. Technically, she had a right to be cautious and paranoid. The dining room was not too far away, and dinner was wrapping up. Eventually, my folks would come out there. As would Danielle and Adam.
I took her hand in mine, and together, we walked back up the stairs.
“Where are we going?” she asked.
“You said we needed to talk,” I replied. “We're going to talk.”
“But what about your family?”
I shrugged and kept on walking up the stairs, holding her hand in mine. She kept up with me, walking beside me. We turned the corner at the top of the stairs, and I slipped into my old childhood playroom. As soon as the door closed behind us, I wrapped my arms around Casey and exhaled deeply.
“I've been waiting to hold you all night.” I said.
Casey's body was stiff, and she didn't relax into me or return the hug. I stepped back, taking her face into my hands.
“I'm sorry I didn't tell you about Danielle,” I said. “It's complicated.”
“Is the baby yours?”
“She says it is.”
Casey recoiled as if I'd smacked her across the face. With a look of outrage and contempt, she yanked herself free from my grasp. Her eyes were filled with emotion now – the most obvious one being anger.
“Casey, this could be good news,” I said. “It would mean I get my inheritance and my dad's company. And you don't have to go through with any of this –”
“I'm pregnant, Malcolm,” she blurted out before I could finish my sentence.