“Still feeling up for the task?”
Was that nervousness in Malcolm Crane's voice? A bit of fear? Hesitance? Or, was I just imagining things?
“I - I am,” I said.
“Good. I've spoken to my lawyer and he's gone ahead and drawn up some paperwork. We'll be ready to meet with you tomorrow,” he said. “Will that work for you?”
“Tomorrow. Wow. Things are moving fast,” I bit my lip and looked over at Raya.
“If you need a little time – ”
“I just need to check my calendar,” I said. “Gotta make sure I'm free.”
“Oh,” he said, sounding somewhat disappointed.“I'm kidding, Malcolm,” I said. “I can meet you whenever. Now that I'm unemployed, my days are pretty much open.”
“Good,” he said, letting out a long breath. “We're moving fast, I know, but we don't have much time. Hopefully, my lawyer can answer any questions, and help ease any fears you might have. We can hopefully make this go as smoothly as possible.”
“Sounds good,” I said, trying to sound more confident than I felt. “Let's get this show on the road.”
“I'll text you a time and a location once I have it,” he said. We were both quiet for a long time before he added. “And Casey? I really can't thank you enough for this. What you're doing – sacrificing – I won't forget it. Ever.”
A small smile touched my lips. I wasn't just doing this for me, I realized. As much as I wanted to help my family by doing this, I also wanted to help Malcolm too. God help me, I wanted to help him because I actually liked him. Because I actually thought he was a good man in a tough spot.
It wasn't like I thought I could see anything between us going anywhere, either. I wasn’t going to let myself get all delusional and hope we'd end up together in the end or anything like that. This was life, not some silly rom-com.
Besides, once I had that money in hand, I was out of here. Leaving Los Angeles behind was at the top of my list, and that meant leaving Malcolm as well. So, it wouldn't do me any good to get attached or ascribe any romantic feelings to anything. This was business, plain and simple.
“See you tomorrow, Malcolm.”
“Later, Casey.”
I hung up the phone and stared at it for a long time, still trying to process everything that was happening to me. Things were moving a lot faster than I'd expected them to, and because of it, my heart was racing, and my cheeks were burning.
“Looks like someone has a crush,” Raya teased.
“No, it's not like that at all,” I said. “Please. This is a business deal. One that works for both of us.”
“Uh huh.”
I knew it was a lie. Raya knew it was a lie. But, I had to keep telling myself that lie and hope that I'd eventually come to believe it. I couldn't let myself fall for Malcolm. Not if we were going to make this work.
“Sure, whatever you say, Casey,” Raya said. “Just be careful, I don't want to see him hurt you. Remember, he needs something from you now, but once he has what he wants –”
“We're not going to be together, Raya. There's no way we'd work out,” I said. “We're just too different. And besides, I plan on getting the hell out of here as soon as I get that money, so in a way, I'm using him too. It's strictly a business arrangement.”
“Keep telling yourself that, chica, and hopefully, it'll actually turn out to be true.”
~ooo000ooo~
I got off the bus and stared up at the building before me. Crane Enterprises. Yep. This was it. This was where I was meeting with Malcolm and his lawyer to go over everything. Standing there on the sidewalk, it occurred to me that this was my last chance to back out of it.
The skyscraper was massive and modern, and I found it hard to believe that one family owned the giant, sleek building made of glass and steel before me. I counted the floors until I couldn't do it anymore. I knew I was just procrastinating, fidgeting, and not going inside. I tried to imagine how many employees they must have in a building so big, and the number was too large for me to fathom.
Most of the lights in the building were off, as it was after normal working hours, but a few windows remained lit. I figured one of them would be our meeting room. I stared down at the piece of paper in my hand that listed the address and the room number, and let out a long, pensive breath.
“It's now or never, Casey,” I muttered to myself.
I pulled open the large glass doors and walked through the lobby until I came to a reception desk. No receptionist was there, however, only a security guard who looked bored.