How Perfect You Are (Carlson College Mysteries Book 1)

by Isabel Fox

  “Oh, shit. I’m so sorry. Uh, goodnight. Sorry,” I apologized frantically as I made a hasty retreat for the door. I heard giggling behind me, but I refused to look back.

  Once I was safely back in the guest room I breathed a sigh of relief. Feeling a little uncertain about what to do with myself, I flopped on the bed. I wanted to tell someone about my good news. I considered calling Jenna or Brooklyn. I knew Brooklyn was spending the break with her boyfriend and I didn’t want to interrupt her time with him. Jenna, however, had gone home to stay with her dad and step mom. As she hated her stepmom, I figured she might appreciate a distraction. I pulled up her contact info on my phone and sent the call.

  When she answered, I launched into a detailed description of the entire night, from my dress to the food and the garden. Jenna was an enthusiastic listener, but towards the end of my tenth minute of mooning over how wonderful everything was she cut me off.

  “Cassie, I was actually getting ready to call you,” she admitted. Her voice sounded nervous.

  “Why? What’s wrong?” I asked, my brain immediately shifting into overdrive and running through a million horrible scenarios.

  “Well, Robby called me earlier. He was a little upset,” she began. “He started out asking why I hadn’t told him you had a boyfriend.”

  “Uh, because I didn’t until a few hours ago?” I pointed out.

  “Well, apparently after our double date the other night he got some weird text messages,” Jenna went on. As soon as I heard “text messages,” my heart sank.

  “What kind of weird text messages?” I asked with a sigh, already knowing where this was going.

  “They came from an unknown number. They said that Robby should stay away from you, that you were “his” and Robby would be sorry if he didn’t stay away.”

  “He would be sorry?” I repeated. While not a threat against me, I wondered if the police would be more inclined to take things seriously with this new, albeit incredibly vague, threat against poor Robby.

  “Oh, no,” I groaned. “This is awful. I need to call Robby, explain things to him. Tell him how sorry I am.”

  “Hey, it’s okay,” Jenna stopped me. “I told him what was going on. Not everything, you know, but the gist. I told him he should take screenshots of the texts and send them to me, and I’ll get them to you, but to not reply any more or anything. Was that alright?”

  “That was perfect. Thanks, Jenna, you’re the best.”

  “Anytime. Hey, do you think maybe you should let James know? That you dating him might make your creepy fan boy angry?”

  “Yeah, I’ll tell him,” I said dejectedly. “Though if this isn’t a sign he should get out while he can, I don’t know what is.”

  “Hey, don’t say that,” Jenna said. “James is totally into you, it sounds like. He won’t drop you just because some creep might text him telling him to back off.”

  “I hope not,” I grumbled. “Anyway, thanks, Jen. I’d better go. I’ll talk to you later, I guess.”

  “Bye Cass. Say hi to Amber for me. I’ll see you guys soon,” Jenna replied.

  I hung up and lay perfectly still on the bed. It was amazing to me how the evening could have gone from so wonderful to so terrible in just a matter of minutes. I wallowed, literally, for just a bit longer before resigning myself to go talk to James. Like Amber, he was something of a night owl so I figured he would still be awake.

  I had a horrible feeling that he would hear what was going on and say, “Sorry, call me when you’re not being actively harassed by a psycho.” Part of me knew this wasn’t a very realistic thing to think, but my brain had a way of convincing me that the unlikely was very possible. After all, before this week I would have never thought I would be stalked, and look how that was working out.

  I made my way downstairs and then opened the door in the foyer that led down to the basement. It had been completely finished and served as something of a rec room and also James’s bedroom. Once again, I couldn’t find the light switch, so I flipped on my phone’s flashlight and tried to make my way across the darkened room to where I thought I remembered the door to James’s room being.

  “Ow! Shit,” I yelped a few steps later when my hip collided with what I thought might be a pool table. I saw a sliver of light appear a few feet away followed by the sound of a door opening. Light spilled out into the rec room, revealing that it had indeed been a pool table I had collided with.

  “Cassie? Are you okay?” James asked. He reached out and flicked on another light switch, turning on the over head lights of the rec room. I massaged my hip, already certain there’d be a giant bruise in my future.

  “Yeah, I’m fine. Clumsy as ever,” I muttered. “And what is with your house and inconveniently located light switches? How do you get around at night? Do you all just echolocate, or something?”

  “I assure you, we’re not part bat,” James chuckled. “Just unfortunate enough to have a poorly laid out electrical system. Not that I’m not happy to see you, but what are you doing down here?”

  I took a deep breath, not relishing having to taint what had been an otherwise perfect night with my less than perfect news.

  “Apparently, this guy that’s been watching me knew I went out with Jenna, Paul, and Robby the other night. And they, uh, sent Robby a bunch of texts telling him to stay away from me or he would be sorry. And I thought you should know, since at this point I should probably assume that they know everything I’m up to and will figure out pretty quickly that we went out. So you should prepare yourself for some less than pleasant texts courtesy of an unknown number soon,” I explained in a rush.

  “Okay, slow down for a second. Here, come sit down.” James guided me into his room and I sat on the edge of his bed. I was momentarily distracted by looking around James’s room. Though I had glimpsed it on occasion before when visiting Amber, I had never actually been inside.

  Unlike Amber’s general state of disarray, James kept his room pretty neat. Decorated in tones of navy and red, the room was simply and somewhat minimally decorated. The main personal touches came from the bookshelves, which in addition to dozens of books also held a few framed photos and what looked to be baseball trophies.

  James followed my gaze. “Strictly Little League,” he said with a chuckle before his expression became serious again.

  “Okay, so tell me all that again. But slower,” he urged. I recounted my conversation with Jenna again. When I finished, he leaned over and gave me a quick hug before fixing me with a serious look.

  “First of all,” he began, “don’t think for a second that this is going to make me change my mind about wanting to be with you,” James said, looking deeply into my eyes. “Second, in the morning have Jenna send you the screenshots. When we get back to town we’ll take them to the police and see if this is enough of a threat for them to investigate more. Third, try not to worry. I know this is scary, but everything will be okay.”

  For a moment, I didn’t say anything. I picked at a loose thread on the bedspread and stared absently at a framed family photo on the wall. I scratched at a bug bite on my arm.

  Then, with an overwhelming suddenness that took my breath away, I began to cry. For the first time since all these strange things had started to happen, I cried. I cried because I was scared. I cried because I was anxious. Mostly, I cried because I was mad. I was so, so mad that whoever this asshole was, he was taking over my life. I couldn’t be happy about spending time with my friends, being on fall break, or having a new relationship, all because his creepiness had to take center stage.

  James wrapped his arms around me while I cried. He stroked my hair and murmured soothingly. Gradually, my tears subsided into hiccups.

  “Umm, sorry about the...hic...the...hic,” I tried to say.

  James cut me off. “It’s okay,” he said. “I think you needed that.”

  I considered this for a minute. My nose was running, my eyes were stinging, and the hiccups were pretty annoying. But, amazingly
, I did feel somewhat better.

  “Yeah, I guess so,” I replied slowly. I dabbed at my nose with the sleeve of Amber’s jacket.

  “Oh, here,” James quickly passed me a tissue from the box on his desk.

  “Thanks,” I said before blowing my nose in what I was certain was a most ladylike, attractive manner.

  “No problem,” James answered. He came back and sat next to me on the bed, running his hand up and down my back.

  “I think Amber was right,” I said, recalling our conversation from a few days ago.

  “Right about what?” James asked.

  “About this all being extra hard for me since I’m kind of a control freak,” I explained.

  “Amber said you were a control freak?” James sounded surprised.

  “Well, yes. But she meant, and what I think she’s right about, is that I have a need to be in control of things, and that because this is a situation that is so completely out of my control it must be especially hard for me to handle,” I elaborated further.

  “I don’t think you’re a control freak. Do you?” James asked, reaching out an tucking a strand of hair behind my ear. He watched me carefully, a concerned expression on his face.

  “Maybe? Sometimes?” I shrugged. “I don’t know. Eileen would probably say I am. Amber clearly thinks so. But it’s not something I think about like that. I don’t go, “Oh, I have to be in charge and make all the decisions!” But I do like things a certain way, and I get stressed out when they’re not. I don’t like unexpected things. I hate surprises. Write that down, by the way,” I nodded at James.

  “Duly noted,” he said in a solemn way that made me sure I would remember.

  “I like knowing what’s coming up, what’s going on, and knowing I have the option to say no. Or yes. Or whatever,” I went on.

  “Well, that doesn’t scream control freak to me,” James said evenly.

  “That’s just some of the things. I don’t know, like I said, it’s not something I’ve ever really spent a lot of time thinking about. Honestly, until Amber pointed it out I didn’t even realize it was that obvious to anyone else. I just kind of think of it as how I am,” I sniffled loudly and blew my nose again.

  “There’s nothing wrong with that,” James pointed out. “Lots of people like to be in control. Hell, no one likes to feel out of control, I don’t think.”

  “I don’t do out of control well, that’s for damn sure. The last time I tried to not be in control, I wound up going on that stupid double date with Jenna, Paul, and Robby,” I said with a half laugh. “I was trying to prove to Amber that I could be spontaneous. But clearly that didn’t work out all that well.”

  “If I’m being completely honest,” James said, “I was kind of hoping it wouldn’t work out very well. I was kicking myself for not asking you out sooner, but I honestly didn’t think you were interested in that Robby fellow. I was just going to wait and play my cards right.”

  I laughed. “Yeah, there was never much chance of that. Of things going well on that date, I mean.”

  Feeling tired, I leaned back onto the pillows. “You know,” I said with a yawn, “it’s all my mom’s fault.”

  James moved to slide next to me so we were laying side by side. Though I could feel him looking at me, I kept my gaze upwards towards the ceiling fan.

  “She...you said she left, right?” James prompted.

  “Yeah,” I nodded, “when I was six. After my dad died. And the thing is, I know it wasn’t my fault. I’ve never blamed myself for her splitting, or anything, but that’s just it. It wasn’t my fault. It wasn’t something I could control. You know, I always tell people I’m over it and I don’t care. But sometimes, every once in awhile, I do. I do care. I don’t feel over it. I hate that I couldn’t do anything to change it.”

  “I don’t have a lot of firsthand experience, or anything,” James said, “but I think that’s pretty normal. You can be past the point of dwelling on something but still have it bother you sometimes.”

  “Yeah, that’s pretty much where I am with it. And you know, it’s the dumbest thing,” I pressed on, feeling like if I stopped talking I wouldn’t ever get started again. And I wanted to. For the first time in ages, I really wanted to talk about my mother. “I always miss her when things in my life kind of suck. I know this is going to make me sound like a little kid, but I just want to tell my mom about it and have her make it all better.”

  “Well, I know it’s not the same, but my mom thinks you’re pretty great. I’m sure she’d be happy to talk to you, any time,” James offered.

  “Your mom is great. And I appreciate it, I really do. But it’s not quite the same, you know?”

  “I know. Well, what about Eileen?” James suggested. I shook my head, rolling over onto my side so that I was looking into James’s face.

  “No, I don’t want to get her involved. Not yet. Eileen is finally out doing what she always wanted to do. She and my grandfather wanted to travel the world, and they never got the chance. Then my dad died and mom bailed, and she got me to raise. I know she loves me, and she was a wonderful grandparent-slash-parent. But now she’s finally out living her dream. I don’t want her to change her plans for me.”

  “Cassie, I think she would want to change her plans. If she knew what was going on, she’d want to be there for you. She wouldn’t want you to deal with this alone,” James insisted. He let his fingers brush down the side of my face, making my skin tingle.

  “I know she would. But I really, really don’t want her to have to. Besides, I’m not alone. I have you. Amber. Brooklyn. Jenna,” I reminded him.

  “Of course you do,” James nodded emphatically. “I’ll do whatever I can to support you, Cassie. I just want you to know that.”

  Feeling more sleepy by the minute, I offered him a smile. “Right now, you can support me by letting me sleep. I hate to say it, but your mother was right. I am tired. Like, I could sleep until sometime next week kind of tired.”

  “Of course! Do you want me to walk you back upstairs?” James asked.

  “No,” I shook my head. “I want to stay right here. If that’s okay,” I added.

  James arched an eyebrow, seeming briefly surprised. But then he nodded agreeably. He switched off the lights before returning to the bed.

  “Come here,” he whispered in the dark. I scooted closer to him and he wrapped his arms around me, my head resting on his chest.

  “Goodnight, Cassie,” James said, kissing the top of my head.

  “Goodnight, James,” I replied as I snuggled even closer. It wasn’t long before I fell into a deep sleep, feeling more at peace than I had in quite some time.

  23

  I woke up the next morning slightly confused. I sat up and looked around at what was definitely not the guest room. Quickly I remembered I was in James’s room. Glancing around, I saw that he was nowhere to be found. I heard the sound of a running shower coming from the en suite bathroom and figured that must be where he was. Not ready to get out of bed, I lay back down and closed my eyes again, fully prepared to snooze a bit more.

  No sooner had I started to doze off again, however, than Amber came bursting into the room.

  “There you are! Christ, Cassie, give me a heart attack, why don’t you? I was convinced your stalker had found you and was already adding your eyeballs to his collection of Cassie memorabilia!” she scolded. “Move over!”

  With that, she flopped dramatically on the bed. I pulled a pillow over my head, both embarrassed and overwhelmed by the sudden swirl of energy that was Amber.

  “Amber,” I moaned, willing her to go away.

  “Cassie,” Amber replied in a mocking voice. “Consider this payback.”

  “Payback?”

  “Yeah. For walking in without knocking last night. You don’t generally do that, but I’m willing to bet you definitely won’t do it again anytime soon,” Amber said with a good natured laugh. Annoyed, I pulled the pillow off my head.

  “You realize,”
I pointed out, “that in order for the situation to be truly payback I’d have to be in the middle of hooking up.” I paused for dramatic effect. “With your brother.”

  “Eww, no. Never mind, we’ll call this even,” Amber shuddered at the thought.

  “So, who was he?” I asked.

  “Some guy from the art gallery. He works there, and we started talking. I showed him pictures of some of my stuff. He was very interested, and we sort of went from there,” Amber said.

  “Huh. Well, are you planning to see him again?” I asked.

  “Maybe,” Amber shrugged. “We’ll see. I’ve got his number. I’m not crazy about starting any kind of long distance thing, though.”

  “You’ve never actually dated an artsy guy before,” I realized. It was true. Most of the relationships Amber had had tended to be with jocks or similarly athletic types. I’d always found this a bit puzzling, since except for her apparent tennis prowess Amber wasn’t exactly sporty. I’d always figured she’d be better off with someone who shared her creative streak.

  “Hmm, your right. I haven’t. Maybe it’s time to give that a try,” she mused. For a moment the two of us lay there in silence.

  “So you had a good time last night?” Amber asked finally. “I see you’re still wearing your dress. Good to know it still looks nice even after being slept in.”

  “Yeah, I did,” I smiled at the memory. “And yeah, I am. It’s not what you’re probably thinking, though. I talked to Jenna last night.” Quickly I filled Amber in on the situation with Robby. She was quiet for a minute.

  “Cassie, we’ve got to figure this out,” she said after a while.

  “No shit,” was my response.

  “No, seriously. If the police can’t do anything about it, we’re going to have to play detective ourselves,” Amber insisted.

  Humoring her, I asked, “So where would you propose we start, Detective Davis?”

  “Have you tried calling the number back, see if anyone answers?”