by Cora Brent
Now she looked distressed and I wished I hadn’t just brought it up. “I’m sorry, Curtis. I knew your dad was gone but I never heard the whole story before.”
“It was a long time ago,” I assured her.
“I’m sure it’s still painful, for you and your brothers.” Her face was full of sympathy. This girl who had just experienced the most violent scare of her life was feeling sorry for me. I felt like an asshole for mentioning it.
“Let’s get out of here,” I said, trying to sound more upbeat.
I encouraged Cassie to drink an entire bottle of water before we walked back to her street. She didn’t need my arm around her waist anymore but I stayed on alert in case she stumbled.
“Damn, I forgot about my car,” she said. “I left it by Baca’s.”
“I’ll go get it.”
“How are you going to drive my car and your car at the same time?”
“I’m not. I’ll walk over and drive your car home.”
“It’s like four miles away, Curtis.”
“That’s nothing.”
Cassie opened another bottle of water. “Do you still want to hear about my sordid history with Parker the Prick?”
“Only if you still want to tell me.”
She sighed and spoke haltingly at first. The story itself was bad enough; the party, the betrayal, the humiliation. But the worst part was the aftermath. Cassie began suffering from anxiety and depression. She was bullied right out of school, forced to finish her senior year online.
“It changed me, Curtis. I guess I’m ashamed of that. I let some high school bullshit strip away my self-confidence and I’ve never gotten over it completely. I was lost. The girl you seem to think I am, the carefree privileged princess who has never been touched by anything bad, that’s who I used to be.” She shook her head and looked miserable. “But I haven’t been that girl for a long time.”
I digested everything she’d just told me. There were so many things I wished I’d never said to her, that she led a charmed life, that she had everything so easy. I should have known better by now, that people couldn’t be wrapped up and labeled so neatly. Reality was more complex. And sometimes terrible.
“I’m sorry,” I told her. “I was wrong about you. And I hate the idea that some of the careless comments I made might have hurt your feelings. Cassie, I didn’t know what the fuck I was talking about.”
She stopped walking. “I didn’t mean to imply that I was angry at you. I can’t even tell you how grateful I am that you came along when you did. I’m pissed at myself for trying to see the good in someone like Parker Neely. And for being such a clueless idiot.” She sighed and crossed her arms. “How the hell did I manage to do this again? To once more cast myself as the damsel in distress? You know, last summer I went to a club with Cami and was nearly assaulted by some creep. I had to be rescued by Dalton for crying out loud. I don’t want to be the girl who always needs to be rescued.”
“Cassidy,” I said sternly so she’d look at me. “You are not to blame. You were in the company of a fucking predator. He is the only one in this equation who bears the guilt.”
She nodded. “I know. I’m thinking about it now and there are things that don’t add up. He said that he’d been working on a cattle ranch in Nebraska and hadn’t been to college. My friend Debra told me she heard he’d graduated from the University of Nebraska with an engineering degree. He wouldn’t talk about his day job. And tonight I noticed he had a University of Nebraska license plate so Debra must have been right. And there’d be no reason at all for an engineering graduate to be taking an introductory statistics class at a community college. He was there for a different reason.”
“He was there for you,” I said and a chilly sense of dread rolled through me. I hadn’t wanted to push her but this was an even more dangerous situation than I thought. “You should at least file a police report tonight. I’ll go with you. And you need to talk to your folks. Especially since he’s already shown up at Scratch once.”
She was already vehemently shaking her head before I finished talking. “No. You don’t know how it was. After I left school I could barely be persuaded to leave the house and I actually made myself sick. The whole thing just shattered my parents. I can’t handle putting them through any more pain. I swear I’m not going to go off the rails this time, Curtis.”
“I believe you. But he might try something else.”
“I don’t think he will after the way you dealt with him.” She let out a bark of laughter. “Did you see the way he wet his pants?”
I snorted. “I might have noticed that.”
We walked side by side in silence for a moment.
“Just think about it, Cassie,” I said. “You ought to file a restraining order and there needs to be a record of this attack.”
She was uncertain. “What about you? Isn’t it possible you could get arrested if he says you threatened him?”
“How the hell is he going to spin that? Is he going to play the victim and complain that I stopped him from assaulting the woman he drugged?”
She winced over the imagery. It was still raw and horrifying, the thought that the night might have had a very different outcome.
“So are we going to eat these burritos or what?” I asked, holding up the paper bag.
We found a bench in that same park at the end of Cassie’s street. She probably had a lot of good memories of this park. And one very bad one. I’d try to make up for that at least a little.
“This reminds me of your first day at Scratch,” I said, unwrapping the food.
She giggled. “I know. The case of the infamous discarded burrito. I wondered if you’d pick up on that.”
“I made too big a deal out of it.”
“Yeah, you were kind of a jerk.”
I took a big bite and chewed. It tasted exactly how one might think a gas station burrito would taste. I waited until I swallowed before I asked, “Do you still think I’m a jerk?”
Cassie was in the middle of daintily unwrapping her own burrito in her lap. She poked me in the side. “Sometimes.”
“Like when I’m growling at you to get your coffee cup off the hood of my car or having a temper tantrum because you threw my lunch away?”
“Yes, exactly.” She picked at the edge of the burrito. “But you’re honest, Curtis. I’ve learned to appreciate how rare that is.”
I thought about some of the things I’d done in my life, things that were definitely not on the honest side of the law.
What did that say about me? I suppose I couldn’t be easily classified either.
But it must mean something that I’d lie down in traffic for the people I cared about. Including her.
No, especially her.
She didn’t eat much, just nibbled a few bites and then crumpled everything up in the bag, which I tossed into a nearby dumpster.
“So, Curtis Mulligan, what do you think of me now?” she asked. It wasn’t a flirtatious question. It was a serious one. “I want you to tell me because I know you won’t lie. You always tell me the truth even if it’s harsh.”
I thought for a moment before answering. And I did tell her the truth.
“I think you’re brave,” I said. “You’re smart. You’re kind. You’re loyal and you want to see the good in people. And Cassie, you’re much stronger than you give yourself credit for.” I debated whether I should continue but then decided I wasn’t telling her anything I hadn’t already said before. “Plus you’re so insanely sexy it drives me up the fucking wall every single goddamn day.”
She blushed and tittered but she moved closer to me. When she rested her head on my shoulder I waited for a few minutes before slowly moving my arm and putting it around her. She didn’t stop me. She understood the gesture wasn’t supposed to be romantic. After a hellish night we were just two people sitting on a park bench who understood each other.
A few minutes passed that way in comfortable silence before I checked the time.
“You want to head back to the house?” I asked. It wasn’t that late. I could walk Cassie back home, jog the short miles to get her car and return before eleven.
“Soon,” she said tiredly and let out a soft sigh as I held her closer. “Will you do something for me first?”
“Anything.”
“Just stay here with me for a little while longer.”
“Of course.”
I would stay with her as long as she wanted me here. She didn’t even have to ask.
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
Dalton asked us for the second time if we wanted him to pick up any food while he was out.
“You really don’t have to leave,” I said, getting comfortable on the couch beside Cami. “I hate the idea that I’m kicking you out of your own apartment.”
“You’re not kicking me anywhere,” he replied cheerfully. “I’m stepping out voluntarily because I think the Gentry twins deserve some private time.”
“Love you,” Cami called.
“Love you too,” Dalton answered before he walked out the door.
“So,” Cami said, not wasting any time, “what’s going on? You sounded funny every time I talked to you this week.”
I hugged a couch pillow to my chest. Never in my life had I kept a real secret from Cami. At first I hadn’t wanted to tell her at all. I still hadn’t told my parents. But ever since last Friday night when Parker Neely attacked me I’d been walking around with a thick feeling of dread in my heart. The feeling lifted slightly when I filed a police report yesterday detailing the assault. I knew his family had money, along with connections, so I was not optimistic that anything would come of it but the officer who took my statement promised me they would follow up. She also said I might want to consider filing a restraining order. That way he could be arrested if he showed up anywhere near me. Curtis accompanied me to the police station and gave his statement as well.
Having Curtis around also helped ease that crushing sense of dread. He and Brecken had moved to their new apartment last Sunday but since Brecken still spent afternoons at our house the two of them were always invited to dinner. We didn’t talk to each other much at work but just knowing that he was within reach made me feel better. Plus he insisted on being there when I got out of class. He wouldn’t leave until I was safely in my car and driving home. The other night when I checked my rearview mirror at the last second before making a right turn out of the college parking lot I was surprised to see that he was still standing right where I’d left him, just silently watching over me.
I told Cami everything. She didn’t cry at first. Her eyes glistened and she squeezed my hand as I talked. Then when I got to the part about how I’d crawled on the ground, trying to escape from Parker and maintain consciousness, Cami let out a cry of anguish and my strong, brilliant sister lost her composure. Tears spilled down her cheeks.
“Cass,” she whispered.
“I’m okay,” I assured her. “Curtis was amazing. He busted in on the scene like a superhero, scared the shit out of Parker and took care of me. I try not to think about what would have happened if he hadn’t been there, if he hadn’t happened to be standing on the front porch and noticed something was wrong. But he was there.”
Cami sniffed and swiped at her tears. “Thank god for Curtis Mulligan.”
“The same thought has crossed my mind a few times.”
Cami’s face changed. Fury replaced grief. “I could kill him. Parker. I’m not even just saying that. I could seriously fucking kill him.”
“You’ll have to get in line behind me,” I said, feeling my jaw clench and my fists tighten.
“You’re angry,” Cami said, nodding with approval. “Good, I’m glad you’re angry.”
“You mean instead of retreating into my shell?” I shook my head. “No, I did that once. And I learned that it solves nothing. I won’t do it again.”
“But you still won’t talk to Mom and Dad?”
I sighed. “I’ve been dreading it. The police officer encouraged me to file a restraining order.”
“That’ll be on public record,” Cami warned.
“I know. So I guess I’m going to need to tell them.”
“You should,” she said. Then she frowned as her reporter’s mind chewed on the details of the story. “You said that you thought Parker showed up at your class because he knew you’d be there.”
“Yes, that’s what I think. Remember Alex Dorsey?”
Cami recoiled with a look of disgust. “Gross. What’s he got to do with it?”
“I heard his sister Amanda works in the Registrar’s office at the college. From what I can tell, Parker and Alex are still pretty tight. I actually drove down to the school at lunch time yesterday to confront Amanda. I didn’t make any accusations. I just asked her if she’d passed along any information about me. She denied even knowing who I was but she couldn’t look me in the eye. I can’t prove anything but I made enough of a scene while I was in the office that hopefully she’ll at least get a warning.”
Cami looked doubtful. “Are you sure it’s safe for you to go back there? It’s late when you get out of class. He could be stalking you in the parking lot.”
“He won’t try it. Both times when I got out of class this week Curtis was waiting to escort me to my car.”
Cami was amazed. “Really?”
“Really. I told him I was fine, that I was ready to scream and dial 911 if I even thought I saw Parker’s shadow but he didn’t listen. There are only a few more weeks of class and he said he would keep coming no matter what.” I shrugged. “He’s stubborn.”
Cami slapped her thigh. “He’s damn awesome is what he is. I’m going to have to think about what kind of medal I’m going to give that guy the next time I see him.”
I snorted. “Somehow I don’t think Curtis is into medals. Maybe you could get him a new tattoo.”
She giggled. Then she grew thoughtful. “Who’s to say Parker won’t keep creeping around you at that college? Especially if he’s got someone feeding him inside information.”
“The restraining order will give me some legal protection once I have it. And as far as the insider information, it won’t matter soon anyway. At least I hope it won’t.”
Cami was confused. “What does that mean? You’re not quitting school, are you?”
“In a way. I applied for a transfer to Arizona State so keep your fingers crossed that all goes as planned and I’ll be going there full time in the fall.”
“That’s great!” Cami gushed. “I’m so proud of you!”
I tried to smile. “Thanks. I’m working on being proud of myself.”
“Why wouldn’t you be?”
I shrugged, feeling a little embarrassed. “I just wish I’d done so many things differently. That’s all.”
My sister was quiet for a moment. “Our mistakes aren’t what break us,” she said softly. “What hurts the most is how we punish ourselves for them. So don’t do that, Cassidy. Be good to yourself.”
The words sounded familiar. “An impressively profound statement, Camille. Did you read that somewhere?”
“Nope, those words were once said by a wise woman.”
“Who?”
She smiled. “You. Don’t you remember? When we went to go see Debra in the hospital after she took all those pills. You told her that.”
Cami was right. I did remember now.
“So,” Cami said and now her green eyes practically danced with mischief, “I’d like to hear a little bit more about Curtis.”
I knew where she was heading with this and I played dumb. “Oh, well he’s been busy getting his new apartment set up. He still hasn’t had any luck searching for Tristan but Brecken’s been doing great. And even though he’s too polite to admit it, I’m sure Curtis is excited to be sleeping somewhere other than our pullout couch. Did I tell you Uncle Deck hooked him up with some furniture?”
Cami waved an impatient hand. “Stop babbling about nonsense. You know damn well
what I want to know.”
“Enlighten me anyway.”
She leaned in close and looked me right in the eye. “Cassie, when are you going to admit that you want Curtis Mulligan so bad you can’t think straight?”
“Oh my god.” I rolled my eyes and huffed out a sigh even though I knew denial was futile. The consequence of having a twin sister is that she will always and forever be able to see right through you.
Cami was not sympathetic. “Who do you think you’re kidding, dear sister? I can hear it in your voice every time you say his name. And I confess that I had some doubts about him when he first showed up but I’m delighted to admit I was wrong.”
“You don’t even know him. You met him once, right?”
She cocked her head. “It doesn’t matter. You’ve told me more than you realize. Don’t get me wrong, I’m still ready to grill him about his past, present and future the next time he’s unfortunate enough to be in the same room with me. But he’s a good guy, Cass. And he cares about you a hell of a lot.”
I squirmed. “You don’t know that.”
“Sure I do. You think the world’s full of guys who would stick by your side like he has, even waiting around for you after class, with no promise that he was ever going to get anything out of it? For crying out loud, he slept right down the hall from you every night for weeks and never even tried to touch you.”
The blush must have reached my cheeks because Cami’s eyes went wide.
“Holy shit,” she whispered. “When?”
“It was nothing,” I insisted. “We just kind of started messing around one night. And I didn’t tell you because it’s really a bit humiliating. I asked him to come to my room and he turned me down. Curtis said he couldn’t disrespect my family like that and he was sure I was too good for him anyway.”
“Wow,” Cassie whispered then shook her head. “Okay that’s a real bonehead thing to say but WOW. I mean, look at you Cassie, you’re drop dead gorgeous. That must have practically killed him.”