The Promise (Neighbor from Hell #10)(18)

“That’s good, right?” she asked weakly as she rubbed her hands down her face.

“Normally, but since your grandfather registered the house as a historic home it’s going to be a nightmare getting permits, finding someone who has the skills to restore it, and knows what they’re doing without completely screwing you over,” he said with a shrug as she slowly exhaled and considered her options.

“And if I decided to put it on the market the way it is?” she asked, realizing that she might not have a choice.

“You’d have to find the right buyer, someone who wants a historic home and is willing to sink a shit load of money into this place to restore it. If your grandfather hadn’t registered it, you probably wouldn’t have a problem selling it. The land alone is worth a lot, but with that registration…” he said, letting his words trail off with a shrug.

“I’m screwed,” she finished for him, finally realizing why Jackson had washed his hands of the old place years ago.

“And if I managed to find someone to buy it?” she forced herself to ask.

“You probably wouldn’t even get half of what your grandfather paid for the old place,” he said, before adding, “But I wouldn’t worry about that if I were you.”

“Why not?”

“Because I can do this,” he said with another shrug.

“Really?” she asked with a hopeful smile that was quickly destroyed by the little brat that used to hide in her house and wait for hours just so that he could jump out and scare the crap out of her.

“For a price,” he said with a wiggle of his eyebrows.

“What?” she asked, narrowing her eyes on the incredibly handsome man grinning down at her.

“Tell me about the tattoo,” Matt said as she slowly nodded, realizing what she had to do.

---

“Tell me that you’re not back in my office,” Reed said, telling himself that this wasn’t happening.

“I would. I really would,” Jen said with a heartfelt sigh, “but didn’t you tell me that it was wrong to lie?”

Rubbing his hands down his face, he asked, “What did you do now?”

“Well, allegedly, because I don’t believe there’s any real proof, but Mr. Jackson believes that someone may have been involved in some sort of email scandal last night,” she said with a shrug as she popped another piece of candy in her mouth.

“What did you do?” he asked with a sigh as he dropped his hands away and sat back in his chair as he waited for the bullshit to start.

“Why do you think I did anything?” she asked, blinking innocently.

“Jen…”

“Allegedly,” she said, making air quotes that had him rolling his eyes, “Mr. Hermann left his laptop open while he went outside to make a phone call and I guess the temptation was just too much for some poor misguided soul to resist.”

“And what did this poor misguided soul do exactly?” he asked as a chirp drew his attention to his phone just as a text message popped up.

Do you think she was serious about the chemical castration thing? Because I might be willing to risk it.

“Are you familiar with the term ‘Rick Rolled’?” Jen asked as she helped herself to another piece of candy.

“Yes,” Reed said, biting back a sigh when the next text message popped up.

Do you think Jackson would be okay if I asked Joey out? Because I think I might be in love.

“Well, some evil genius took it a step further and ‘Biebed’ everyone in the PTA,” she said, right around the time that he decided to kill his brother.

“You sent a video of Justin Bieber hidden in a link to everyone on the PTA?” he asked, sighing as he reached over and typed her name into the computer and pulled up her file, again.

“Some evil genius did,” she said, nodding solemnly as he took a look at her classes, noting that she was failing every single one of them, held the school record for tardies and unexcused absences, and was well on her way to becoming the biggest pain in the ass that he’d ever known, and he was including the woman that he’d decided to stay away from in that.

“Some evil genius, huh?” he absently asked as he forced himself to focus on figuring out what he was going to do with the girl determined to get herself kicked out of school.

“That’s the only explanation that makes sense,” she said with a heavy sigh and a sad shake of her head.

“Or, the repeat offender who was supposed to be writing a paper saw an opportunity to torment someone, took it, got caught, and is now trying to talk her way out of another week of detention,” he drawled, drumming his fingers against the desk as he somehow resisted the urge to grab his phone and tell his brother to keep his fucking hands off her.

“That’s a possibility,” she allowed with a nod.

“You know what else is a possibility?” he asked.

“That you’ll let me off with a warning?” she asked with a hopeful smile.

“I was thinking more along the lines of calling your uncle,” he said, noting the look of pure panic on her face as he glanced down at his phone just in time to see the next text message.

She’s decided to sell the house. Already called Uncle Jared. He wants the house. Coming next month to put in an offer.