The Promise (Neighbor from Hell #10)(61)

“So, you were telling me about these panic attacks,” he said, making her sigh because she’d been hoping that he’d just let it go.

“Whenever the world becomes too much to handle, I step into the shower, close my eyes and slowly let everything go,” she said, shrugging it off like it was no big deal even as she became focused on a solar operated lantern that promised to leave her phone fully charged in two hours so that she wouldn’t have to see his reaction.

“Does it work?” he asked as he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her closer.

“Sometimes, but it’s not as bad as it used to be,” she admitted on a sigh.

“When was it bad?” he asked, holding her close.

“When I was little. My grandmother suggested bubble baths to help me relax until I broke out my microscope and showed her how unsanitary baths really were,” she said, feeling his lips twitch against her skin.

“It’s better now?” he asked, sounding worried.

“Yes,” she said, deciding that it would probably be for the best if she didn’t tell him that he was the reason why.





Chapter 35

“Does anyone want another hotdog?” the little bastard said as he shoved another one of the discounted hot dogs that they’d bought from the gas station that had taken them over an hour to find, in his mouth while Reed sat there, rubbing his hands down his face as he tried to remember if he’d promised not to maim his little brother or kill him.

Because right now he was tempted to do both.

More than tempted.

“I’m going to kill your brother,” Jackson announced from the other side of their campfire with a slow nod and a glare at the little bastard stuffing another questionable hotdog in his mouth.

“I’m really not seeing the problem,” Matt said as he grabbed another one of the hot dogs that was seven weeks past its expiration date and shoved it onto a stick.

“I’m going to kill him,” Jackson repeated while Reed pointedly looked around the fucked up campsite that the asshole reserved for them, pausing on the porta potties lining one side of their site and the ditch filled with empty Budweiser cans lining the other, and the pile of old camping gear that their father had forgotten to throw away dumped in the middle of the campsite kept brightly lit by the floodlights surrounding them.

“What? It’s really not that bad,” Matt said as he followed his gaze.

“Not that bad?” Reed asked, gesturing around them. “Are you fucking kidding me?”

“You don’t hear Joey complaining,” Matt said, gesturing lazily in the direction where she’d taken off four hours ago after she’d taken one look at their campsite and decided to go camping by herself so that they’d have a chance to catch up.

As much as he’d missed his best friend, he didn’t want to be with Jackson.

He wanted to be with her.

“I’m definitely going to kill him,” Jackson decided with a firm nod as Reed leveled a glare on the little bastard.

“That’s because she was smart enough to reserve a site near the fucking lake!” Reed snapped, wondering if his mother had dropped his brother on his head and forgot to tell him.

“This was twenty bucks cheaper,” Matt pointed out with a shrug.

“Definitely going to kill him.”

“And what about this?” Reed demanded, pointing toward the small army tent that was barely big enough for two people never mind three full-grown men.

“What about it?” Matt asked, finishing off the last hot dog.

“You said that you were going to take care of everything,” Reed bit out even as he couldn’t help but glance toward the path that would take him down to the lake.

“I did,” Matt said, gesturing toward the pile of useless shit.

“And the food?” he couldn’t help but wonder.

“Was a small oversight,” Matt said with a sad shake of his head. “But it’ll be fine.”

“How exactly is it going to be fine? It’s an hour hike to get back to the car and the closest store is an hour away,” he pointed out as he pulled out his phone and—

Nothing.

Vowing to spank her ass if she didn’t let him know that she was okay, he sent her a quick text and-

“What are you doing?” Matt suddenly asked.

“None of your damn business,” he said, glaring down at his phone as he waited for the text that damn well better be coming soon.

“No phones allowed,” Matt said with a heavy sigh and a disapproving shake of his head.

“I will break every bone in your body,” Reed pointed out when Matt reached over to pluck the phone out of his hands.

“Fair enough,” Matt murmured, quickly pulling his hand back.

“Who are you texting?” Jackson asked, sounding curious, most likely because that “no phone” rule had been Reed’s.

“His girlfriend,” Matt said as he helped himself to the hot dog that Reed had abandoned after he’d realized that foul scent wasn’t coming from the porta potties.

“She’s not my girlfriend,” he said absently as he waited for some sign that Joey was okay. They never should have let her go off on her own, he thought, slowly exhaling as he glanced at the time and-