The Promise (Neighbor from Hell, #10)(63)

“You said that you wanted to go camping,” Reed reminded her as he tossed her bag to Jackson.

“And it’s a memory that I will cherish forever, but now I’m ready to go home,” she said, nodding solemnly.

“But you’ve never been fishing,” he pointed out.

“And I’m okay with that at the moment,” she said, worrying her bottom lip as she glanced down at the boat and shook her head. “I really don’t think this is a good idea.”

“It’s safe, Joey. I rowed it over here without any problems,” Jackson assured her once again reaching for her only to drop his hands away with a sigh and followed that up with, “It’s safe.”

“There’s rust,” she pointed out.

“Just a little bit,” Reed said as he watched as she took in every dent, scratch, and rusted bolt.

“I really don’t think that I can do this,” she whispered.

“What if I promised that nothing bad was going to happen?” he asked, somehow resisting the urge to lean in and kiss that worried frown away.

“I’d like that in writing,” she said, swallowing nervously.

“What will it take to get you on that boat?” he asked because he didn’t want her leaving here with one more regret.

“An act of God,” she said, shaking her head.

Leaning in closer, he whispered, “What if I promised to tell you that backstory?”

“About my pretties?” she asked, worrying her bottom lip as she thought it over.

“And I’ll let the little furry bastard sleep with us,” he said, tempted to turn his head and kiss her throat. It was only the reminder that she didn’t want her brother knowing about them that kept him from doing it, but he was tempted…really fucking tempted.

“He does anyway,” she said, making his lips twitch.

“Well, I guess if you don’t want to go fishing then we could go for a hike and you could finally have that talk with your brother,” he said, noting the way that she suddenly went still.

Then, with a, “Very well,” Joey gestured for him to proceed.

“Everything okay?” Jackson asked, reaching down to hold the boat still as Reed stepped in and sat down on the back bench with Joey on his lap.

“Everything’s fine,” Joey said with a reassuring smile even as she frantically climbed off his lap so that she could sit down on the bottom of the boat between his legs, grab a life vest, yank it on, grab her bag, pull out a brown paper bag, and finally settle back with her Kindle in her lap.

Chuckling, Jackson untied the boat and stepped in, sitting next to Matt, who Reed realized was glaring down at Joey. Frowning, he followed that glare to find Joey absently taking a bite out of what appeared to be a roast beef sandwich.

“You said there was no more food,” Matt said accusingly.

“I lied,” she said, looking up from her Kindle and narrowed her eyes on the little bastard as she made a show of taking another bite. “Mmmm, that’s really good.”

Eyes narrowing, Matt pointed to a spot next to her and said the one thing that was going to get him killed, “Snake.”





Chapter 37

“Can I have my clothes back?”

There was the sound of someone clearing his throat from the other side of the tent they’d shoved her inside of and, “I don’t think that would be a good idea,” her brother said, making her shoulders slump in defeat.

“Would it help if I said I was sorry?” Joey asked as she pulled another blanket around her.

“Probably not since we’d both know that you’d be lying,” Jackson said, chuckling.

“What if I promised not to do it again?” she asked, sending the closed tent door a hopeful look.

“That’s what you said the last time.”

“I was justifiably pissed,” she pointed out even as she reluctantly accepted the fact that she wouldn’t be leaving this tent for a while. With that in mind, she laid down on her side and watched her brother’s silhouette as he tossed another log onto the fire with a sigh before he sat down next to her tent.

“And no one blames you, but did you really need to make him eat mud?” he asked, making her wince because that might have been overkill.

“Is he okay?”

“He’ll live,” Jackson said, chuckling.

“And Reed?”

“Still looked pissed when he took off,” he said, making her bite back a groan.

“At me or Matt?” she asked, really hoping that it wasn’t her since she wasn’t ready for this to end yet.

“Matt.”

“Did he go with Reed?” she asked, reaching down to shove the hem of the large tee shirt that Jackson had lent her down past her knees in an attempt to ward off the chill making its way into the tent only to give up with a sigh and crawl inside her sleeping bag.

“He already called it a night and went to bed,” Jackson said as she took in the empty spot to her right.

“He did?”

“We’re sleeping in his old tent,” Jackson said, making her frown.

“I thought it was too small.”

“It is, but we decided that it was preferable to getting bitch slapped all night,” he said, which explained why she woke up sprawled across the tent alone this morning.