Page 34 of Loathe Thy Neighbor

“Yeah.” She shrugs. “He’s as gullible as Sam is.”

I chuckle…and only kind of worry for her sanity. “Sam’s a good kid.”

“He’s the best kid. Like ever.”

“You’re biased.”

“I’m allowed to be biased. He’s been part of my life for nearly half of it.” She cocks her head. “What? Your eyes just widened.”

“It’s nothing. I just never considered how old Sam is in relation to how old Maya is. I’m assuming we’re around the same age, so…”

“You’re just now putting together that Maya had a teenage pregnancy.” She nods. “She gets that look a lot.”

“I didn’t mean anything by it. Truly.”

“Oddly enough, I believe that,” she mutters, hefting the reusable bag—the one she made me buy because it wascuteand Iowed her—higher.

“Do you need help with your one bag?”

She ignores me. “I’m twenty-eight. Is that how old you are?”

“Yep. As of last month.”

“What? I didn’t know it was your birthday last month!”

“How would you? We’re not friends, not acquaintances. Just neighbors, remember?”

Her brows slide together, not liking how I throw her words back in her face. “Whatever. It’s nothing personal. I just like birthdays.”

“I’ll file that info away in myThings I Now Know About My Neighbor Who Hates Mefolder for future non-interactions.”

I get a scowl for that one.

I stop in front of the pet store doors and turn to River. “Look, there are a lot of cute fluffy things in here.”

“Like…gerbils? And bunnies? And guinea pigs?” She gasps. “Oh my gosh, where do guinea pigs even live in the wild? I’ve literally never thought of that until this very moment. Where do gerbils live? What evenisa gerbil?”

She’s talking a mile a minute and I already regret asking her if we can stop, but I needthings for Leo’s terrarium. I hope River doesn’t mind me taking over her bathroom tonight to scrub out his tank and get it cleaned so I can start replacing things.

“We have frozen stuff,” I remind her. “Like that pint of ice cream you stole right out of my hands.”

She lifts a shoulder. “Should have put it in your bag faster.”

She’s lucky it was only my third-favorite flavor; otherwise I’d have made a scene.

“But I understand. I won’t take too much time playing with all the adorable little creatures.”

“Why do I not believe you at all?”

“Because I’m likely lying.” She breezes past me, pulling the door open. She glances back over her shoulder, loose tendrils of her red hair blowing in the breeze. “Come on. I don’t want my ice cream to melt.”

What the hell have I gotten myself into?

7

River

A crime scene is imminent.

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