The Promise Excerpt

Please don’t beat me!

I’m sorry. The Chronicle is going to be late again. I have it halfway done, but I am sitting here burning up, dealing with a headache and praying the kids will be kind and knock me out. I haven’t been feeling good all weekend and should have started to write this one sooner. I keep screwing this up and will try to do better. The second part of School Shopping is started, but there isn’t enough to post.

So, I am going to share an excerpt from The Promise along with an apology. I was also planning on coming on here today and re-posting the hot cocoa recipes for a few readers. That will also be put up later this week when the thought of hot cocoa doesn’t turn my stomach. 

An Excerpt from The Promise

by R.L Mathewson

“So, I’m curious,” John, the man that had been introduced to her a few minutes ago as the head of the history department, said as he pulled out a chair at the small library table where she was currently killing time with a book on Jack the Ripper and the breakfast she’d picked up on the way here.

“About?” she asked, not bothering to look up as she picked up her extra-large glass of apple juice and took a sip.

“A few things,” he murmured as he placed his coffee on the table and sat back in his chair. “Like, what is a published professor from one of the top colleges in the world doing working in my department as a substitute teacher.”

“I have some free time while I’m on sabbatical, so I decided to help out,” she said, deciding not to point out that she’d been desperate for something to do and that the man that she was ninety-nine percent sure was going to kill her had given her the job just to keep her out of trouble.

“I see,” he said while she sat there, contemplating looking up from her book to see if Reed was still glaring at her only to decide that it would probably be for the best if she avoided making eye contact with him for the time being.

“And is there a reason why Reed won’t stop glaring at you?” he asked while he absently drummed his fingers against the table.

“Usually,” she said, stupidly risking a glance up only to decide that it would probably be for the best if she focused back on her book.

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen him glare before,” John murmured thoughtfully.

“I bring out the best in people,” she said, still wondering what she did to piss him off this time.

Last night he’d seemed fine and then this morning…

This morning he was glaring at everything she did.

Absolutely. Everything.

From the moment she woke up curled up in his arms, and oh, my god, did the man know how to cuddle, he’d been glaring at her. When she murmured, “Good morning,” he’d glared even harder, which had resulted in her quickly apologizing for whatever may have transpired during the night, hoping that would be enough.

It wasn’t.

After she’d reluctantly crawled out of bed, and she’d been surprised by just how badly she’d wanted to stay in his arms, she’d headed for the bathroom only to rethink that plan and head towards the downstairs bathroom when he continued sitting there, glaring at her. From there, he’d glared at her when she walked into the kitchen, when she’d offered to make him pancakes, when she’d asked how much the rent was so that she could write him a check, when she’d asked him what he wanted for dinner, and kept glaring at her until she’d finally taken the hint and decided that it would probably be for the best if she grabbed something to eat on the way to work.

Unfortunately, Reed had the same idea. When he’d spotted her in line, he’d glared and kept on glaring until she had her order and left only to end up-

“Except he’s glaring at me now,” John said, sounding amused.

Frowning, Joey picked up her blueberry danish and took a bite as she looked up and noted, that yes, Reed was in fact now glaring at John. When Reed shifted that murderous glare back on her, she bit back a sigh and resigned herself to taking Matt up on his offer to use his old sleeping bag. For a moment, she considered trying to sleep on the couch again, but in the end, she felt that it would probably be for the best if she slept behind a locked door tonight.

“Good luck,” John said, chuckling as he grabbed his coffee and left just as Reed headed their way.

Thankfully, she had somewhere else to be.

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