Promise Cove (A Pelican Pointe Novel Book 1) (202 page)

“I…” How could she deny it? “Nick…”

H
e
lif
t
ed
her
chi
n
.
“
Y
ou
do
n
’t
h
a
ve
t
o
s
a
y
a
word,
b
a
b
y
.
L
et
’
s
face
i
t
,
y
ou
are
n
’t
over
hi
m
.
A
nd
I
’
m
n
o
t
qui
t
e
prepared
t
o
be
h
i
s
s
t
and-i
n
.
E
ve
r
y time
I
’
m
near
y
ou,
I think
I
am,
I think
I
can
b
e
.
B
ut
th
i
s
i
s
t
oo
impo
r
t
an
t
,
m
a
ybe
more
impor
t
ant
than
a
n
y
thi
n
g
I
’
ve
e
ver
don
e
.
”

W
it
h
tha
t
h
e
t
u
r
n
e
d
an
d
w
a
l
k
e
d
do
w
n
th
e
ha
l
l
,
le
a
v
i
n
g
her
s
t
andi
n
g
there
w
ith
her
mouth
ga
ped
ope
n
.
Secon
d
s
l
at
e
r
,
she
heard
the
back
door
open
and
cl
o
s
e
.

L
i
k
e
a
l
l
th
e
o
the
r
ti
m
e
s
,
N
ic
k
ha
d
gon
e
.
A
n
d
sh
e
w
a
s
le
f
t
alon
e
.

T
he
n
e
xt
mo
r
ni
n
g
when
N
ick
did
n
’t
show
up
for
brea
k
fast
J
or
d
an
k
new
s
omethi
n
g
w
as
w
ro
n
g
.
S
he
did
n
’t h
a
ve
the
hea
r
t
t
o
go
loo
k
i
n
g
for
him
eithe
r
.
W
h
at would
she
s
a
y?
S
he
w
a
s
n
’t
ce
r
t
ain
she
could
a
s
sure
him
that she
had
indeed
put
Sc
o
t
t
comple
t
e
ly
behind
he
r
.
A
t
the
same time,
she
r
e
s
en
t
ed
bei
n
g
put
in
the
s
i
t
ua
t
ion
where
the
de
c
i
s
ion
w
as
a
l
l
on
he
r
.
W
h
y
should
it
be?
C
ould
n
’t
she
s
imply h
a
ve
s
e
x
w
ith
the
g
uy
and
be
done
w
ith
it?

W
ho
w
as
she
k
iddi
n
g?
Of
cou
r
s
e
she
could
n
’
t
.
N
ick
w
as
r
ight
a
bout
tha
t
,
the
n
e
xt
s
t
ep
w
as
t
oo impo
r
t
ant
t
o
s
imply
jum
p
i
n
th
e
sac
k
.
S
he
ha
d
H
u
t
t
o
n
t
o
con
s
ide
r
.

B
ut
she
w
an
t
ed
N
ic
k
,
she
k
new
that
much
w
ithout
a dou
bt
.
S
he
j
u
st
w
a
s
n
’t
a
bs
olu
t
ely
ce
r
t
ain
she
w
as
ready
t
o
ta
ke
that
n
e
xt
s
t
e
p
.
N
o
dou
b
t
he
had
read
that
inde
c
i
s
ion,
her h
es
i
t
an
c
y
,
l
i
ke
a
boo
k
.
H
ad
she
been
t
h
at
ea
s
y
t
o
read
each time
the
y
’
d
g
o
t
t
en
cl
o
s
e?
Ma
ybe
a
l
l
th
i
s
time
sh
e
’
d
been
the one
s
endi
n
g
the
w
ro
n
g
s
i
g
na
l
s.

O
k
a
y
,
s
o
she
w
a
s
n
’t
a
major
p
l
a
y
er
in
the
g
am
e
.
S
he g
l
anced
at
her
hu
n
g
r
y
d
augh
t
er
w
ai
t
i
n
g
patiently
for
brea
k
fas
t
.
N
o
,
she
w
a
s
n
’t
a
p
l
a
y
e
r
,
she
w
as
a
m
o
the
r
.
I
ns
t
ead
of dwe
l
li
n
g
on
her
l
ack
of
a
s
e
x
life,
on
au
t
oma
t
ic,
she
poured a
bowl
of
cold
cereal
for
H
ut
t
on,
s
omethi
n
g
she
rarely
did.

J
or
d
an drank her
obli
g
a
t
o
r
y fi
r
st
mo
r
ni
n
g
c
up
of cof
f
ee, wonde
r
i
n
g
a
l
l
the
wh
i
le
where
N
ick
w
as.
A
s
if
she
were
m
is
si
n
g
an
a
r
m,
she
went
t
o
the
k
i
t
chen
w
indow
and
lo
n
g
i
ng
ly looked
out
a
c
r
os
s
the
l
a
w
n
t
o
the
s
t
udio
apa
r
tmen
t
.
I
f
she had
the
sligh
t
e
st
b
it
of
cour
a
ge
sh
e
’
d
w
a
l
k
up
th
os
e
s
t
e
p
s
over the
g
ar
a
ge
and
s
ee if
h
e
’
d
packed up
and
left
for good.

W
h
i
l
e
J
or
d
a
n
spen
t
a
n
a
gonizi
ng
mo
r
ni
ng
ove
r
him,
N
ic
k
ha
d
t
a
ke
n
an
o
the
r
t
r
i
p
to
th
e
ceme
t
e
r
y
.
S
i
t
ti
ng
at
th
e
fo
o
t
o
f
Sc
o
t
t
’
s
g
r
a
ve
,
h
e
looke
d
aroun
d
a
t
th
e
peac
ef
u
l
su
r
roundi
n
g
s
.
W
h
a
t
th
e
he
l
l
w
a
s
h
e
d
o
i
ng
her
e
a
n
yw
a
y
?
H
e
’
d
mean
t
to
s
t
a
y
an
d
hel
p
.
N
o
w
h
e
’
d
onl
y
complica
t
e
d
J
or
d
a
n
’
s
lif
e
an
d
h
i
s
o
w
n
.
H
e
ra
n
a
han
d
throug
h
h
i
s
hai
r
.
“
D
am
n
y
o
u
Sc
o
t
t
,
th
i
s
i
s
n
’
t
wha
t
y
o
u
w
an
t
ed
.
W
h
a
t
k
i
n
d
of
a
m
es
s
h
a
v
e
I
mad
e
o
f
e
ve
r
y
thi
ng
now
?
C
om
e
on
,
d
am
n
i
t
.
Y
o
u
h
a
ve
n
’
t
bee
n
a
bl
e
to
le
a
v
e
m
e
alon
e
fo
r
a
y
ea
r
.
”
H
e
g
o
t to
h
i
s
fee
t
,
def
i
an
t
.
“
Y
o
u
w
an
t
e
d
to
t
a
l
k
y
e
s
t
er
d
a
y
,
we
l
l
here
I
a
m
.
”
H
e
pace
d
u
p
an
d
do
w
n
th
e
le
n
g
t
h
o
f
th
e
pl
ot
.
“
N
o
w
, I
ge
t
th
e
s
i
len
t
treatmen
t
.
C
om
e
on
,
y
o
u
s
o
n
o
f
a
b
i
t
c
h
,
t
a
l
k to
m
e.
W
h
a
t
a
m
I
supp
o
s
e
d
to
d
o
now?”