Promise Cove (A Pelican Pointe Novel Book 1) (241 page)

N
ick
looked
out
at
the
fac
e
s
in
the
c
rowd.
A
few
hu
n
g their
hea
d
s
and
re
f
u
s
ed
t
o
look
up
or
meet
h
i
s
e
y
e
s.

“
K
now
th
i
s
though.
I
wo
n
’t
fa
i
l
Sc
o
t
t
a
s
econd
tim
e
.
H
e d
es
e
r
v
e
s
t
o
k
now
h
i
s
death
meant
s
omethi
n
g
and
that
he
died
for
s
o
methi
n
g
tha
t
mat
t
ered
.
H
e
d
es
e
r
v
e
s
t
o
k
n
o
w
tha
t
J
or
d
an an
d
H
u
t
t
o
n
w
il
l
h
a
v
e
a
home
,
tha
t
the
y
’
l
l
g
o
o
n
stro
n
g
w
ith
out
hi
m
.
Sc
o
t
t
d
es
e
r
ved
t
o
s
ee
h
i
s
dream
come
t
r
u
e
.
E
ven
if it
’
s
f
rom
up
a
bov
e
.
T
hat
’
s
a
l
l
I
h
a
v
e
t
o
s
a
y
.
”

N
ick
s
w
a
l
lowed
hard
and
handed
the
mi
c
rophone
back
t
o
the
preache
r
.
H
e
strode
do
w
n
the
s
t
e
p
s,
past
the
pa
r
i
shione
r
s
and
out
s
ide,
le
a
v
i
n
g
the
doo
r
s
c
l
a
n
g
i
n
g
t
o
gether
and the
s
t
unned
co
n
g
re
g
a
tion,
st
r
a
n
gely
s
i
len
t
.

B
rea
k
fast
had
come
and
gone
w
ithou
t
N
ic
k
.
H
i
s m
o
tor
c
ycle
w
as
n
’t
parked
ou
t
f
ron
t
.
A
s
th
e
mo
r
n
ing
stre
tc
he
d
on
,
J
or
dan
had
a
f
un
n
y
feelin
g
,
alm
o
st a
nag
g
in
g
,
c
reepy
feeling
in
th
e
p
it
of
he
r
stomac
h
.
B
y
mid-mo
r
ning
she
began
to
wonder
if
N
ick
might
h
a
ve
t
a
ken
of
f
. The
idea
saddened
he
r
.
B
u
t
as
sad
as
she
fel
t
,
it
a
l
s
o
made
he
r
mad.

The
only
w
a
y
sh
e
’
d
k
n
ow
for
sure
if
he
w
a
s
gone
w
a
s
to head
over
to
th
e
studio
apa
r
tmen
t
to
s
ee
if
h
i
s
thi
n
g
s
were s
til
l
ther
e.
S
h
e
w
a
s
j
u
st
ab
ou
t
to
s
c
oo
p
u
p
H
u
t
t
o
n
and
do
j
u
st
tha
t
when
she
heard
mul
t
iple
vehicl
e
s
pu
l
ling
in
to
the
d
r
ivew
a
y
.

H
e
r
s
t
omac
h
f
l
ut
t
ered.
A
sick
feeli
n
g
be
g
an
t
o
spread
f
rom
somewhere
in
s
id
e
.
P
ic
k
i
n
g
up
H
ut
t
on,
she
slowly
w
a
l
k
ed
t
o
the
f
ront
door
and
s
t
epped
out
on
t
o
the
porc
h
.
W
hen
she
s
a
w
M
u
r
p
h
y
get
t
i
n
g
out
of
his
t
r
uc
k
,
fo
l
lowed
by
F
er
g
u
son,
and
a
few
of
the
o
ther
t
o
w
nspeople,
dread
w
ashed over
he
r
.
“
W
hat
’
s
goi
n
g
on
here,
M
u
r
p
h
y?”

“
W
ha
t
a
l
l
nee
d
s
d
o
i
n
g
,
J
or
dan
?
P
o
in
t
u
s
i
n
th
e
r
i
ght dire
ct
io
n
.
W
e
’
r
e
her
e
t
o
hel
p
,
bet
t
e
r
l
at
e
tha
n
n
o
t
a
t
a
l
l
.
”

“
W
her
e
’
s
N
ick?”

“
I
s
n
’t
he here? Did
n
’t he come
back
f
rom
t
o
w
n?”

“
N
o
.
”
A
w
i
ld
fear
f
l
it
t
e
d
i
n
he
r
b
r
ai
n.
S
he
s
t
are
d
a
t
F
r
ank
M
a
r
tin
and
W
a
l
ly
P
ierce
before
t
u
r
ni
n
g
back
t
o
M
u
r
p
h
y
.
“
W
h
y
is
e
ve
r
y
one
here?”

Befor
e
M
u
r
p
h
y
coul
d
an
s
we
r,
F
r
an
k
M
a
r
t
in
,
the
banke
r
wa
l
ke
d
u
p
an
d
s
t
oo
d
behin
d
F
er
g
u
s
on
,
fo
l
lowed
b
y
E
dmun
d
T
a
gge
r
t
.
J
or
d
a
n
s
a
w
th
e
shee
p
i
s
h
loo
k
on
thei
r
fac
e
s
.
S
h
e
mechanica
ll
y
t
o
l
d
T
a
gge
r
t
,
“
I
’m
s
o
r
r
y
a
b
ou
t
th
e
n
o
i
s
e
w
e
’
v
e
mad
e
th
i
s
wee
k
,
I
rea
ll
y
am
,
but
w
e
h
a
v
e
to
f
in
i
s
h
befor
e
F
r
i
d
a
y
.
”

T
agge
r
t
shif
t
ed
h
i
s
feet
bu
t
shuffled
fo
r
ward.
“
I
t
ai
n
’t
tha
t
.
I
j
u
st
g
o
t
to
s
a
y
,
tha
t
man
of
y
ou
r
s
has
g
uts.
N
o
t
ma
n
y men
would
stand
u
p
in
church
and
make
an
a
s
s
ou
t
of h
i
ms
elf
l
i
ke
he
don
e.
I
’
m
s
o
r
r
y
I
ca
u
s
ed
you
s
o
much
g
r
ief
th
e
past
t
wo
yea
r
s
.
”
T
h
e
old
man
shifted
h
i
s
feet
again
and went
on
,
“
I
taught
Sc
o
tt
to
f
i
s
h
.
N
o
t
h
a
v
ing
k
i
d
s
of
m
y
o
w
n,
tha
t
boy
u
s
ed
to
come
around
m
y
place
to
v
i
s
it
th
e
anima
l
s. G
o
t
u
s
ed
to
him
being
ther
e.
I
forg
o
t
tha
t
,
forg
o
t
what
a cha
r
a
c
t
e
r
he
w
a
s
when
he
w
a
s
little.
I
w
an
t
to
help
you
get
th
i
s
place
read
y
.
”