Promise Cove (A Pelican Pointe Novel Book 1) (26 page)

S
wea
t
y
,
he
s
t
a
r
t
ed
sheddi
n
g
cl
o
th
e
s,
w
anti
n
g
n
o
thi
n
g more
t
h
an
a
h
o
t
showe
r
.
H
e
plopped
down
on
the
bed
t
o pu
l
l
off
h
i
s
bo
o
ts,
t
e
s
t
ed
the
mattr
es
s.
H
e
’
d
been
in
wo
r
s
e,
he de
c
ided,
as
he
be
g
an
t
o
pu
l
l
off
h
i
s
jeans.

A
n
d
i
t
woul
d
h
a
v
e
to
d
o
.
E
ve
n
i
f
h
e
ha
d
to
p
i
t
c
h
a
t
ent
to
s
t
a
y
s
omewher
e
o
n
th
e
prope
r
t
y
,
h
e
w
a
s
commit
t
e
d
no
w
.
A
s
h
e
pu
l
le
d
ou
t
h
i
s
sh
a
v
i
ng
gea
r
an
d
w
a
l
k
e
d
in
to
the
bathroom
,
h
e
could
n
’
t
hel
p
bu
t
wonde
r
wha
t
h
e
’
d
g
o
t
t
en
him
s
el
f
in
t
o
.
H
e
w
a
s
her
e
fo
r
Sc
o
tt
e
ve
n
i
f
h
i
s
w
if
e
ha
d
no
ide
a
wh
o
h
e
w
a
s
o
r
ho
w
h
e
’
d
k
n
o
w
n
he
r
h
usband.

L
a
the
r
i
n
g
h
i
s
face
w
ith
sh
a
v
i
n
g
c
ream,
he
k
new
it
w
a
s
n
’t fair
t
o
keep
h
i
s
s
e
c
re
t
.
H
ow
did
he
in
t
end
t
o
remedy
that?
F
or a
ma
n
wh
o
had
n
’
t
w
an
t
e
d
t
o
g
et
i
n
volved,
he
felt
chained
t
o a
block
of
cemen
t
.
“
Than
k
s
Sc
o
t
t
,
”
he
g
r
umbled
s
ourl
y
,
as
he pondered
h
i
s
d
e
s
cent
in
t
o
what
felt
l
i
ke
quic
k
sand.

O
r
l
i
k
e
a
dro
w
ni
ng
ma
n
g
o
i
ng
do
w
n
fo
r
th
e
thir
d
tim
e.
N
o
t
onl
y
ha
d
h
e
n
e
ve
r
live
d
w
it
h
a
woma
n
fo
r
a
n
y
le
n
g
t
h
o
f
time
,
h
e
ce
r
t
ainl
y
ha
d
n
e
ve
r
bee
n
aroun
d
a
k
i
d
,
much l
es
s
a
b
a
b
y
.
T
h
e
n
ther
e
w
a
s
th
e
wor
k
i
t
s
elf
.
H
e
coul
d
d
r
ive
a
na
i
l
,
bu
t
h
e
w
a
s
n
o
ca
r
pen
t
e
r
.
C
oul
d
h
e
fak
e
that
?
H
e
w
a
s
pret
t
y
muc
h
a
l
l
thum
b
s
whe
n
i
t
cam
e
to
plum
b
i
n
g
,
t
o
o
.
S
o
ho
w
w
a
s
h
e
g
o
i
ng
to
ins
t
a
l
l
bathroo
m
f
i
x
t
ur
e
s
?
A
s
he reache
d
ove
r
an
d
t
u
r
n
e
d
o
n
th
e
showe
r
,
h
e
con
s
idere
d
the
en
tir
e
r
u
s
e.
Get
ti
ng
throug
h
th
e
n
ex
t
t
w
o
month
s
would defi
ni
t
el
y
t
a
k
e
s
om
e
c
rea
ti
v
i
t
y
o
n
h
i
s
pa
r
t
.

P
l
u
s,
at
s
ome
p
o
in
t
,
h
e
’
d
h
a
ve
t
o
f
i
nd
the
r
ight
time
t
o conf
es
s
who
he
w
as.

B
u
t
h
e
ha
d
to
admi
t
,
h
e
did
n
’
t
m
i
s
s
th
e
office
,
o
r
the
d
a
i
l
y
g
r
in
d
o
f
wor
k
,
whic
h
fo
r
th
e
pas
t
se
ve
r
a
l
months
,
had bee
n
g
o
i
ng
ba
d
l
y
.
W
or
k
i
ng
ou
t
s
id
e
w
it
h
h
i
s
han
d
s
ha
d
been alm
o
s
t
the
r
apeu
tic
.
H
e
’
d
bu
i
l
t
u
p
a
goo
d
s
wea
t
,
whic
h
had mad
e
hi
m
forge
t
to
thin
k
a
b
ou
t
th
e
w
a
r
,
an
d
ho
w
cha
o
ti
c
h
i
s
lif
e
ha
d
becom
e
ove
r
th
e
pas
t
y
ea
r
.
O
k
a
y
,
s
o
m
a
yb
e
the
r
e
s
p
i
te
ha
d
bee
n
b
r
ie
f
bu
t
wh
o
k
n
e
w
,
m
a
yb
e
p
h
ys
ica
l
la
bor
migh
t
b
e
th
e
an
s
we
r
to
h
i
s
proble
m
.

S
t
ep
p
i
n
g
in
t
o
the
showe
r
,
he
t
u
r
ned
the
k
nob
as
far
t
oo h
o
t
as
it
would
g
o
,
felt
the
w
at
er
bead
over
h
i
s
bod
y
,
and fought
the
wea
r
y
feeli
n
g
that
al
w
a
y
s
s
eem
t
o
hit
him
th
i
s time
of
d
a
y
.

S
leep
dep
r
i
v
a
t
ion
could
be
a
b
i
t
ch.

A
s
he
be
g
an
t
o
re
l
a
x
,
h
i
s
mind
d
r
if
t
ed
t
o
the
p
oss
i
bi
li
t
i
e
s
o
f
the
p
l
ac
e
.
Sc
o
tt
had
been
r
i
ght
a
bout
T
h
e
C
ov
e
’
s
p
o
t
en
t
i
al
.
B
ut
could
they
get
e
ve
r
y
thi
n
g
done
that
needed
d
o
i
n
g in
j
u
st
over
t
wo
sho
r
t month
s
?
H
e s
t
epped
out
o
f
the
showe
r
,
g
r
a
bbed
one
o
f
the
thick
t
owe
l
s
J
or
d
an
had
s
t
acked
on
the
shel
f
and
be
g
an
t
o
d
r
y
off
.
S
t
r
i
di
n
g
back
in
t
o
the
bedroom
he
s
t
opped.
F
or
the
f
i
r
st
ti
me,
h
i
s
g
a
z
e
l
a
nded
on
the
be
d
s
ide
ta
ble
where
a
v
a
s
e
f
u
l
l
o
f
red
bl
oss
oms
sa
t
,
a
homey
t
ouch
t
o
be
sure,
j
u
st
l
i
ke
the
bee
r
.
I
ns
t
in
c
tivel
y
,
he
w
a
l
ked
ove
r
, breathed
in
the
s
c
ent
o
f
the
bu
d
s
.
I
n
explic
a
bl
y
t
ouched
that
sh
e
’
d
t
aken the
ti
me
t
o
le
a
v
e
f
r
e
s
h f
l
owe
r
s
fo
r
the
room—for
him,
he
s
m
i
led
.
A
n
im
a
g
e
o
f
J
or
d
a
n
’
s
sli
m
body
s
t
andi
n
g
on
the
porch
st
r
uggli
n
g
t
o
keep
that
sander
under
control
had
him
s
m
i
l
i
n
g
a
s
he
pu
l
led
on a
clean
pair
o
f
jeans.

H
e
’
d
bee
n
i
n
v
i
t
e
d
t
o
suppe
r
b
y
a
beau
ti
f
u
l
woman,
a
woma
n
wh
o
w
a
s
s
o
comple
t
e
l
y
n
o
t
h
i
s
ty
p
e
h
e
ha
d
t
o
admi
t
sh
e
mad
e
hi
m
ne
r
vo
us
.
A
n
d
N
ic
k
H
a
r
r
i
s
ha
d
n
e
ver
bee
n
ne
r
vo
u
s
w
it
h
wome
n
.
W
h
e
n
h
e
though
t
a
b
out
J
or
d
a
n
h
e
should
n
’
t
b
e
p
i
c
t
u
r
i
n
g
he
r
a
s
a
n
y
ty
p
e
bu
t
r
ather
a
s
a
m
o
the
r.
C
oul
d
h
e
hel
p
i
t
thoug
h
i
f
he
r
lo
n
g
,
s
e
x
y
le
g
s
an
d
he
r
cu
t
e
li
ttl
e
bu
t
t
i
n
th
o
s
e
sho
r
t
s
ke
p
t
pop
p
i
n
g
in
t
o
h
i
s
min
d
a
l
l
a
f
t
e
r
n
oo
n
a
s
h
e
worked?