Promise Cove (A Pelican Pointe Novel Book 1) (32 page)

As
w
as
o
ft
en
her
h
a
b
i
t
,
J
ord
a
n
wa
l
k
e
d
pas
t
the
li
v
i
ng
room
on
her
w
a
y
ou
t
s
id
e
to
enjo
y
her
mo
r
ni
ng
c
up
o
f
cof
f
e
e
on the
f
ront
porc
h
.
Gl
an
c
i
ng
into
the
room
,
sh
e
cam
e
to
an
ab
r
u
p
t
hal
t
.
S
t
a
r
tle
d
to
s
e
e
the
l
adde
r
g
uardi
ng
the
f
ront
w
indo
w
,
alo
ng
w
ith
the
butter
colo
r
no
w
sp
l
a
she
d
a
c
r
os
s the
whi
te
pa
r
t
o
f
the
wa
l
l
s
,
sh
e
dre
w
i
n
a
breath
at
the
s
ight o
f
N
ic
k
slumpe
d
on
the
f
l
oo
r
.

Oh,
m
y
God,
w
as
the
man
breathi
n
g?
H
ad
he
fallen
off the
l
adder
and
broken
h
i
s
neck?

A
s
she
got
cl
o
s
e
r
,
she
s
a
w
his
chest
move
up
and
down. The
man
w
as
s
ound
aslee
p
.
I
nstinctivel
y
,
she
moved
t
o
w
ard him.
The
g
u
y
ha
d
f
l
ec
k
s
o
f
pal
e
y
el
lo
w
d
o
t
t
i
n
g
h
is
b
l
ac
k
hai
r
.
I
n
his
r
ight
hand
he
still
clu
t
ched
the
paint
rolle
r
.
S
he
leaned down
t
o
s
t
udy
his
fac
e
.
The
i
n
volun
t
a
r
y
pu
ll
o
f
att
r
a
c
t
io
n
hit
her
fi
r
st
before
mo
r
tification.
S
he
had
n
’t
had
feeli
n
gs
like this
s
ince
Sco
t
t.
A
nd
the
U
P
S
man
did
n
’t
count.

A
s
if
he
could
feel
her
in
t
en
s
e
s
t
are,
h
i
s
e
y
e
s
flew
open.
H
e
jerke
d
t
o
at
t
en
t
io
n.

J
or
d
an
s
t
ood
up
s
o
fast
she
sl
o
shed
hot
cof
f
e
e
a
ll
over
her
hand.
T
r
y
i
n
g
t
o
back
a
w
a
y
,
emba
r
ras
s
ed
at
her
w
a
yw
ard thoughts,
she
t
r
ipped
over
the
drop
cl
o
th,
caught
her
ba
l
ance just
in
time
t
o
keep
from
falli
n
g
.

Self
-
conscious
at
the
idea
of
her
findi
n
g
him
aslee
p
,
N
ick immed
i
a
t
ely
s
t
a
r
t
ed
t
o
get
t
o
his
feet
which
cau
s
ed
J
or
d
an
t
o
s
t
umble
a
g
ain
on
the
drop
cl
o
th,
putti
n
g
more
space be
t
ween
them.
“So
r
r
y
,
did
n
’t
mean
t
o
w
a
ke
y
ou
.
”
T
ha
t
w
as a
r
idiculous
s
t
a
t
ement.
The
man
w
as
sleepi
n
g
on
the
f
l
oor
of her
li
v
i
n
g
room.
B
a
l
anci
n
g
the
mug
of
coffee
in
one
hand,
she ne
r
vously
pushed
back
her
hair
w
ith
the
hand
that
held
the b
a
by
moni
t
or
she
al
w
a
ys
t
ook
outside
w
ith
he
r
.

“
W
ha
t
ar
e
y
o
u
d
o
i
n
g
i
n
here?”

H
e
r
ubbed
his
fac
e
.
“
C
ould
n
’t
slee
p
.
I
decided
t
o
get
a little
work
don
e
.
I
did
n
’t
think
y
ou
’
d
mind
if
I
s
t
a
r
t
ed
painti
n
g
in
her
e
.
”
H
e
came
more
a
w
ak
e—
or
t
r
ied
t
o
.
The
b
r
ight
sunlight
d
r
ifti
n
g
in
through
the
w
indo
w
s
hu
r
t
his
e
y
es.
H
i
s mind
re
f
u
s
ed
t
o
wor
k
.
B
ut
he
did
his
best
t
o
come
up
w
ith a
reason
a
ble
exp
l
anation
as
t
o
w
h
y
he
w
as
sleepi
n
g
on
her li
v
i
n
g
room
fl
oo
r
.
“
Y
o
u
sai
d
y
o
u
had
n
’
t
g
o
t
t
e
n
t
o
th
is
room
y
e
t
,
s
o
—
I
thought—wha
t
th
e
heck
?
B
u
t
I
sa
t
do
wn
t
o
t
ak
e
a bre
a
k
for
a
minu
t
e,
must
h
a
ve
dropped
off
.”