Promise Cove (A Pelican Pointe Novel Book 1) (62 page)

B
y
the
time
J
or
d
an
w
as
done
getti
n
g
H
ut
t
on
ready
for bed,
N
ick
had
brought
in
an
a
r
mload
of
firewood
and
built up
a
cozy
fire
in
the
li
v
i
n
g
room.
W
hen
all
three
of
them
wer
e
s
e
ttle
d
o
n
th
e
s
o
fa
,
J
or
d
a
n
hande
d
N
ic
k
on
e
o
f
H
u
t
t
o
n
’
s f
a
vo
r
i
t
e
boo
k
s.
S
he
w
at
ched
and
l
i
s
t
ened
as
N
ick
read
t
o
her
d
augh
t
er
a
bout
a
pan
d
a
bear
li
v
i
n
g
at
the
zo
o
.
A
s
s
oon
as
tha
t
w
as
f
i
n
i
shed,
H
ut
t
on
handed
him
anothe
r
.
Th
i
s
time
the s
t
o
r
y
w
as
a
bout
the
adven
t
ures
of
a
f
un-lo
v
i
n
g
red
f
i
sh
s
w
immi
n
g
in
the
ocean.
T
h
e
minu
t
e
h
e
rea
d
th
e
l
a
s
t
word
,
H
u
t
t
on
handed
him
another
one,
this
time
he
read
a
bout
a
cl
e
ver monkey
s
w
i
n
g
i
n
g
from
tree
t
o
tree
in
the
rain
for
e
s
t
.
Du
r
i
n
g
eac
h
s
t
o
r
y
,
N
ic
k
remaine
d
pa
t
ien
t
a
s
H
u
t
t
o
n
ke
p
t
in
t
e
r
r
upti
n
g
him
w
ith
comments
in
b
a
by
b
a
bble
that
were
unin
t
elli
g
ible
t
o
J
or
d
an
let
alone
t
o
N
ic
k
.
B
ut
he
did
n
’t
comp
l
ain
a
bout
the
in
t
er
r
uptions
a
n
y
more
than
he
did
a
bout
H
ut
t
o
n
’
s
w
anti
n
g
one
s
t
o
r
y
af
t
er
an
o
the
r
.

“
S
he
likes
boo
k
s,
does
n
’t
she?”

Getti
n
g
up
f
rom
the
s
ofa,
J
or
d
an
e
xp
l
ained
af
f
e
c
tiona
t
el
y
,
“
S
he
l
i
k
e
s
t
o
s
t
a
l
l.
Do
n
’t
y
ou,
b
a
by
g
irl
.
”
Scoo
p
i
n
g
H
ut
t
on
up
in
a
bear
hu
g
,
she
t
old
the
ch
i
ld,
“
B
ut
it
’
s
time
t
o go
t
o
bed
no
w
.
W
e
need
t
o
go
find
M
r
.
Bear
and
get
him
t
o bed.
H
e
’
s
sleep
y
.
Sa
y
thank
y
ou
N
ick
for
the
s
t
o
r
i
e
s
.
”
N
o
w
, suddenly
s
h
y
,
H
ut
t
on
ducked
her
head
do
w
n
on
her
m
o
the
r
’
s
shoulde
r
.
“
T
e
l
l
N
ic
k
,
night
-
nigh
t
,
H
ut
t
on
.
”

A
s
J
or
d
an ca
r
r
ied
H
ut
t
on
out
of
the
room
t
o
bed,
over
her
shoulder she
heard
N
ick
s
a
y
,
“
N
igh
t
,
H
ut
t
on
.
”

A
nd
before
they
g
o
t out
of
the
room,
H
ut
t
on
lifted
her
head,
w
a
ved
a
little
hand in
N
ic
k
’
s
dire
c
tion,
and
s
oftly
cooed,
“
b
y
e
-b
y
e
.
”

The
g
e
s
t
ure
g
o
t
t
o
N
ic
k
.
H
e
suddenly
g
o
t
a
glim
p
s
e
of
h
i
s own
m
o
the
r
.
A
nd
it
had
been
more
than
t
wen
t
y-f
i
ve
y
ea
r
s since
h
e
’
d
expe
r
ienced
such
memo
r
i
e
s.
Af
t
e
r
h
i
s
mo
m
had
died,
he
remembered
how
h
i
s
father
had
retrea
t
ed
in
t
o
a shell,
le
a
v
i
n
g
h
i
s
t
en-
y
ear
-
old
s
on
t
o
wonder
what
h
e
’
d
done
t
o
make
him
s
o
w
ithdr
a
wn,
s
o
mood
y
,
and
s
o
ha
r
sh.
H
e
had m
iss
ed
h
i
s
m
o
the
r
,
and
when
h
e
’
d
t
r
ied
t
o
t
urn
t
o
h
i
s
father for
comfo
r
t
,
h
i
s
father
had
shut
him
out.
H
e
’
d
l
o
st
the
one pe
r
s
on
in
h
i
s
life
who
had
shown
him
unconditional
lov
e
.
F
or
the
fi
r
s
t
ti
me
,
h
e
realize
d
tha
t
em
o
t
iona
l
v
o
i
d
migh
t
be
w
h
y
h
i
s
life
up
t
o
now
had
been
one
em
pt
y
re
l
ationship
af
t
er anothe
r
.
H
e
had
n
’t
w
an
t
ed
t
o
get
at
t
ached
t
o
a
n
y
one
for
fear of
l
o
si
n
g
them.