Promise Cove (A Pelican Pointe Novel Book 1) (64 page)

“
A
n
d
y
o
u
loo
k
l
i
k
e
y
o
u
coul
d
u
s
e
an
o
the
r
t
welve
hou
r
s
,
”
sh
e
p
o
in
t
e
d
ou
t
,
a
s
sh
e
con
tinue
d
t
o
s
t
ar
e
a
t
the
be
w
i
ldere
d
loo
k
o
n
h
i
s
fac
e
.
T
h
i
s
w
a
s
n
’
t
emba
r
r
a
ss
ment
bu
t
s
omethi
n
g
e
l
s
e
.
T
h
e
ma
n
looke
d
do
w
n
r
igh
t
d
i
s
o
r
i
en
t
ed
.
H
e
r
hea
r
t
wen
t
ou
t
t
o
hi
m
.
“W
he
n
’
s
th
e
l
a
s
t
time
y
o
u
g
o
t
a
s
o
li
d
eigh
t
hou
r
s
,
N
ick?”

H
e
got
t
o
h
i
s
fee
t
,
not
b
o
the
r
i
n
g
t
o
answe
r
.
“
I
should
be g
o
i
n
g
.
”
H
e
g
r
imaced
when
he
s
a
w
she
w
as
still
s
t
a
r
i
n
g
at
him.
C
learly
uncomfo
r
t
a
ble,
he
looked
a
w
a
y
,
not
meeti
n
g
her e
y
e
s.
“See
y
ou
in
the
mo
r
ni
n
g
,
”
he
mumbled,
as
he
t
urned
t
o le
a
v
e
.

H
e
w
as
hal
f
w
a
y
out
of
the
room
before
J
or
d
an
calmly spoke
u
p
,
“
A
re
y
ou
sure
there
i
s
n
’t
a
n
y
thi
n
g
y
ou
’
d
like
t
o
ta
lk
a
bou
t
,
N
ick?
I
t
might
help
y
ou
sleep
t
o
get
wha
t
eve
r
’
s
bothe
r
i
n
g
y
ou
off
y
our
ch
e
st
.
”

N
ick
s
t
opped.
F
or
a
few
s
econds
J
or
d
an
thought
he might
open
u
p
.
B
ut
ins
t
ead,
he
s
imply
s
t
uck
his
hands
in
his pockets.
Then,
as
if
comi
n
g
out
of
a
da
ze,
he
shook
his
head
an
d
backe
d
ou
t
in
t
o
th
e
ha
l
l
w
a
y
.
“
T
h
an
k
s
for
dinne
r
,
”
he mut
t
ered
as
he
t
urned
t
o
g
o
,
alm
o
st
k
noc
k
i
n
g
over
a
v
a
s
e
f
ull of
fl
owe
r
s
o
n
th
e
ta
bl
e
i
n
th
e
ha
l
l.

“T
h
an
k
s
for
readi
n
g
t
o
H
ut
t
on
,
”
J
or
d
an
said
quickly
as he
retrea
t
ed
in
t
o
the
k
i
t
chen
and
then
out
the
back
door
as
if the
hou
s
e
were
in
f
l
am
e
s.

“
Oh,
N
ic
k
,
”
she
wh
i
spered.
“
Y
ou
s
eem
s
o
troubled,
w
h
y wo
n
’t
y
ou
ta
lk
t
o
me?”

H
ou
r
s
aft
e
r
she
went
to
bed,
J
or
dan
w
a
s
s
til
l
pl
a
ying
over
th
e
s
cene
be
t
ween
N
ick
and
H
u
t
t
o
n
in
the
k
itc
he
n
before
dinne
r
,
as
we
l
l
as
h
i
s
reading
to
he
r
. R
e
stl
es
s,
in
th
e
k
ing
-
s
i
zed
bed
t
o
o
roo
m
y
for
on
e
pe
r
s
on,
sh
e
’
d
spent
th
e
l
a
st
se
ve
r
al
hou
r
s
t
o
ss
ing
and
tu
r
nin
g
, un
s
ettled
,
t
r
y
ing
to
dro
p
off.

“
Y
ou
’
d
think
af
t
er
alm
o
st
two
y
ea
r
s,
I
’
d
be
u
sed
t
o
slee
p
i
n
g
alone
by
no
w
,
”
she
confessed
aloud.
Before
Sc
o
t
t
had gone
t
o
I
ra
q
,
she
had
n
e
ver
ta
l
k
ed
t
o
he
r
self,
eithe
r
.
N
ot onc
e
.
And
now
it
seemed
li
v
in
g
out
here
alone
had
her
act
in
g more
l
i
ke her
elderly
g
randmothe
r
, whom
sh
e
’
d
w
itne
s
sed as
a
ch
i
ld,
ta
l
k
i
n
g
t
o
he
r
self
wh
i
le
ba
k
i
n
g
or
k
nitti
n
g
or
d
o
i
n
g a
hundred
other
mun
d
ane
chores.
W
as
she
t
u
r
ni
n
g
in
t
o
her
g
randmother
before
the
r
ipe
old
a
ge
of
thi
r
ty?
W
e
l
l,
that
w
as u
n
accep
t
a
bl
e
.

“
W
hen
y
ou
’
re
u
sed
t
o
h
a
v
i
n
g
someone
t
o
sleep
w
ith
at
nigh
t
,
i
t
i
s
n
’
t
fai
r
t
o
h
a
v
e
t
o
g
o
bac
k
t
o
slee
pi
n
g
alon
e
.
”
S
he
c
r
o
s
sed
her
arms
over
her
ches
t
.
“
D
amn
it
.
”
A
few
minu
t
es
l
at
e
r
,
she
blu
r
t
ed
ou
t
,
“
J
u
st
s
t
op
feeli
n
g
so
r
r
y
for
y
ou
r
self. Gee
z
,
y
ou
are
so
p
a
thetic
.
”

U
ps
et
w
ith
he
r
s
elf
,
she
did
n
’
t
think
her
re
stl
e
s
sne
s
s
t
onight
w
as
a
ll
a
b
out
mi
ss
i
n
g
Sc
ott.
N
o
, the
in
t
e
ra
c
t
ion be
t
wee
n
N
ic
k
an
d
H
u
t
t
o
n
drov
e
hom
e
on
e
clea
r
p
o
in
t
she could
n
’
t
shak
e
.
Sc
o
tt
ha
d
die
d
w
ithout
e
ve
r
getti
n
g
t
o
s
e
e
h
i
s
d
augh
t
e
r
i
n
pe
r
s
on
.
H
u
t
t
o
n
ha
d
bee
n
f
iv
e
month
s
old whe
n
a
gove
r
nment
ca
r
ha
d
pu
l
le
d
u
p
i
n
the
d
r
ive
w
a
y
.
Som
e
a
r
m
y
majo
r
ha
d
t
ol
d
he
r
Sc
o
tt
w
a
s
n
’
t
comi
n
g
hom
e
.
H
e
n
e
ve
r
e
ve
n
g
o
t
t
o
hol
d
he
r
.
A
nd
the
realiza
t
io
n
that
Sc
o
tt
woul
d
n
e
ve
r
ge
t
the
chanc
e
t
o
p
l
a
y
w
it
h
h
i
s
littl
e
g
ir
l
l
i
ke
N
ic
k
ha
d
don
e
earlie
r
s
impl
y
brok
e
he
r
hea
r
t
an
d
ha
d
her feeli
n
g
s
o
r
r
y
fo
r
he
r
s
el
f
an
d that
mad
e
he
r
m
is
er
a
bl
e
.
S
he c
r
a
wle
d
out
o
f
bed
.
Onc
e
ag
ain
,
sh
e
d
r
a
g
ge
d
the
bo
x
f
rom i
ts
hidi
n
g
p
l
ac
e
i
n
the
dr
e
ss
e
r
d
r
a
we
r
.