Promise Cove (A Pelican Pointe Novel Book 1) (80 page)

“
L
a
tel
y
,
I
’
v
e
ha
d
s
o
m
e
pe
r
s
ona
l
i
s
su
e
s
t
o
dea
l
w
ith
,
s
o
I
t
ook
a
le
a
ve
of
a
bs
ence
t
o
t
r
y
and
s
ort
thi
n
g
s
ou
t
.
”
Sen
s
i
n
g the
pe
r
f
e
c
t
oppor
t
uni
t
y for
f
u
l
l
d
i
s
cl
o
sure, and
before he
l
o
st
h
i
s
ne
r
ve
,
h
e
sucke
d
i
n
a
breat
h.
“
S
pea
k
i
n
g
o
f
tha
t
,
I
think
ther
e
’
s
…
ther
e
’
s
s
omethi
n
g
I
’
ve
been
meani
n
g
t
o
t
a
l
k
t
o
y
ou…
t
o
t
e
l
l
y
ou
.
”

A
t
tha
t
momen
t
,
H
u
t
t
o
n
be
g
a
n
t
o
f
us
s
throug
h
th
e
b
a
by
moni
t
o
r
.
Before
he
could
s
a
y
a
n
y
more,
the
b
a
by
be
g
an
t
o
c
r
y
in
ea
r
n
e
s
t
.
W
ithout
an
o
ther
word,
J
or
d
an
r
u
shed
f
rom the
room,
t
e
l
li
n
g
him,
“
H
o
l
d
tha
t
though
t
.
”
S
he
n
e
ver
n
o
ticed
the
look
of
a
n
g
u
i
sh
on
N
ic
k
’
s
face
or
the
fa
c
t
that
h
i
s
han
d
s
wer
e
sha
k
i
n
g
o
r
th
e
fa
c
t
tha
t
h
e
’
d
broke
n
ou
t
in
t
o a cold,
hard
s
wea
t
.

Or
the
t
ea
r
s
blu
r
r
i
n
g
h
i
s
e
y
e
s.

A
t
brea
k
fast
th
e
n
ext
mo
r
ning
ther
e
w
a
s
n
o
men
tion
tha
t
thei
r
co
n
ve
r
sa
t
ion
th
e
pr
e
v
io
u
s
e
vening
had
ende
d
a
b
r
u
p
t
l
y
.
T
r
ut
h
w
a
s
J
or
dan
had
been
u
p
m
o
st of
th
e
night
w
it
h
a
f
u
s
s
y
H
u
t
t
o
n
c
u
t
ting
a
new
t
o
o
t
h.
T
h
e
l
a
st
thi
ng
o
n
he
r
mind
as
she
st
oo
d
a
t
th
e
stove
s
c
rambling
eg
g
s w
a
s
N
ick
o
n
th
e
verge
of
s
ome
dynamic
d
i
s
cl
o
sure.
I
nstead,
he
r
mind fo
cu
s
ed
o
n
th
e pa
r
t of
th
e co
n
ve
r
sa
t
ion
tha
t had been
th
e
m
o
st
encou
r
a
g
ing
ne
w
s
sh
e
’
d
had
in
months—
the
fa
c
t
tha
t
m
a
ybe
th
i
s
bank
in
L
.A
.
might
con
s
ider
ref
ina
n
c
ing he
r
loan
—
o
r
a
t
th
e
ve
r
y
least
g
i
ve
he
r
an
ex
ten
s
io
n
.
E
ither
on
e
would
t
a
ke
a
huge
amoun
t
of
finan
c
i
a
l
pr
e
s
s
ur
e
off
he
r
. The
l
a
st
year
w
ithou
t
Sc
o
tt
’
s
income
had
made
he
r
a
pro
a
t
stre
tching
a
do
l
la
r
.
B
u
t
in
t
r
y
ing
to
get
a
new
b
u
s
i
n
e
s
s
u
p and
r
unning
ther
e had been
plen
t
y of
e
xpen
se
s.
N
o
t to
men
tion
a
l
l
th
e
mate
r
ia
l
s
they
had
purcha
s
ed
before
Sc
o
tt had
e
ver
s
et
fo
o
t
in
I
raq.
They
were
in
de
b
t
the
n
bu
t
ho
p
ing to
ope
n
u
p
th
e
B
&
B
only
months
s
h
y
of
h
i
s
get
ting
h
i
s deployment
n
o
tice.
W
it
h
s
o
much
work
s
til
l
left
to
d
o
,
the
opening had
n
’t
happene
d
and now
J
or
dan w
a
s
alm
o
st
out
of
mone
y
,
e
ven
aft
e
r
budge
t
ing
to
th
e
pen
n
y
.
T
h
e
idea
of h
a
v
ing
to
go
back
to
S
an
F
ran
c
i
s
co
broke
had
he
r
pet
r
if
i
ed.

A
c
ro
s
s
the
k
i
t
chen
N
ick
sat
at
the
ta
ble
w
a
t
chi
n
g
the in
t
en
s
e
expr
e
ssion
on
her
fac
e
.
H
e
did
n
’t
think
she
w
as
that
in
t
o
s
c
r
ambli
n
g
eg
g
s
.
S
he
had
n
’
t
aske
d
a
b
ou
t
wha
t
i
t
w
as h
e
’
d
s
t
a
r
t
ed
t
o
t
e
l
l
her
l
ast
nigh
t
.
I
ns
t
ead,
she
looked
a
mi
l
lion miles
a
w
a
y
.
H
e
t
ook
a
sip
of
cof
f
ee
and
a
bsently
spread
j
am on
h
i
s
t
oas
t
.
T
h
at
is,
unt
i
l
he
not
i
ced
H
u
t
t
o
n
’
s
bob
b
i
n
g
up and
down
in
her
high
chair
t
r
y
i
n
g
t
o
reach
the
bread
he
held in
h
i
s
hand.
Relinqu
i
shi
n
g
i
t
,
he
g
o
t
up
t
o
put
more
in
the
t
oas
t
e
r
.

“
H
o
w
’
d
y
ou
sleep
l
ast
night?
I
did
n
’t
see
y
ou
do
w
n
at
the old
haun
t
.
”

S
he
recognized
the
t
easi
n
g
t
one,
but
looked
at
him
in d
i
sbelief
as
she
dumped
the
eg
g
s
on
t
o
a
p
l
at
t
e
r
.
“
Y
ou
were down
at
the
cove
a
g
ain
l
ast
night?
N
ic
k
,
y
ou
ca
n
’t
keep
th
i
s u
p
.
A
t
some
p
o
int
y
ou
h
a
ve
t
o
get
eight
hou
r
s.
Y
ou
ca
n
’t work
l
i
ke
a
dog
around
here
a
l
l
d
a
y
and
go
w
ithout
slee
p
. And
H
ut
t
on
w
as
f
u
s
s
y
.
N
ew
t
ooth
,
”
she
exp
l
ained
a
bsent-mindedl
y
.