Promise Cove (A Pelican Pointe Novel Book 1) (82 page)

S
h
e
p
ushed
th
e
s
c
ree
n
doo
r
back
and
st
eppe
d
ou
t
s
ide
on
to
th
e
porc
h
.
I
nstead
of
ar
g
uing
w
it
h
th
e
old
co
o
t
or
as
k
ing
him
how
in
th
e
world
he
managed
to
hear
e
ve
r
y
s
oun
d
they
made
f
rom
a
half
a
m
i
le
a
w
a
y
,
she
said
s
impl
y
,
“
I
’
m
s
o
r
r
y
M
r
.
T
agge
r
t
,
bu
t
you
k
n
ow
I
’
m
in
th
e
mid
d
le
of
get
ting
th
i
s
place
ready
to
ope
n
.
”

“
S
il
liest
d
amned
n
o
tion
if
y
ou
ask
me,
t
u
r
ni
n
g
th
i
s
p
l
ace in
t
o
a
m
o
t
el.
Do
n
’t
k
now
w
h
y
the
city
coun
ci
l
ever
g
a
ve
y
ou
the
pe
r
mit
t
o
do
such
a
thi
n
g.
B
ut
y
ou
’
ve
g
o
t
t
o
keep the
n
o
ise
down.
M
y
Be
ss
ie
i
s
n
’t
used
t
o
a
l
l
th
i
s
n
o
is
e
.
S
h
e
’
s
alread
y
t
r
ie
d
t
o
r
u
n
of
f on
m
e
.
”

“So
r
r
y
,
M
r
.
T
a
gge
r
t
,
w
e
’
l
l
t
r
y
t
o
kee
p
i
t
do
w
n.
W
ould
y
ou
l
i
ke
t
o
come
in
for
some
cof
f
ee?”

“C
ome
in?
M
i
s
s
y
,
y
ou
are
c
r
a
zy
if
y
ou
think
I
’
m
spendi
n
g
m
y t
i
me lis
t
eni
n
g
t
o
that b
l
as
t
ed racket wh
i
le t
r
y
in
g
t
o d
r
ink
a
c
up
of
cof
f
e
e
.
D
r
il
li
n
g
and
hamme
r
i
n
g
indeed
.
”

O
ver a
half
a
cen
t
u
r
y
of
s
mo
k
i
n
g
had
the
old
man
s
t
op
p
i
n
g
in
mid-sen
t
ence
lo
n
g
enough
t
o
wheeze
in
her
direction
before
he
added
,
“
A
n
d
kee
p
tha
t
mut
t
y
o
u
g
ot
a
w
a
y
f
ro
m
m
y
B
e
ss
ie,
h
e
’
s
a
g
rowle
r
.
”
Ha
v
i
n
g
s
t
a
t
ed
his
b
us
in
es
s,
T
a
gge
r
t
t
u
r
ned
t
o
le
a
v
e
.

Af
t
er
lis
t
eni
n
g
f
rom
behind
t
o
the
old
ma
n
’
s
b
i
t
ch-fes
t
, by
the
time
N
ick
came
do
w
n
the
s
t
eps
t
o
give
T
a
gge
r
t
what for
and
put
in
his
o
w
n
two
cen
t
s
man
t
o
man,
it
w
as
t
oo
l
ate
.
H
e
w
at
ched
as
the
old
man
shuffled
do
w
n
the
d
r
ive
w
a
y
.
N
ick shook
his
head,
remembe
r
i
n
g
Sco
t
t
’
s
c
l
aim
a
bout
the
good cit
i
zens
of
P
elican
P
oin
te
.
N
ick
had
seen
f
r
ien
d
lier
people
in L.A.
W
hen
he
looked
over
and
s
a
w
the
d
isil
lu
s
ionment
on
J
or
d
a
n
’
s
face,
he
t
r
ied
for
le
v
it
y
.
“
W
ho
is
Bes
s
ie?”

J
or
d
an
threw
him
a
sly
s
m
i
l
e
.
“
H
is
an
c
ient
ca
t
.
”

“
I
did
n
’t
mean
t
o
make
more
trouble
w
ith
the
do
g
,
J
or
d
a
n
.
”

“
T
r
u
s
t
me
,
y
o
u
did
n
’
t
.
M
r
.
T
agge
r
t
o
w
n
s
th
e
or
g
anic
fa
r
m
tha
t
borde
r
s
our property
.
H
e
’
s
bee
n
ove
r
her
e
a
t
leas
t
f
i
f
t
y ti
m
e
s
th
e
pas
t
t
w
o
y
ea
r
s
comp
l
aini
ng
ab
ou
t
s
omethi
ng
or
o
the
r
.
I
f
h
e
i
s
n
’t
n
ag
g
i
ng
m
e
ab
ou
t
th
e
n
o
i
s
e
,
h
e
’
s
b
it
chi
ng ab
ou
t
th
e
condi
t
io
n
of
th
e
p
l
ac
e.
T
agge
r
t
i
s
n
’t
a
happ
y
ma
n.
Do
n
’t
wo
r
r
y
ab
ou
t
i
t
,
N
ic
k
.
”