Promise Cove (A Pelican Pointe Novel Book 1) (9 page)

F
or
the
fi
r
st
time
he
noticed
the
s
ma
l
l,
g
r
a
y-haired
clerk s
t
andi
n
g
behind
one
of
t
wo
chec
k
outs
s
t
an
d
s.
T
h
e fif
t
y-
s
omethi
n
g
man
s
t
ood
a
mere
five
feet
in
heigh
t
.
H
e wore
a
s
t
arched
d
ark
g
reen
apron
tied
around
h
i
s
neck
and mid
d
l
e
.
H
e
reminded
N
ick
of
an
a
g
i
n
g
leprechaun
min
u
s
the sui
t
.
A
nd
would
n
’t
y
ou
k
now
i
t
,
h
i
s
name
t
a
g
read
M
u
r
p
h
y
.
A
ccordi
n
g
t
o
Sc
o
t
t
,
th
i
s
w
as
the
m
a
y
or
and
o
w
ner
of
the
only
g
roce
r
y
s
t
ore
in
t
o
w
n.

“
W
ould
n
’t
y
ou
r
a
ther
h
a
ve
a
h
o
t
b
is
c
uit
w
ith
bacon
and egg
ins
t
ead
of
that
junk
food?”
M
u
r
p
h
y
asked
jo
v
i
a
l
l
y
.
“
T
wo sa
u
s
a
ge
b
is
c
uits
w
ith
egg
for
three
buc
k
s.
C
a
n
’t
beat
the
p
r
ic
e
.
B
e
s
t
dea
l
i
n
t
o
w
n
.
”

N
ic
k
’
s
e
y
ebro
w
s
wen
t
u
p
.
“C
ompe
ti
n
g
w
it
h
th
e
H
i
l
l
t
o
p
D
iner?”

“
B
aked
f
r
e
sh
f
rom
the
D
iner
th
i
s
mo
r
ni
n
g
,
M
ar
g
ie
s
e
e
s
t
o
tha
t
,
delive
r
s
them
h
o
t
s
e
ven
d
a
y
s
a
week
e
ven
on
S
un
d
a
y
.
”

“Sold
,
”
N
ick
said,
a
bs
ently
let
t
i
n
g
go
of
the
basket
f
i
l
led
w
ith
junk
food
and
le
a
v
i
n
g
it
on
the
v
acant
chec
k
-
out
s
t
and nea
r
b
y
.
H
e
w
at
ched
as
M
u
r
p
h
y
went
over
t
o
a
mi
c
ro
w
a
ve on
the
f
ront
w
a
l
l
under
a
bank
of
w
indo
w
s,
threw
in
t
wo
w
r
a
pped
b
is
c
ui
t
s,
and
hit
a
couple
of
but
t
ons
on
the
panel.

“
J
u
s
t
pa
ss
i
n
g
through?
”
M
u
r
p
h
y
aske
d
t
o
mak
e
co
n
ve
r
sa
tion,
as
he
w
ai
t
ed
for
the
b
is
c
uits
t
o
w
a
r
m.

“
A
c
t
ua
l
l
y
,
I
w
as
wonde
r
i
n
g
if
y
ou
might
k
now
where
I could
fi
n
d
J
or
d
a
n
P
h
il
l
i
p
s
.
”
N
ic
k
ha
d
n
o
s
o
one
r
g
o
t
t
e
n
the
wor
d
s
past
h
i
s
t
o
n
g
ue
when
he
noticed
the
man
’s fr
iendly
demeanor
v
an
i
shed.
T
o
N
ick
it looked
as
if
he
w
as
s
i
zi
n
g
him
u
p
.
H
e
supp
os
ed
he
could
n
’t b
l
ame
him.
A
f
t
e
r
a
l
l
,
h
e
w
as
a
st
r
a
n
ge
r
wh
o
ha
d
d
r
ive
n
u
p
on
a
loud,
b
ig-a
s
s
H
arle
y
.

E
ven
though
N
ick
t
owered
over
him,
M
u
r
p
h
y
put
on
h
i
s s
t
e
r
n
e
st
face
and
g
r
uff
l
y
asked,
“
W
ho
w
ants
t
o
k
now?”

N
ick
shif
t
ed
h
i
s
fee
t
, unea
s
y
,
h
e
s
i
t
ant
t
o s
a
y
t
oo
muc
h
.
B
ut
he
did
need
dire
c
tions.
“
I
...
k
now
she
r
uns
a
bed
and brea
k
fast
around
here
ca
l
led
The
C
ov
e
.
Th
ough
t
m
a
yb
e
y
ou
could
t
e
l
l
me
how
t
o
get
ther
e
.
”

“S
o
,
y
ou
’
re
loo
k
i
n
g
for
a
p
l
ace
t
o
s
t
a
y?
A
h,
we
l
l,
she ha
s
n
’t
opened
up
y
e
t
.
S
ince
her
husband
died
in
I
raq,
J
or
d
a
n
’
s
st
r
uggle
d
t
o
ge
t
i
t
g
o
i
n
g
.
They
sunk
a
l
l
their
money in
t
o
that
p
l
ace
before
h
i
s
r
e
s
e
r
ve
unit
g
o
t
ca
l
led
u
p
.
The ban
k
’
s
e
x
t
ended
her
out
as
far
as
they
can,
if
she
ca
n
’t
get
a cash
flow
g
o
i
n
g
,
they’
l
l
h
a
ve
no
ch
o
ice
but
t
o
put
the
p
l
ace up
for au
c
tion.
S
h
e
’
l
l
l
o
s
e eve
r
y
thi
n
g
.
S
h
ame
t
o
o
,
af
t
er Sc
o
t
t did
n
’t
come
bac
k
.
”

M
u
r
p
h
y
s
c
r
ubbed
a
hand
over
the
s
t
ubble
on
h
i
s
chi
n
.
“
Y
ou
k
now
J
or
d
an?”

“
N
o
t
rea
ll
y
.
I
k
n
e
w
Sc
o
t
t
.
”
N
o
w
w
hy
ha
d
h
e
volun
t
eere
d
that
?
B
u
t
i
t
w
a
s
t
o
o
l
a
te
.
H
e
s
aw
M
u
r
p
h
y
’
s
ea
r
s
p
ic
k
u
p
,
wa
t
c
he
d
h
i
s
c
u
r
i
os
i
t
y
pea
k
befor
e
th
e
mi
c
ro
w
a
v
e
ti
me
r
di
n
ged.