Promise Cove (A Pelican Pointe Novel Book 1) (14 page)

“
H
e
did?”

N
ic
k
n
o
tice
d
sh
e
s
eeme
d
be
w
i
ldere
d
a
t
tha
t
.
H
e
r
b
i
g
bro
w
n
e
y
e
s
g
r
e
w
e
ve
n
w
ide
r
.
S
h
e
a
c
t
ua
l
l
y
s
t
ammered befor
e
he
r
v
o
ic
e
e
vene
d
ou
t
.
“
I
…
I
…
we
l
l
o
f
cou
r
s
e
I
need
hel
p
,
bu
t
I
ca
n
’
t
af
f
or
d
to
hir
e
a
n
y
o
n
e
r
igh
t
no
w
.
M
u
r
p
h
y
k
n
o
w
s
tha
t
.
H
e
should
n
’
t
h
a
v
e t
o
l
d y
o
u
ther
e w
a
s
wor
k
. I
ca
n
’
t
p
a
y
y
ou
,
n
o
t
un
t
i
l
I
ope
n
u
p
a
n
yw
a
y
.
”
S
t
a
r
i
ng
a
t
the
man
,
he
r
hea
r
t
suddenl
y
race
d
w
it
h
undefi
ne
d
hop
e.
S
h
e
s
o
neede
d
thi
n
g
s
to
g
o
he
r
w
a
y
fo
r
a
cha
n
g
e.
“
A
r
e
y
o
u
loo
k
i
n
g—fo
r
wor
k
,
I
mean?”

H
e
s
quin
t
ed
in
t
o
the
d
i
s
t
ance
at
a
flock
of
s
e
a
g
u
l
l
s
c
ircli
n
g
overhead,
re
f
u
s
ed
t
o
meet
her
e
y
e
s.
H
e
had
n
’t
come th
i
s
far
t
o
lie
t
o
he
r
.
T
h
at
’
s
the
l
ast
thi
n
g
he
w
an
t
ed
t
o
d
o
.
B
ut at
the
momen
t
,
he
could
n
’t
s
t
op
the
wor
d
s
f
rom
s
p
il
li
n
g
out of
h
i
s
mout
h
.
“Seems
I
a
m
.
I
f
y
ou
k
now
a
p
l
ace
for
me
t
o
s
t
a
y
, I
could
r
ide
it
ou
t
,
unt
i
l
y
ou
get
ope
n
.
”
H
e
did
n
’t
h
a
ve
a
clue
wha
t
ha
d
happene
d
t
o
th
e
ma
n
wh
o
ha
d
a
l
l
bu
t
chan
t
e
d
the
entire
w
a
y
here,
“
I
re
f
u
s
e
t
o
get
i
n
volved
.
”

I
n
the
blink
of
an
e
y
e,
her
anti
c
ipation
t
u
r
ned
cautious.
“
W
h
y
woul
d
y
o
u
d
o
that
?
I
do
n
’
t
k
n
o
w
y
o
u
f
ro
m
A
dam—
y
ou
come
r
idi
n
g
up
here
on
a
m
o
t
or
c
y
cl
e
—
out
of
the
blu
e
.
Y
ou are
n
’t in trouble
w
ith the
l
a
w
, are
y
ou?”

N
ick
shook
h
i
s
head.
H
e
con
t
emp
l
a
t
ed
how
not
t
o
lie becau
s
e
h
e
’
d
never
s
een
a
woman
more
in
need
of
help
than
th
i
s
on
e
.
M
u
r
p
h
y
ha
d
bee
n
r
i
gh
t
a
b
ou
t
tha
t
.
A
nd
d
am
n
i
t
, how
could
he
t
u
r
n
h
i
s
back
on
her
now?
E
ven
he
w
a
s
n
’t
that cold.
H
e
heard
him
s
elf
s
a
y
,
“
N
op
e
.
I
’
m
a
fair
ca
r
pen
t
e
r
.
I can
handle
a
hamme
r
,
a
s
a
w
..
.
and
I
can
handle
that
sande
r
.
”
Ey
ei
n
g
the
condition
of
the
p
l
ace,
he
added,
“
B
ut
at
th
i
s p
o
in
t
,
I
do
n
’t
think
y
ou
can
afford
t
o
be
t
oo
p
ic
k
y
.
M
u
r
p
h
y s
a
y
s
y
ou
’
ve
g
o
t
a
deadline
approachi
n
g
.
”