Promise Cove (A Pelican Pointe Novel Book 1) (118 page)

“
A
rea
l
i
s
l
and?
”
N
o
w
tha
t
h
e
had
n
’
t
k
n
o
wn
.
Sc
o
t
t
ha
d
n
e
ver men
t
ione
d
T
reasur
e
I
s
l
an
d
t
o
hi
m
befor
e
.
B
u
t
i
t
s
ounde
d
l
i
ke
e
ve
r
y
t
welv
e
-
y
ear
-
ol
d
bo
y
’
s
fan
t
a
s
y
t
o
b
e
a
bl
e
t
o
e
xplor
e
an
i
s
l
an
d
o
f
h
is
ve
r
y
o
wn
.
“W
hat
’
s
i
t
d
o
i
n
g
there?”

“
One
of
a
chain,
I
g
u
es
s.
The
t
i
p
i
s
a
l
l
that
’
s
lef
t
.
I
t
’
s
more rock
than
a
n
y
thi
n
g
,
but
ther
e
’
s
s
ome
vege
t
a
tion
on
th
i
s
s
id
e
. I
h
a
ve
n
’t
been out
there
s
inc
e
…
”
H
er
mind d
r
if
t
ed
t
o another
d
a
y
j
u
st
af
t
er
they
’
d
bought
the
p
l
ac
e
.
Sc
o
t
t
had
shown
her around and
then made
a
p
o
int of
t
a
k
i
n
g
her out
in the
di
ng
h
y
t
o
explore
the
i
s
l
and.
T
h
e
y
’
d
mad
e
lov
e
ther
e
.
I
t
migh
t
h
a
ve
been
where
they
’
d
conceived
H
ut
t
on.
A
t
that
moment
H
ut
t
on
s
quealed
at
s
omethi
n
g
Dog
did
and
J
or
d
an
s
n
apped back
t
o
the
pr
e
s
en
t
.
“
Y
ou
should
m
o
t
or
out
there
one
d
a
y
.
T
a
ke
s
ome
time
t
o look
around.
I
t
’
s wo
r
th
the
t
r
i
p
.
J
ust
no
r
th of
that
little
d
o
t
of
l
and
i
s
where
the
ship
w
rec
k
’
s
loca
t
ed
.
”

H
e
migh
t
j
u
s
t
d
o
tha
t
,
h
e
though
t
,
a
s
h
e
g
l
ance
d
at
J
or
d
a
n
.
S
h
e
’
d
mentioned
Sc
o
t
t
’
s
name
w
ithout
loo
k
i
n
g
l
i
ke she
w
an
t
ed
t
o
c
r
y
.
I
t
w
as
a
fi
r
s
t
.
B
ut
sh
e
’
d
been
l
o
st
there
for a
moment
in
her
o
w
n
though
t
s.

“
Y
ou
looked
l
i
ke
y
ou
were
h
a
v
i
n
g
f
un
out
there
t
o
d
a
y
.
S
u
r
fi
n
g
.
Y
ou
’
re
pret
t
y
good
.
”

“T
he
su
r
f
’
s
g
reat
her
e
.
Y
ou
should
t
a
ke
a
t
u
r
n
.
”

“
I
h
a
ve
n
’t
su
r
f
ed
in
more
than
t
wo
y
ea
r
s.
N
ot
s
ince
we fi
r
st
moved
in.
I
’
d
prob
a
bly
k
il
l
m
y
s
elf
no
w
.
”

“
I
t
’
s
l
i
ke
r
idi
n
g
a
bi
ke,
y
ou
n
e
ver
forget
ho
w
.
Go
ahead,
h
a
v
e
s
o
m
e
f
u
n
,
I
’
l
l
w
at
c
h
H
u
t
t
o
n
.
”

“T
h
an
k
s,
m
a
ybe
an
o
ther
tim
e
.
”

H
e
f
ro
w
ned.
“
Y
ou
need
t
o
h
a
ve
s
ome
f
un,
J
or
d
a
n
.
W
he
n
’
s the
l
ast
time
y
ou
g
o
t
out?”

“
I
get
out
eve
r
y
d
ay
.
”

“
I
mea
n
fo
r
f
u
n
.
Onc
e
y
o
u
ope
n
th
i
s
p
l
ac
e
u
p
fo
r
b
u
s
i
n
e
s
s
,
y
ou’
l
l
b
e
s
w
ampe
d
throug
h
th
e
summe
r
.
Y
o
u
nee
d
to
h
a
v
e
s
om
e
f
u
n
no
w
befor
e
y
ou
’
r
e
s
o
b
u
s
y
w
it
h
g
u
e
s
t
s
y
o
u
ca
n
’
t
s
e
e
st
r
aigh
t
.
”

That night, as
she got Hutton ready for bed, Jordan pondered Nick’s words. How long had it been since she’d gone anywhere just for fun? Three months earlier, she’d gone home to San Francisco for Christmas and to celebrate Hutton’s first birthday. But she didn’t think that’s what Nick had been talking about. The last time she’d gone out was the night before Scott had deployed for Iraq. They’d gone to the boardwalk in Santa Cruz for dinner. They hadn’t had much money to splurge, but they’d played games in the arcade, walked along the boardwalk, and then eaten dinner on the wharf. They’d made love that night for the last time. Funny, when they’d been in bed together, she had never once thought it would be for the very last time. How was a person supposed to know something like that would be the last time? She’d been pregnant with Hutton then, just barely. Scott had been ecstatic at the prospect of becoming a father. He’d told her at least a dozen times before his deployment not to worry, that he’d be back in six months. So much for optimism.

W
h
e
n
sh
e
realize
d
H
u
t
t
o
n
’
s
bat
h
wa
t
e
r
ha
d
t
u
r
ned s
t
on
e
cold
,
sh
e
p
icke
d
he
r
u
p
ou
t
o
f
th
e
wa
t
e
r,
w
r
ap
p
i
n
g
he
r
i
n
a
t
owel
.
A
n
d
s
a
w
N
ic
k
s
t
andi
n
g
i
n
th
e
doo
r
w
a
y
.
“
A
n
y
thi
n
g
I
ca
n
do?”

U
nl
i
ke
l
ast
nigh
t
,
he
had
n
’t
felt
the
need
t
o
r
un
in
t
o
t
own.
A
nd
he
h
ad
n
’t
felt
l
i
ke
s
t
a
y
i
n
g
cooped
up
in
t
h
at
s
t
udio apa
r
tment
w
at
chi
n
g
a
s
no
w
y
L
a
ke
r
s
g
am
e
.
So
h
e
’
d
w
andered over
here
t
o
the
main
ho
u
s
e
t
o
s
ee
if
they
might
need
him
for s
t
o
r
y
du
t
y
.
A
g
uy
could
hop
e
.
W
h
at
w
as
it
a
bout
th
e
s
e
t
wo
tha
t
dre
w
hi
m
in?