Promise Cove (A Pelican Pointe Novel Book 1) (125 page)

H
o
w
coul
d
sh
e
h
a
v
e
a
l
lowe
d
he
r
s
el
f
t
o
thin
k
a
ma
n
l
i
ke
that
would
be in
t
er
e
s
t
ed
in her?
A
nd sh
e
’
d
been a
l
l
over
him.
A
nd
…
w
ait
a
minu
te
.
H
er
brain
s
t
a
r
t
ed
backtrac
k
i
n
g
over
the
s
cen
e
.
H
e
’
d
been
s
o
hard
h
e
’
d
a
l
l
but
bus
t
ed
out
of
h
i
s
jeans.

S
he
s
ighed
and
cl
o
s
ed
her
e
y
e
s.
F
or
a
few
minu
t
e
s
she
im
a
gined
that
hardn
e
s
s
mo
v
i
n
g
in
s
ide
he
r
,
f
il
li
n
g
he
r
.

Di
sapp
o
in
t
ed
in
him,
in
he
r
s
elf,
she
went
in
t
o
her bedroom
w
ithout
t
u
r
ni
n
g
on
the
ligh
t
.
I
ns
t
ead,
she
sat
do
w
n on
the
bed
t
r
y
i
n
g
t
o
get
though
t
s
of
N
ick
out
of
her
head.
W
hen
she
looked
up
she
caught
her
refle
c
tion
in
the
dr
es
s
er mi
r
ro
r
.
D
e
s
p
i
t
e
the
d
ar
k
n
e
s
s
and
the
shado
w
s,
she
could
s
ee her
li
p
s
were
s
wo
l
len,
t
ender
f
rom
h
i
s
s
molde
r
i
n
g
mouth
on he
r
s.
A
nd
the
w
a
y
h
e
’
d
t
ouched
her
breas
t
.
C
l
o
s
i
n
g
her
e
y
e
s, she
k
new
one
thi
n
g
.

S
he
w
an
t
ed
N
ic
k
.

Get
t
i
n
g
up
f
rom
the
bed
she
went
t
o
the
dr
a
wer
that held
the
box
w
ith
Sc
o
t
t
’
s
let
t
e
r
s,
the
l
ast
link
she
had
t
o
hi
m
.
H
u
g
g
i
n
g
the
box
t
o
her
ch
e
s
t
,
she
w
a
l
k
ed
t
o
the
cl
o
s
e
t
,
k
i
s
s
ed the
bo
x
,
and
p
u
shed
it
t
o
the
back
of
the
shelf.
R
ub
b
i
n
g
the
t
ea
r
s
f
rom
her
chee
k
s
she
said
out
loud,
“
I
loved
y
ou
Sc
o
t
t
w
ith
a
l
l
m
y
hea
r
t
.
I
ca
n
’t
beli
e
ve
y
ou
’
re
gone
s
o
s
oo
n
.
B
u
t
,
it
’
s hard
bei
n
g
alone
a
l
l
the
tim
e
.
I
t
’
s
tim
e
…
I
let
y
ou
g
o
.
”

S
he
shed
her
cl
o
th
e
s,
and
c
r
a
wled
in
t
o
bed
w
ith
t
ea
r
s s
til
l
streami
n
g
do
w
n
her
face
and
c
r
ied
he
r
s
elf
t
o
slee
p
.

W
hen
J
ord
a
n
wa
l
k
e
d
into
the
k
i
t
c
hen
ca
r
r
y
i
ng
H
u
tton
on
her
hi
p
at
s
i
x
-thi
r
t
y
,
sh
e
s
a
w
N
ick s
t
andi
ng
at
the
counter
whip
p
i
ng
up
batter
i
n
a bowl.
T
h
e
shado
w
s
under
h
i
s
e
y
e
s
t
o
ld
her
he
had
n
’
t
sle
p
t a
n
y
better
than
she
had.
Good,
she
though
t
,
s
ourl
y
.
Se
r
v
e
s him
r
i
ght
fo
r
being
such
an
a
s
s.

“
M
orni
n
g
,
l
adies
,
”
he
said
as
if
he
were
pe
r
fectly
o
k
a
y
w
ith
not
h
a
v
i
n
g
had
s
ex
w
ith
her
the
night
befor
e
.
“
Ther
e
’
s coffe
e
.
W
affles
o
k
a
y?”

S
o
,
the
y
were
n
’
t
g
o
i
ng
to
men
tio
n
their
d
an
c
i
ng
glued
to
eac
h
o
the
r
,
or
h
a
v
i
ng
their
t
o
n
g
u
e
s
do
w
n
eac
h
o
the
r
’
s throa
ts
,
or
hi
m
get
ti
ng
her
taut
nippl
e
s
to
pebble
,
or
h
i
s
roc
k
-
har
d
ere
c
tio
n
.

S
he
slipped
H
ut
t
on
in
t
o
her
high
chair
and
went
t
o
the ref
r
igera
t
or
t
o
pour
milk
for
her
s
ippy
cu
p
.
S
he
de
c
ided
she
w
as
s
a
vvy
enough
t
o
p
l
a
y
it
just
as
cool
as
h
e
.
“
W
affl
e
s
s
ound deli
c
ious
.
”
W
ere
they
g
o
i
n
g
t
o
d
is
cuss
d
r
yw
all
and
insu
l
ation now?
she
wondered.
S
he
poured
a
cup
of
coffee
and
w
at
ched as
he
f
i
lled
the
w
affle
iro
n
w
it
h
bat
t
e
r
,
cl
o
s
e
d
th
e
lid.

They
s
t
ood
there
in
strained
silence
until
N
ick
blu
r
t
ed ou
t
,
“
Y
ou
’
re
a
good
k
iss
e
r
.
”

T
h
at
s
ent
coffee
fl
y
i
n
g
out
of
her
mouth.
“
G
o
sh,
y
ou could’ve
fooled
m
e
.
The
w
a
y
y
ou
ran
out
of
the
room,
I
w
as pret
t
y
sure
I
had
n
’t
measured
up
t
o
y
our
p
l
ay
er
s
t
an
d
ards
.
”

O
k
a
y
,
she
w
as
still
p
iss
ed
he
thought
as
he
t
ore
off
a paper
t
owel
and
handed
it
t
o
her
t
o
w
ipe
up
the
coffee
sh
e
’
d spewed.
A
nd
who
could
b
l
ame
her?
H
e
had
n
’t
been
that
inept
s
ince
junior
high.
B
ut
eve
r
y
thi
n
g
in
s
ide
him
kept
remindi
n
g him
this
w
as
t
oo
impo
r
t
an
t
,
that
J
or
d
an
w
as
t
oo
impo
r
t
ant
t
o
s
crew
this
u
p
.
“
Get
real.
Y
ou
think
this
i
s
ea
s
y
for
me?”

“
E
a
s
y
?
I
’
v
e
g
o
t
ne
w
s
fo
r
you,
N
ic
k
,
n
o
thing
a
b
out
you
i
s
ea
s
y
.
”

H
e
ra
n
h
i
s
han
d
s
throug
h
h
i
s
hai
r
i
n
f
r
u
st
r
a
tio
n
before
t
u
r
ni
n
g
bac
k
to
th
e
w
a
f
f
l
e
iron
,
wher
e
h
e
s
c
oope
d
ou
t
a
s
t
eami
n
g
c
r
i
s
p
cak
e
whic
h
h
e
hande
d
o
f
f
to
J
or
d
a
n
to
cool fo
r
H
u
t
t
o
n
’
s
brea
kf
as
t
.
“
L
oo
k
,
I
’
m
n
o
t
s
t
u
p
id
,
J
or
d
a
n
.
I
ca
n
s
e
e
p
l
ai
n
a
s
day
y
o
u
are
n
’
t
read
y
.
Y
o
u
thin
k
I
do
n
’t
s
e
e
ho
w
th
e
ligh
t
go
e
s
ou
t
o
f
y
ou
r
e
y
e
s
e
ve
r
y
tim
e
y
o
u
men
tio
n
h
i
s
nam
e
.
”