Promise Cove (A Pelican Pointe Novel Book 1) (168 page)

“
I
’
ve
g
iven
th
i
s
t
o
w
n
over
t
wo
y
ea
r
s
t
o
come
around.
I
t
’
s time
t
o
pack
up
and
head
back
t
o
S
an
F
ranc
is
c
o
,
back
home
t
o
m
y
fam
i
l
y
.
”
S
he
t
ook
a
g
ulp
of
brand
y
.
T
h
e
alcohol
bu
r
ned her
throat
a
l
l
the
w
a
y
down
t
o
her
bell
y
.
B
ut
she
did
n
’t
care, she
felt
l
i
ke
she
needed
g
l
a
s
s
e
s
of
the
s
t
uff
j
u
st
t
o
get
C
ar
l
a
’
s
v
i
s
i
t
ou
t
o
f
he
r
s
y
s
t
e
m.
S
h
e
’
d
h
a
v
e
th
e
memo
r
y
o
f
h
a
v
i
n
g
t
o undr
e
s
s
her
own
d
augh
t
er
in
f
ront
of
a
s
o
c
i
al
worker
s
t
a
y
w
ith
her
for
t
oo
lo
n
g
.

N
ick
l
i
s
t
ened,
but
did
n
’t
think
she
rea
l
ly
meant
i
t
.
S
h
e
’
d wo
r
k
ed
l
i
ke
a
dog
t
r
y
i
n
g
t
o
get
th
i
s
p
l
ace
ready
t
o
ope
n
.
B
ut
she
w
as
hu
r
t
and
a
n
g
r
y
and
m
a
ybe
a
little
s
cared
at
the
momen
t
.
S
he
ha
d
e
ve
r
y
r
i
gh
t
t
o
fee
l
tha
t
w
a
y
.
I
t
w
as
that com
b
ina
t
io
n
o
f
thi
n
g
s
tha
t
ha
d
he
r
w
an
t
i
n
g
t
o
r
u
n
w
ithout
a
fi
gh
t
.
S
he
w
a
s
n
’
t
thin
k
i
n
g
st
r
aigh
t
.
“
Y
ou
r
h
u
sban
d
ha
d
a drea
m
,
r
ight?
I
t
’
s
alm
o
st
a
reali
t
y
.
J
u
st
a
few
more
wee
k
s
and
y
ou’
l
l
open,
g
u
e
sts
w
il
l
s
t
a
r
t
sho
w
i
n
g
up
for
real.
T
h
en
thi
n
g
s
w
il
l
look
a
whole
l
o
t
bet
t
e
r
.
E
ve
r
y
thi
n
g
w
il
l
t
u
r
n
around
.
”

“
I
f
people
in
th
i
s
t
o
w
n
are
that
lo
w
,
that
mean,
m
a
ybe I
do
n
’t
w
ant
it
t
o
t
u
r
n
around,
m
a
ybe
I
do
n
’t
w
ant
t
o
be around
people
l
i
ke
tha
t
.
D
id
y
ou
think
of
that?
Ma
ybe
I
do
n
’t
w
ant
m
y
ch
i
ld
g
ro
w
i
n
g
up
in
a
t
o
w
n
l
i
ke
P
elican
P
o
in
te
.
Ma
ybe
th
i
s
i
s
the
w
ro
n
g
p
l
ace
t
o
h
a
ve
a
dream,
the
w
ro
n
g p
l
ace
t
o
make
it
happe
n
.
”
S
he
f
i
n
i
shed
off
the
brandy
and let
it
slide
do
w
n,
w
a
r
mi
n
g
her
in
s
id
e
s
before
get
t
i
n
g
up
and g
o
i
n
g
over
t
o
pour
he
r
s
elf
an
o
ther
g
l
a
s
s.
S
he
felt
s
o
cold
e
ven bei
n
g
th
i
s
cl
o
s
e
t
o
the
fi
r
e
.
H
o
w
coul
d
sh
e
e
ve
r
h
a
v
e
thought
th
e
s
e
people
would
e
ver
w
a
r
m
t
o
her?
Sc
o
t
t
.
Sc
o
t
t
had
t
old her
they
would
that
’
s
ho
w
,
she
though
t
,
as
she
threw
back an
o
ther
d
r
ink
f
rom
the
g
l
a
s
s
sh
e
’
d
j
u
st
poured.
Once
y
ou
g
o
t
u
s
ed
t
o
the
t
as
t
e,
the
liquid
w
a
s
n
’t
nearly
as
f
i
e
r
y
.