Promise Cove (A Pelican Pointe Novel Book 1) (245 page)

Relief
e
n
g
ulfed
he
r
.
“So
y
ou
were
n
’t
le
a
v
i
n
g?”

“
Le
a
v
i
n
g?
Y
ou
mean
headi
n
g
back
t
o
L
.
A
?
N
o
,
not
unt
i
l w
e
’
ve
fin
i
shed,
n
o
t
unt
i
l
w
e
’
re
open
for
bu
s
in
es
s
.
”
B
ut
the minu
t
e
he
met
her
e
y
es,
his
breath
backed
u
p
.
A
n
y
thought of
le
a
v
i
n
g
her
now
w
as
an
a
bsolu
t
e
w
as
t
e
of
tim
e
.

S
he
blew
out
a
breath.
“
This
is
r
idi
c
ulous.
I
’
m
tired of
p
l
a
y
i
n
g
g
am
e
s
.
”
S
he
slipped
out
of
N
ic
k
’
s
embrace
and s
t
a
r
t
ed
t
o
pace
up
and
down
on
the
shoulder
of
the
hig
h
w
a
y in
a
huf
f
.
Good
thi
n
g
traffic
w
as
ligh
t
.

J
or
d
an
pushed
her
hair
out
of
her
fac
e
.
“
I
k
new
who
y
ou
were,
N
ic
k
.
F
rom
the
ve
r
y
fi
r
st
nigh
t
,
I
recognized
the
nam
e
.
And
e
ve
n
i
f
I
had
n
’
t
,
I
woul
d
h
a
v
e
e
ven
t
ua
l
ly
recog
nized
y
our
face
f
rom
the
p
ic
t
ur
e
s
Sc
o
t
t
sent
home
of
h
i
s
uni
t
. The
f
i
r
st
night
y
ou
g
o
t
here,
I
reread
Sc
o
t
t
’
s
let
t
e
r
s.
Y
ou
were
r
ight
there,
N
ic
k
, in
e
ve
r
y si
ng
le
on
e
.
”

“T
h
at
’
s
w
h
y
y
ou
never
asked
me
a
bout
m
y
sca
r
s.
Y
ou already
k
ne
w
.
W
h
y
did
n
’t
y
ou
s
a
y
somethi
n
g?”

“
M
e?”
S
he
looked
at
him
in
disbelief.
“
Y
ou
did
n
’t
seem ready
or
w
il
li
n
g
t
o
open
up
t
o
m
e
.
I
ke
p
t
as
k
i
n
g
y
ou,
proddi
n
g
y
ou,
gi
v
i
n
g
y
ou
eve
r
y
oppo
r
t
unity
t
o
t
e
l
l
me
w
h
at
w
as bothe
r
i
n
g
y
ou,
t
o
ta
l
k
t
o
m
e
.
”
S
he
sighed
and
ran
her
fi
n
ge
r
s through
her
hai
r
.
“
F
act
is
I
did
n
’t
pr
es
s
y
ou
beca
u
se
I
s
u
spect I
did
n
’t
w
ant
t
o
ta
l
k
a
bout
it
a
n
ymore
than
y
ou
did.
I
do
n
’t think
I
w
as
read
y
,
j
u
st
as
y
ou
were
n
’t.
I
did
n
’t
w
ant
t
o
hear
wha
t
y
o
u
ha
d
t
o
s
a
y
.
B
u
t
do
n
’
t
fo
r
a
minu
t
e
thin
k
I
did
n
’t
w
ant
y
ou
here
w
ith
u
s,
N
ic
k
.
I
j
u
st
did
n
’t
realize
I
’
d
fa
l
len
in love
w
ith
y
ou
.
”

“
Y
ou
love
me?”

“
I
di
ot
.
O
f
cou
r
s
e
I
lov
e
y
ou
.
H
o
w
coul
d
I
n
o
t
?
Y
ou
’
re
suc
h
a
goo
d
man
,
N
ic
k
.
B
u
t
f
ro
m
wha
t
M
u
r
p
h
y
t
e
l
l
s
me
y
ou
r
memo
r
i
e
s
o
f
tha
t
da
y―i
n
I
r
a
q
whe
n
Sc
o
t
t―die
d
are
j
u
s
t
p
l
ain―
w
ro
n
g
.
”

H
e
sc
owle
d
a
t
he
r
.
A
b
s
entl
y
h
is
han
d
flew
t
o
the
sca
r
s
o
n
h
is
ch
es
t
.
“
I
w
as
ther
e
.
I
ough
t
t
o
k
n
o
w
wha
t
happened
.
”