Promise Cove (A Pelican Pointe Novel Book 1) (37 page)

B
y
the
time
a
baldi
n
g
,
ove
r
weight
man
in
his
l
a
t
e
fo
r
ti
e
s finally
gree
t
ed
him
from
behind
the
reg
i
s
t
e
r
,
N
ick
w
as
loo
k
i
n
g
for
a
fi
gh
t.

“
I
need
t
o pick up floo
r
i
n
g for
J
or
d
an
P
hilli
p
s
.
”

The
man
shook
his
head
and
did
n
’t
even
bother
t
o
s
t
ut
t
er
when
he
said,
“So
r
r
y
,
mis
t
e
r
,
but
that
f
l
oo
r
i
n
g
’
s
not
goi
n
g a
n
y
where
until
I
get
s
ome
money
on
the
account.
I
t’
s
w
a
y past
du
e
.
I
’ve
been
patient
up
t
o
no
w
,
but
I
’ve
got
t
o
h
a
ve p
a
yment
on
her
account
before
I
let
her
h
a
ve
the
floo
r
i
n
g
.
I
’
m
not
in
bu
s
ine
s
s
t
o
g
ive
a
w
a
y
m
y
i
n
ven
t
o
r
y
.
”

“
H
ow
a
bout
if
I
speak
t
o
the
owne
r
,
M
r
.
F
er
g
u
s
on?” Through
Sco
t
t
’
s
d
es
c
r
iptions
of
the
t
own,
N
ick
felt
as
if
he
k
new
the
t
ownspeople
well
enough
t
o
ask
for
him
by
nam
e
.

“
Y
ou
’
re
loo
k
i
n
g
at
him
.
”

N
ick
ra
is
ed
an
e
y
ebrow
in
disbelief.
So
much
for
Sco
t
t
’
s mis
g
uided a
ss
e
s
sment
of
the
c
it
i
zens of
P
elican
P
oin
te
.
“
S
he
nee
ds
tha
t
ti
l
e
.
”

B
ut
F
er
g
u
s
on
w
as s
t
eadfast.
“So
r
r
y
.
”

J
ust
as
o
b
stina
t
e,
N
ick
poin
t
ed
ou
t
,
“
Y
ou
k
now
her husband
died
in
I
raq,
r
ight?”

F
er
g
u
s
on
shook
his
head
def
i
antl
y
.
“
F
or his count
r
y and
all
that.
L
oo
k
,
I
’ve
car
r
ied
the
account
for
well
over
s
i
x months.
T
h
at
’
s
more
than
m
o
st
would d
o
.
I
can
only
be chari
ta
ble for
s
o lo
n
g
,
I
’ve got a bu
s
ine
s
s
t
o
r
un, bil
l
s of
m
y own
t
o
p
a
y
.
”

“
H
ow
much
w
ill
it
ta
ke
t
o
b
r
i
n
g
her
account
current?”

“
I
’ll
need
at
least
t
wen
t
y
percent
of
the
ba
l
anc
e
.
”

N
ick
reached
for
h
i
s
w
a
lle
t
,
pulled
out
h
i
s
credit
card.
So much
for
bei
n
g
a
re
t
u
rni
n
g
w
ar
vet
and
getti
n
g
help
from
the good
people
of
P
elican
P
o
in
te
.
H
e
had
t
o
fight
the
urge
t
o
t
ell
off
the
baldi
n
g
g
asb
a
g
.
A
s
he
handed
off
the
credit
card
s
omethi
n
g
occurred
t
o
him
though.
H
e
lowered
h
i
s
v
o
ice when
he
demanded,
“
I
do
n
’t
w
ant
y
ou
hassli
n
g
J
or
d
an
a
bout p
a
y
i
n
g
on
her
account
e
ve
r
y
time
she
w
a
l
k
s
in
t
o
the
s
t
or
e
.
F
rom
now
on,
y
ou
ta
lk
t
o
me
a
bout
i
t
.
G
o
t
that?”

W
hen
the
man
looked
e
ven
more
shee
pi
sh,
it
only made
N
ick
more
de
t
ermined.
“
I
f
I
fi
n
d
ou
t
y
ou
’
v
e
bugged
he
r
,
I
’ll
come
back
in
here
and
ream
y
our
m
is
er
a
ble
ass.
A
re we
clear?”
W
hile
the
man
s
t
ood
there
w
ith
h
i
s
mouth
open,
N
ick
leaned
over
the
coun
t
er
and
made
an
o
ther
point.
“
A
nd I
w
ant
help
loadi
n
g
the
d
amn
floo
r
i
n
g
.
”