Promise Cove (A Pelican Pointe Novel Book 1) (58 page)

The
door
behind
her
opened
and
N
ick
j
o
ined
them
on the
porch,
s
t
uffi
n
g
h
i
s
han
d
s
in
the
back
pockets
of
h
i
s
jeans.
“
E
ve
r
y
thi
n
g
o
k
a
y
out
here?”

J
or
d
an
felt
like
reinforcements
had
ar
r
ived.
N
o
lo
n
ger fa
c
i
n
g
F
rank
alone,
bols
t
ered
by
N
ic
k
’
s
emergence,
she
g
a
ve
N
ick
a
subtle
smil
e
.
“
E
ve
r
y
thi
n
g
’
s
fin
e
.
N
ic
k
,
this
i
s
F
rank
M
a
r
tin,
v
ic
e
-president
in
charge
of
loans
at
the
F
i
r
st
B
ank
of
P
elican
P
oin
te
.
F
ran
k
,
this
i
s
N
ick
H
ar
r
i
s.
H
e
’
s
m
y
…
contrac
t
or
s
l
ash
ca
r
pen
t
e
r
.
”

N
ick
s
t
uck
out
his
hand
and
did
n
’t
mi
s
s
F
ran
k
’
s
he
s
i
t
ation.
The
ma
n
’
s
entire
body
grew
r
i
g
id
before
he
half-hea
r
tedly shook
N
ic
k
’
s hand.
H
i
s reluc
t
ance did
n
’t get past
N
ic
k
.

“
N
ic
e
to
meet
y
ou
,
M
r
.
H
a
r
r
i
s
,
i
s
it?
”
T
h
e
ma
n
looke
d
as i
f
h
e
want
e
d
to
w
i
pe
h
i
s
han
d
s
on
s
omethi
ng
af
ter
t
ouchi
ng
N
ic
k
’
s
.

“
F
rank
s
t
opped
by
t
o
get
a
progr
es
s
repo
r
t
for
the
loan
commit
t
e
e
.
Se
e
ho
w
thi
n
gs
wer
e
sha
p
i
n
g
u
p
.
I
beli
e
v
e
he
thin
k
s
w
e
’
re
g
o
i
n
g
t
o
m
i
ss
our
deadlin
e
.
”
S
he
looked
F
rank in
the
e
y
e
before
addi
n
g
,
“
B
ut
we
are
n
’
t
.
W
e
’
re
g
o
i
n
g
t
o
open on
tim
e
.
”

“
I
admire
y
our
optim
i
sm,
J
or
d
an,
I
really
d
o
,
but
as
y
ou
k
no
w
,
I
’ve
come
t
o
check
on
y
our
progr
es
s.
The
bank
w
ants its
p
a
yment
on
time,
no
e
x
cu
se
s.
I
’
m
getti
n
g
reminde
r
s
from
M
r
.
C
arr
on
a
weekly
bas
i
s
no
w
.
Y
ou
can
expe
c
t
a
weekly
v
i
sit from
me
until
y
ou
open
.
”

“
M
ess
a
ge delivered,
F
ran
k
.
”

“
I
w
i
s
h
y
o
u
luc
k
,
J
or
d
an
,
I
rea
l
l
y
d
o.
Y
o
u
k
n
o
w
,
th
i
s
i
s
n
’
t
pe
r
s
onal
,
do
n
’
t
y
ou
?
I
wen
t
to
s
choo
l
w
it
h
Sc
o
tt
f
rom
f
i
r
s
t
g
rad
e
to
hig
h
s
chool
.
W
e
p
l
a
y
e
d
o
n
th
e
baske
t
ba
l
l t
ea
m
t
o
gethe
r
.
I
k
ne
w
Sc
o
t
t
’
s
g
r
andparen
t
s
.
”
H
e
w
r
u
ng
h
i
s
han
d
s
a
s
i
f
h
e
’
d
h
a
v
e
to
remembe
r
to
w
a
s
h
the
m
a
t
th
e
f
i
r
s
t
oppo
r
t
uni
t
y
.

W
hen
J
or
d
an
said
nothi
n
g
,
F
rank
added,
“
I
just
w
an
t
ed
t
o
s
t
o
p
b
y
an
d
s
e
e
ho
w
y
o
u
an
d
H
u
t
t
o
n
wer
e
get
t
i
n
g
alo
n
g
. I
did
n
’t
k
now
y
ou
’
d
found
the
money
t
o
hire
a
contra
c
t
o
r
.
”

“T
h
an
k
s
,
F
r
an
k
.
I
appre
c
i
at
e
a
ll
y
ou
’
v
e
don
e
.
I
f
h
e
were
here,
Sco
t
t
would
s
a
y
the
sam
e
.
”

F
rank
t
urned
t
o
N
ic
k
,
before
retreati
n
g
t
o
h
i
s
ca
r
,
he thought
for
a
moment
before
s
a
y
in
g
,
“
N
ext
t
i
me
y
ou
’
re
in
t
own,
M
r
.
H
ar
r
i
s,
s
t
op
b
y
,
and open
an
accoun
t
.
W
e
’
d
love
t
o h
a
ve
the
new
busine
s
s
.
”
W
ith
tha
t
,
the
banker
t
urned
and
w
a
l
k
ed
s
t
aidly
back
t
o
h
i
s
ca
r
.

N
o
t
i
n
a
m
il
lio
n
y
ea
r
s
,
N
ic
k
though
t
.
H
e
ha
d
to
wonder i
f
i
n
h
i
s
fo
r
m
er
lif
e
h
e
’
d
e
ve
r
bee
n
that
muc
h
o
f
a
cold-hea
r
t
e
d
p
r
ic
k
.
H
e
hoped
n
o
t
.
B
ut
w
h
y
on
ea
r
th
Sc
o
tt
would h
a
v
e
suc
h
a
hig
h
o
p
inio
n
o
f
the
peopl
e
i
n
th
i
s
t
o
w
n
w
a
s
a
m
y
s
te
r
y
to
hi
m
.
E
x
ce
p
t
fo
r
M
u
r
p
h
y
,
e
ve
r
y
o
ne
ha
d
bee
n
a
hug
e
d
i
sapp
o
intmen
t
.
W
hat
w
a
s
w
rong
w
ith
the
t
o
w
nspe
o
pl
e
her
e
a
n
yw
a
y
?

“
W
ould
y
ou
mind,
J
or
d
an,
if
I
t
ook
a
look
at
th
os
e
loan pape
r
s
?
See
if
there
might
be
a
n
y
other
options
in
ca
s
e
we
r
un
in
t
o
an
o
b
s
t
acl
e
.
”

“
S
ur
e
.
B
ut
it
’
s
pret
t
y
straightfo
r
w
ard.
I
went
over
the loan
pape
r
s
in
de
t
ail
when
Sco
t
t…af
t
e
r
…
”
H
e
r
s
i
g
h
ca
u
s
ed
a slump in her shoulde
r
s.
“
I
t wo
n
’t cha
n
ge a
n
y
thi
n
g
,
N
ic
k
.
”