Promise Cove (A Pelican Pointe Novel Book 1) (61 page)

J
ordan
wanted
to
l
a
ugh
out
loud
at
the
look
o
f
wonder
on
N
ic
k
’
s
fac
e.
H
e w
a
s
clearl
y impr
e
ss
ed
w
ith her d
a
ughte
r
. T
h
e
n
ex
t
wor
d
s
out
o
f
h
i
s
mouth
proved
i
t
.
“
D
id
you
hear
that?
She
sai
d
i
t
.
H
utton
sai
d
apple.
I
s
n
’
t
she
a
w
f
u
l
l
y
young to
be
ta
l
k
ing
l
i
ke
tha
t
,
repea
t
ing
wor
d
s
l
i
ke
that?
She
s
eems
e
xce
p
t
iona
ll
y
b
r
ight
fo
r
her
a
g
e.
Ma
ybe
you
should
h
a
ve
her
e
valuated
.
”

J
ordan
l
a
ughed
out
loud.
T
h
e
man
ob
v
io
usl
y
k
new
n
o
thing a
b
out
t
o
d
d
le
r
s
.
“
Of cou
r
s
e sh
e
’
s b
r
il
l
ian
t
, but
I
supp
os
e
I
could
be
b
i
a
s
ed
.
”
N
o
ti
ng
he
w
a
s
s
e
r
io
us
,
she
added,
“
A
ccording
to
the
boo
k
s
I
’
v
e
read,
sh
e
’
s
r
i
ght
on
s
c
hedule
w
ith
her
voc
abula
r
y
s
k
il
l
s
.
”

“
Y
ou
h
a
ve
boo
k
s
on
the
subje
c
t?”

“
I
d
o,
an
d
I
’
v
e
a
l
s
o
bee
n
readi
ng
to
he
r
s
i
nc
e
sh
e
w
a
s
bo
r
n
.
E
ve
r
y
nigh
t
befor
e
be
d
i
s
s
t
o
r
y
ti
m
e
.
”
I
nt
r
i
g
ue
d
at
h
i
s
in
t
er
e
s
t
,
sh
e
of
f
ered
,
“
Ma
y
b
e
y
ou
’
d
l
i
k
e
to
t
ak
e
a
t
u
r
n
af
t
e
r
dinner?”

H
i
s
e
y
es
went
w
id
e
.
“
Read
t
o
her?
A
k
id
this
s
i
ze?
O
k
a
y
.
S
ur
e
.
Y
ou
mean
like,
The
Th
r
e
e
B
e
ars
or
s
omethi
n
g?”
I
t
w
as the
only
childre
n
’
s
s
t
o
r
y
he
could
b
r
i
n
g
t
o
mind.

“
O
h
,
I
thin
k
w
e
ca
n
d
o
a
littl
e
bet
t
e
r
tha
n
tha
t
,
ca
n
’
t
we
H
u
t
ton?”

B
y
th
i
s
time
,
H
u
t
t
o
n
ha
d
l
o
s
t
a
l
l
in
t
er
e
s
t
i
n
th
e
f
r
uit an
d
t
u
r
n
e
d
he
r
at
t
en
tio
n
to
ba
n
g
i
ng
a
p
o
t
w
it
h
a
wooden spoo
n
.
I
n
a
n
improm
p
tu
move
,
N
ic
k
p
icke
d
u
p
an
o
ther
spoo
n
.
I
n
s
yn
c
w
it
h
th
e t
o
d
d
le
r
,
h
e
s
t
a
r
t
e
d t
ap
p
i
ng
i
t
o
n a
p
o
t
i
n
tim
e
w
it
h
he
r
s
.
H
u
t
t
o
n
foun
d
h
i
s
d
r
ummi
ng
pa
r
ticu
l
arl
y
f
un
n
y
an
d
s
t
a
r
t
e
d
g
iggli
ng
befor
e
sh
e
wen
t
in
to
a
f
u
l
l-
blo
w
n
be
l
l
y
l
aug
h
.

W
at
chi
n
g
her
d
augh
t
er
p
l
a
y
w
ith
N
ic
k
,
w
at
chi
n
g
them in
t
era
c
t
,
J
or
d
an suddenly g
o
t
t
ea
r
s in
her e
y
e
s.
T
o hide her wet
face,
she
went
over
t
o
the
s
t
ove
and
pre
t
ended
t
o
check on
the
meatloaf.
Af
t
er
a
few
minu
t
e
s
she
g
o
t
he
r
s
elf
more under
control,
and
t
urned
around
just
in
time
t
o
hear
H
ut
t
on let
out
another
belly
l
augh.
S
he
looked
at
N
ick
who
w
as
now down
on
all
fou
r
s
p
l
a
y
i
n
g
pee
k
-a-boo
w
ith
her
d
augh
t
e
r
.
F
or
s
ome
rea
s
on,
the
p
l
a
y
f
ul
s
cene
cau
s
ed
her
hea
r
t
t
o
fl
ut
t
er
in
her
ch
e
st.
S
he
opened
her
mouth
t
o
s
a
y
s
omethi
n
g
,
but cl
o
s
ed
it
when
no
wor
d
s
came
out.

Af
t
e
r
tha
t
,
i
t
w
as
a
ll
J
or
d
a
n
coul
d
d
o
t
o
ge
t
through
suppe
r
.

I
n
a
routine
no
w
,
J
or
d
an
and
N
ick
split
the
chor
e
s.
S
he
g
a
ve
H
ut
t
on
her
bath
while
N
ick
cleaned
up
the
supper d
i
sh
e
s.
B
ut
while
putti
n
g
on
H
ut
t
o
n
’
s
pa
j
amas,
as
s
t
o
r
y
time approached,
a
g
n
a
w
i
n
g
sadn
e
ss
e
n
g
ulfed
he
r
.
Th
i
s
would
be the
fi
r
s
t
ti
m
e
a
ma
n
ha
d
rea
d
t
o
he
r
d
a
ugh
t
e
r
an
d
i
t
would
n
’t
be
her
fathe
r
.
I
t
would
never
be
Sco
t
t.