Promise Cove (A Pelican Pointe Novel Book 1) (68 page)

T
o
d
a
y
though,
he
had
decided
t
o
t
ackle
l
a
y
i
n
g
the
t
i
le,
t
o put
the
finishi
n
g
t
ouches
on one
of
the
ups
t
ai
r
s
bathrooms and
be
done
w
ith
it.
H
e
w
as
ta
k
i
n
g
the
l
ast
of
his
measur
e
men
t
s
,
ma
k
i
n
g
sur
e
h
e
ha
d
enoug
h
floo
r
i
n
g
when
he
s
t
opped lo
n
g
enough
t
o
w
at
ch
H
ut
t
on
p
l
a
y
a
few
feet
a
w
a
y
out
in
the ha
l
l
w
a
y
.
S
h
e
’
d
discovered
one
of
the
empty
cardboard
bo
x
es con
t
aini
n
g
some
of
the
supplies
h
e
’
d
brought
up
f
rom
the
g
ar
a
ge
and
w
as
now
happ
i
ly
poundi
n
g
a
w
a
y
on
the
cardboard
w
ith a p
l
as
t
ic hammer he had
p
icked
up at the hard
w
are
s
t
or
e
.
W
rapped
up
in
her
antics,
fas
c
ina
t
ed,
he
w
at
ched in
ho
r
ror
as
she
suddenly
l
o
st
in
t
erest
in
the
box
and
t
oddled over
t
o
the
t
op
of
the
s
t
ai
r
s.
A
t
that
momen
t
,
he
n
o
ticed
the safe
t
y
g
at
e
had
been
left
open
and
H
ut
t
on
w
as
headed
st
r
aight for
the
s
t
ai
r
we
l
l.
I
t
happened
in
an
ins
t
an
t
.
I
n
the
blink
of
an e
y
e,
he
moved
l
i
ke
a
sho
t
,
his
movement
so
fast
he
c
rashed in
t
o
the
w
a
l
l,
ca
t
chi
n
g
up
t
o
H
ut
t
on
j
u
st
before
she
reached the
s
t
ai
r
s.
Scoopi
n
g
her
up
f
rom
behind,
he
clu
t
ched
her
t
o
his
ches
t
.
N
ick
cl
o
sed
his
e
y
es,
and
dropped
t
o
the
f
l
oor
breathi
n
g
hard
.
S
ha
k
i
n
g
,
t
r
y
i
n
g
t
o
recove
r
f
ro
m
th
e
na
r
row
escape,
he
t
old
he
r
,
“
God
that
w
as
cl
o
s
e
.
Y
ou
scared
t
en
y
ea
r
s out of
me, Blondie”

W
hen
h
i
s
ne
r
v
e
s
settled
enough,
st
il
l
holdi
n
g
on
t
o
H
u
t
t
on
,
h
e
reache
d
ove
r
an
d
s
wu
n
g
th
e
g
a
t
e
cl
o
se
d
,
l
a
t
chi
n
g it
se
c
urely
in
p
l
ac
e
.
“
F
or
someone
w
ith
such
sho
r
t
legs
y
ou move
l
i
ke
a
r
unni
n
g
bac
k
.
W
h
at
do
y
ou
s
a
y
we
keep
th
i
s
little cl
o
se
ca
l
l
j
u
st
between
the
two
of
us.
Y
our
mom
has
enough on
her
mind
w
ithout
k
nowi
n
g
th
i
s
.
”

A
s
s
o
o
n
as
J
or
dan
w
a
l
k
ed
ou
t
of
th
e
bedroom
though she s
a
w
th
e
look of panic
o
n
N
ic
k
’
s face, s
a
w him
clutching
H
u
t
t
o
n
as
if
he
were
s
cared
to
death
,
he
r
m
o
ther
-radar went
o
n
re
d
ale
r
t
.
Something
w
a
s
w
ro
n
g
.
Drop
p
ing
do
w
n
o
n
on
e
k
n
ee
in
f
ron
t
of
N
ic
k
,
she
asked,
“
W
ha
t
happened?”

H
e
blew
ou
t
a
breat
h.
“
T
h
e
g
a
te
w
a
s
left
ope
n.
S
h
e
alm
o
st made
it
to
th
e
stai
r
we
l
l
.
”

“
Oh,
m
y
God
.
”
S
he
leaned
in
t
o
H
ut
t
on,
r
ubbed
a
hand through
her
blond
b
a
by-f
i
ne
hai
r
,
p
l
aced
a
k
i
s
s
on
the
t
op
of her
head.
“
I
t
’
s
m
y
fault.
I
had
m
y
han
d
s
f
u
l
l
when
I
ca
r
r
ied
up the
mi
r
ror
f
rom
the
g
ar
a
ge
for
the
dr
e
sse
r
.
I
forgot
t
o
go
back and
cl
o
se
i
t
.
”