Promise Cove (A Pelican Pointe Novel Book 1) (86 page)

“
A
bsolu
t
el
y
.
”

“T
h
at
’
s
wonde
rf
ul,
Be
n
.
T
h
ank
y
ou
.
”

T
o
cha
n
g
e
th
e
su
b
je
ct
Be
n
pat
t
e
d
h
i
s
f
u
l
l
s
t
omac
h
and
leaned
back
in
h
i
s
chai
r
.
“
T
h
at
w
as
the
b
e
st
quiche
I
’
ve
ever had.
Ma
ybe
y
ou
could
share
the
re
c
ipe
w
ith
S
he
r
yl
before
I le
a
v
e
.
Y
ou
’
re
e
ve
r
y
b
it
as
good
a
cook
as
I
’
d
heard
y
ou
wer
e
.
”

N
ick
choked
on
his
iced
t
ea.

“
I
am?”
S
he
s
t
ared
at
Ben
then
over
at
N
ick
k
no
w
i
n
g
he m
u
st
h
a
ve
been
the
one
t
o
si
n
g
her
praises.

Ben
caught
h
i
s
blunde
r
.
“
U
h,
y
eah,
N
ick
mentioned
i
t
.
”

N
ick
cleared
his
throa
t
.
“
J
or
d
an,
the
w
i
r
i
n
g
job
is
goi
n
g
t
o
ta
ke
Ben
a
couple
of
d
a
ys
t
o
comple
te
.
I
w
as
thin
k
i
n
g
if
it
’
s o
k
a
y
w
ith
y
ou
he
can
bunk
on
the
sofa
in
the
s
t
udi
o
.
”

“
D
o
n
’t
be
r
idi
c
ulous.
T
h
at
couch
do
es
n
’t
h
a
ve
a
decent sp
r
i
n
g
left.
I
n
fact
it
’
s
barely
v
i
a
ble
for
sitti
n
g
let
alone
a
good night
’
s
slee
p
.
Ben
can
t
a
ke
one
of
the
g
u
e
st
rooms
ups
t
ai
r
s.
H
e
’
l
l
be
much
more
comfo
r
ta
bl
e
.
”

“
N
o
m
a
’a
m
,
I
could
n
’
t
d
o
tha
t
.
”

B
affled,
J
or
d
an
asked,
“
W
h
y
on
ea
r
th
n
o
t?
Y
ou
’
re
gi
v
i
n
g me
a
discount
on
the
w
i
r
i
n
g.
I
can
of
f
er
y
ou
a
room
for
the dura
t
ion
of
the
job
pl
u
s
meals
.
”

Ben
looked
uncomfo
r
ta
bly
at
N
ick
for
hel
p
.
“
I
j
u
st could
n
’
t
,
m
a
’a
m.
I
’
m
a
stra
n
ge
r
.
Y
ou
do
n
’t
k
now
m
e
.
”

“T
h
at
’
s
a
bsurd.
Y
ou
’
re
a
f
r
iend
of
N
ic
k
’
s
and
that
’
s
good
enoug
h
fo
r
m
e
.
And
I
h
a
v
e
t
o
ge
t
u
s
e
d
t
o
h
a
v
i
n
g
g
uests
i
n
the
ho
u
se
a
n
yw
a
y
.
”
S
he
s
t
ared
at
N
ick
in
f
r
u
st
r
a
t
io
n
.
“
L
ook
g
u
y
s, th
i
s
is
a
bed
and
breakfast.
A
f
t
er
Ma
y
one,
I
’
l
l
h
a
ve
st
r
a
n
ge
r
s in
the
ho
u
se
a
l
l
of
the
tim
e
.
”

“T
he
couch
is
good
enough
for
me,
J
or
d
an.
B
ut
than
k
s for
y
our
hos
p
i
t
ali
t
y
.
I
t
i
s
n
’t
the
fi
r
s
t
ti
m
e
N
ic
k
an
d
I
h
a
ve
bunked
t
ogethe
r
.
”
And
af
t
er
two
hi
t
ch
e
s
in
I
raq
he
could pretty
much
sleep
s
t
andi
n
g
u
p
.

J
or
d
an
shook
her
head
and
plucked
H
ut
t
on
out
of
her
hig
h
chai
r
.
“
I
’
v
e
g
o
t
t
o
pu
t
H
u
t
t
o
n
do
w
n
fo
r
he
r
na
p
.
W
e
’
l
l d
i
s
c
uss
th
i
s
l
a
t
e
r
.
”