Promise Cove (A Pelican Pointe Novel Book 1) (87 page)

A
s
she
left
the
room,
or
r
a
ther
s
t
o
r
med
out
of
the
room,
N
ick
s
t
a
r
t
ed
clea
r
i
n
g
the
dishes
f
rom
the
t
a
ble
and
Ben
got up
t
o hel
p
.
The purely domestic
scene did
n
’t escape
Be
n
’
s
w
at
ch
f
ul
e
y
e
.
H
e
’
d
n
e
ver
seen
his
buddy
in
th
i
s
k
ind
of
role befor
e
.
E
ve
r
.
This
w
a
s
n
’t
the
N
ick
H
a
r
r
is
he
had
k
no
w
n
in L
.
A.
Somethi
n
g
w
as
g
o
i
n
g
on
and
he
needed
t
o
find
out what
it
w
as.
H
e
chose
h
i
s
wor
d
s
care
f
u
l
l
y
.
“
I
t
brea
k
s
m
y
hea
r
t
k
nowi
n
g
sh
e
’
s
up
a
g
ainst
so
much
out
here
alon
e
.
I
can
see w
h
y
y
ou
cam
e
.
S
h
e
’
s
really
somethi
n
g
.
”

“
S
h
e
is
tha
t
.
”
N
ic
k
sai
d
a
s
a
st
r
a
n
g
e
s
en
s
e
o
f
p
r
id
e
spread throug
h
h
i
s
ch
e
s
t
.

“
Little
girl
loo
k
s
j
u
st
l
i
ke
Sc
o
t
t
.
H
as
h
i
s
e
y
e
s
.
”

“
S
h
e
’
s
the
s
wee
t
est
little
thi
n
g
t
o
o
,
j
u
st
l
i
ke
her
mothe
r
. Did
y
ou
k
now
sh
e
’
s
ta
l
k
i
n
g?”

O
k
a
y
,
tha
t
t
o
l
d
Be
n
…
a
l
o
t
.
N
ic
k
w
as
a
nic
e
enoug
h
g
u
y
. The
y
’
d
been
through
a
lot
t
ogether
e
ven
before
I
raq.
Th
ey
’
d met
back
in
co
l
lege
and
remained
f
r
ien
d
s.
Ben
k
new
a
l
l
a
bout
N
ic
k
’
s
ch
i
l
d
hood,
at
least
what
h
e
’
d
been
a
ble
t
o
p
r
y
out
of
the
g
u
y
.
H
e
’
d
al
w
a
y
s
felt
N
ic
k
’
s
l
ack
of
a
fam
i
ly
life
cont
r
ibu
t
ed
t
o the
fact
that
h
e
’
d
never
been
a
ble
t
o
form
at
t
achments.
B
ut
N
ic
k
,
even
on
h
i
s
b
e
st
d
a
y
,
had
never
been
k
id-
f
r
iendl
y
.
F
or
N
ick
t
o
t
a
ke
an
in
t
er
e
st
in
a
k
id,
even
Sc
o
t
t
’
s
k
id,
w
as
a
b
ig deal.
I
t
seemed
t
o
Ben
that
the
commit
t
ed
bachelor
looked a
lot
le
s
s
commit
t
ed
than
h
e
’
d
ever
seen
him
loo
k
.
Beca
u
se they
’
d
ac
t
ed
as
each
othe
r
’
s
w
i
n
g
m
an
on
numerous
occasions
lo
n
g
before
h
e
’
d
e
ver
met
S
he
r
yl
of
cou
r
se,
Ben
used h
i
s as
t
u
t
e
fatherly voice
t
o
t
e
l
l
N
ic
k
,
“
Of cou
r
se the b
a
by can
t
a
l
k
,
y
ou
doofus. T
h
at
’
s
wha
t
t
o
d
d
le
r
s
d
o
.
”

“Yeah, well I don’t have two of them. This is my first.” Ben shook his head and slapped Nick on the back.

“
Y
ou
’
ve
got
a
lot
t
o
learn,
m
y
f
r
iend.
I
’
m
j
u
st
the
man
t
o
help
t
each
y
ou
.
”
H
e
headed
for
the
doo
r
.
“School
is
in
se
ss
ion
t
onigh
t
af
t
er
suppe
r
.
B
ut
for
no
w
,
I
’
ve
g
o
t
a
job
t
o
d
o
.
”

B
y
the
time
J
or
d
an
came
back
in,
N
ick
had
finished cleani
n
g
up
the
k
i
t
che
n
.
“
I
l
i
ke
y
our
f
r
iend
,
”
she
admit
t
ed.