Promise Cove (A Pelican Pointe Novel Book 1) (91 page)

H
e
t
ook
off
t
o
w
ard
the
apa
r
tment
at
a
jog.
“
T
h
an
k
s
for the
beer
J
or
d
a
n
.
I
g
o
t
t
a
ta
l
k
t
o
m
y
k
i
d
s
before
they
go
t
o slee
p
.
”

N
ick
hollered
af
t
er
him,
“
Be
sure
t
o
remind
S
he
r
yl
how
muc
h
bet
t
e
r
of
f
she
would
’
ve
been
if
sh
e
’
d
ma
r
r
ied
m
e
.
”

“
Y
eah
r
igh
t
.
L
i
ke
she
do
es
n
’t
k
now
how
luc
k
y
she
is
t
o
h
a
v
e
y
ou
r
s
t
r
ul
y
.
Y
o
u
g
o
t
t
a
w
a
t
c
h
th
i
s
g
u
y
,
J
or
d
a
n.
H
e
’
s
a major
p
l
ay
e
r
,
”
Ben
y
e
l
led
over
h
i
s
shoulde
r
.
“
H
e
has
a
lo
n
g track
record
of
conqu
e
sts
.
”

“S
hu
t
u
p
,
Be
n
.
”
H
e
did
n
’t
nee
d
a
reminde
r
of
h
i
s
pas
t
.
B
u
t
unfo
r
t
una
t
e
l
y
,
h
e
could
n
’t
ar
g
u
e
w
it
h
th
e
a
ss
e
s
s
men
t
.
H
e
looke
d
head
-
o
n
a
t
J
or
d
a
n
wh
o
w
a
s
s
imply
s
m
i
l
i
ng
at
thei
r
ban
t
e
r
.
“
D
o
n
’t
p
a
y
hi
m
a
n
y
mind
.
Be
n
’
s
alw
a
y
s
been
hig
h
main
t
enanc
e
.
”

S
he
did
n
’t
dou
b
t
Be
n
’
s
comment.
S
he
might
be
a
w
idow who
had
n
’t
dat
ed
in
y
ea
r
s,
li
v
i
n
g
on the
outs
k
i
r
ts
of
a
ti
n
y
t
o
w
n,
but
sh
e
’
d
g
ro
w
n
up
in
S
an
F
rancisco
and
w
as
har
d
ly naiv
e
.
W
ith
N
ic
k
’
s
good
loo
k
s,
combined
w
ith
his
o
w
n admission
h
e
’
d
a
voided
a
n
y
em
o
tional
at
t
achmen
t
s
l
i
ke
the p
la
g
ue,
she
did
n
’t
dou
b
t
the
major
p
l
a
y
er
la
bel.
B
ut
ins
t
ead of
fo
l
lo
w
i
n
g
that
t
ac
k
,
she
asked
a
bout
Be
n
.
“
H
e
seems
l
i
ke a
good
fathe
r
,
ca
l
li
n
g
t
o
ta
l
k
t
o
his
k
i
d
s
before
they
go
t
o
bed
an
d
a
l
l
.
H
o
w
lo
n
g
’
s
h
e
bee
n
ma
r
r
ied?”

“
H
mm,
let
’
s
see,
a
little
more
than
s
i
x
y
ea
r
s
I
g
u
es
s.
H
e
w
as
the
fi
r
st
one
of
us
t
o
t
a
ke
the
plu
n
g
e
.
”
H
ad
it
been
that lo
n
g?
I
t
seemed
l
i
ke
an
o
ther
life
t
ime
a
g
o
,
a
time
when
thi
n
g
s had been a
whole lot
simpler and life
had been
easie
r
.

“T
he
plu
n
ge?
Y
ou
mean
that
dreaded
t
r
ip
down
the
aisle of
wedded
blis
s
?”

H
e
l
a
ughed
.
“Somethi
n
g
l
i
k
e
tha
t
.
M
a
r
r
i
a
g
e
migh
t
be
g
reat
for
most
g
uys
bu
t
…
”

“
I
t
’
s
n
o
t
for
y
ou
.
”

“
N
o
,
n
o
t
me
,
”
he
said
emphatica
l
l
y
,
draini
n
g
h
i
s
bee
r
.