Dancing Tides (36 page)

H
e
s
a
w
N
i
c
k st
e
p outside
onto the
po
rc
h
a
nd
c
lo
s
e
the
fr
ont door
b
e
hind h
i
m.
“
So
r
r
y
,
N
i
c
k.
I
…
”

B
ut
N
i
c
k didn
’
t l
e
t him
f
inish.
“
S
a
ve
it.
B
e
ca
use
w
e
t
a
lk
e
d
a
bout this a
time
or
t
w
o
a
l
rea
d
y
I
’
ll t
e
ll
y
ou st
r
a
ight out.
Y
ou n
ee
d h
e
lp, Co
r
d.
A
pp
a
r
e
nt
l
y
it
’
s mo
r
e
th
a
n
w
h
a
t
J
o
r
d
a
n
a
nd I
ca
n
g
ive
y
ou.
I
t
’
s obvious
w
e
a
r
e
n
’
t in a
position to p
r
ovide
y
ou
w
ith
w
h
a
t
y
ou n
e
e
d.
W
e’
ve t
r
i
e
d but
y
ou s
e
e
m
c
ont
e
nt in
wa
llo
w
ing
in
y
our
o
w
n mis
e
r
y
.
Y
ou told me
y
o
u
w
er
e
g
oi
n
g
into M
c
C
rea
d
y
’
s
f
or
a
c
ouple
of
d
r
inks not to
g
e
t d
r
un
k
.
I
told
y
ou
w
h
e
n
y
ou
c
a
me
to
w
o
r
k
f
or
us
I
’
d put up
w
ith a
lot but
I
w
o
uldn
’
t tol
era
te
y
ou d
r
unk
ar
ound
H
utton or
J
o
r
d
a
n, th
a
t
’
s bottom lin
e
.”

Co
r
d shi
f
t
e
d his
fee
t list
e
ning
to
N
i
c
k
’
s
a
ss
e
ssm
e
n
t.
H
e
kn
e
w
N
i
c
k
w
ould be dis
a
ppoint
e
d in him but
t
his
wa
s a
n
e
w
w
a
y
to
g
o.
G
uilt.
“
I
wa
sn
’
t d
r
unk
a
r
ound
H
utton or
J
o
r
d
a
n
a
nd
y
ou know
it,”
Co
r
d put in.

“E
th
a
n pull
e
d me
out of
M
c
C
rea
d
y
’
s,
I
a
dmit to th
a
t.
I
we
nt
f
or
a
w
a
lk on the
b
eac
h, d
ec
id
e
d to
g
o
f
or
a
s
w
im
a
nd sob
e
r
up,
w
a
nd
e
r
e
d a
little
too
fa
r
out in the
su
rf
. P
e
ople
a
r
e m
a
king
a
b
i
g
d
ea
l out of
nothin
g
.”

N
i
c
k point
e
d his
f
ing
e
r
a
nd st
a
t
e
d,
“
Ri
g
ht th
e
r
e
is
the
p
r
obl
e
m.
Y
ou
r
e
a
l
l
y
t
hink
I
b
u
y th
a
t.
Ke
e
g
a
n
F
a
nni
n
g
pu
l
l
e
d
y
our
a
ss out of
the
b
a
y
not mo
r
e
th
a
n
h
a
lf
a
n
h
our
a
g
o.
W
ith the
r
ip tide
y
ou both
c
ould
’
v
e
d
r
o
w
n
e
d.
Y
ou think she
w
a
nt
e
d to t
a
ke
a
n imp
r
omptu s
w
im in
free
z
ing
wa
t
e
r
ton
i
g
ht?
O
f
c
ou
r
se
y
o
u don
’
t think of
a
n
y
o
n
e
but
y
o
u
r
s
e
lf
a
nd h
o
w
mis
era
ble
y
ou
a
re
.
Y
ou
’r
e
d
a
mn
e
d lu
c
k
y
s
h
e
wa
s
a
r
ound.”

Co
r
d mov
e
d his should
e
r
ar
ound to show
N
i
c
k his
m
a
n
ac
l
e
d
w
r
ists.
“E
th
a
n
’
s lo
c
king
me up
!
”

“
B
e
ca
u
s
e
y
ou h
a
d a
g
u
n
!
Y
ou t
r
i
e
d to
e
nd it
a
ll!
Y
ou s
ee
m to
f
o
r
g
e
t, not th
a
t long
a
g
o,
I
wa
lk
e
d in
y
our
sho
e
s.
B
u
t d
e
spite
a
ll
m
y
g
uilt
I
n
e
v
e
r
on
c
e
t
r
i
e
d to kill
m
y
s
e
l
f
.
D
o som
e
thing
a
bout it, Co
r
d.
A
g
r
e
e
to
c
ouns
e
ling
or
f
ind
a
noth
e
r
job.”