Wicked: Whispering Cove, Book 3 by Nikki Duncan Read Free Book Online Page B

Braydon knew he’d misstepped.
    He’d just described the life Hauk had always wanted to avoid. The life people said he’d been unable to escape.
    “There are worse things than raising a kid in this town. And ambition is different for everyone.”
    Yep. Hauk’s tone was clipped and void of the camaraderie they’d been sharing.
    “Shit. Hauk. I didn’t mean… Sorry.”
    “Don’t mention it.”
    Everyone remotely connected to Whispering Cove had heard about Hauk’s wife washing ashore with a note in her pocket detailing her life’s regrets. She’d never gotten the escape she wanted, but she’d compounded her impact by voicing her regrets at having married Hauk right out of school and having their daughter.
    “She was wrong, Hauk.”
    “And so are you. A good life balanced with family and ambitions are attainable here.” Hauk walked away and left Braydon with the thought that Hauk had accepted good . Then again, Braydon reluctantly admitted to himself, his perception of a Whispering Cove life, of Hauk, could be skewed.
    Several of their classmates seemed perfectly happy with the lives they’d created in Whispering Cove. Many were as successful in different careers as Braydon was in his. So what was his hang-up?
    Simple. It was fear. Fear of regretting life choices like his parents had.
    Braydon’s spine itched with the uncomfortable truth. He washed it away with a long draw of his beer. He wasn’t thinking about what he was afraid of— Danica , a taunting voice in his head whispered.
    No. He couldn’t possibly be afraid of Danica Kent or the impossible idea of them having a real relationship.
     
     
    “Does Dad know you’re taking me on a house call?”
    “Are you kidding?” Danica wrapped her arm around Sophie Michaelsen’s shoulders and pulled her close. “This is part of our plan. His to see you succeed. Mine to have you working with me one day.”
    Sophie’s reddish brown, curly ponytail dipped and swayed as she angled her head from side-to-side. “Would you really want me to work with you?”
    Vulnerability hazed the young girl’s voice as her eyes swam with doubt. Only Hauk’s love had been a certainty in Sophie’s life, because as much as she struggled to appear unaffected by her mother’s suicide, it had blown a hole of insecurity into the girl’s heart. A hole Danica wanted to see healed.
    Danica stopped on the lower step leading to the porch and turned Sophie to face her straight on. “I would love to work with you one day. You have a gentle touch. You care about people and want to help in any way you can.”
    “You think I’d be a good nurse?”
    “Yes. Or a doctor.”
    “No. Medical school is too expensive.” Sophie dropped her chin. “Dad couldn’t afford it.”
    Danica lifted Sophie’s chin. “There are scholarships, grants and financial aid. If medical school is what you decide you want, your dad will find a way to make it happen.” Even if I pay part of the way.
    She couldn’t watch another dream wither. “Now, let’s go check on Byron.”
    Like everyone did when visiting Byron, Danica rapped once on the screen door frame before going inside. “Byron,” she called, “I brought my new physician’s assistant.”
    A rapid shuffling, clinking bottles and a muffled curse came from the kitchen at the back of the house. “Back here, chickadee.”
    Suspicion narrowed Danica’s eyes at the weakness compromising Byron’s words. She and Sophie walked through the cheerful home filled with family photos and ivory doilies to match the window sheers. She’d felt at home her first visit, and the feeling grew with each successive one. Her grandparents were gone, but getting to know Byron and Ruth had filled the missing gap.
    “Do me a favor.” Danica leaned close to Sophie and whispered, “When we get in there, be a nosy kid. I want to know what he’s up to back there.”
    Sophie smiled a mischievous smile that said she knew just what to look for—she did live over a