Chapter 9
Emma
The midsummer sun filtered through the windows of Phil’s Diner, brightening the lively scene: a waitress, her apron stained with the day's work, laughed with a regular at the counter, while a family in a booth celebrated a birthday. From the corner jukebox, Taylor Swift's latest song played, drawing a few patrons into a silent sing-along. All seemed right in the world.
But not for Emma.
Each passing second felt like an eternity as she taped the final flier with Riley’s face onto the diner’s door. She glanced at the wall clock, where every tick seemed to amplify the void left by his absence. Taking a deep breath, she let the aroma of roasted coffee beans offer a fleeting distraction from her troubled thoughts. As the comforting scent faded, Emma slipped into an empty booth and pulled out her phone, hopeful for an update on Riley's whereabouts. But there were no texts or notifications.
Nothing.
Over the past week, the community had rallied around her: neighbors formed search parties, the local radio station and TV channel broadcasted Riley’s story, and several businesses contributed whatever resources they could. Everywhere she went, she was met with sympathetic eyes and gentle reassurances. Though they hadn’t found him, every pat on her back and word of encouragement gave her hope that Riley was still out there, somewhere, waiting to be found.
“How are you holding up, honey?”
Emma looked up at Margie, who had walked over with her notepad. “I’ve had better days. I guess...I just wish I could find him.”
Margie reached out and squeezed her hand. “I know, Emma. Try not to worry. I’m sure he’ll turn up when you least expect it.”
Her shoulders slumped as she nodded. “I hope you’re right.”
“In the meantime, you’ve got to eat. What can I get you?”
Emma skimmed the menu, even though she knew the vegan options by heart. “I’ll take the black bean burger.”
“Good choice. Phil made a fresh batch of them this morning. What do you want for your side?”
She hesitated, her eyes darting between the virtuous side salad and something more exciting that could induce a carb coma. “Some of that vegan mac and cheese would be great.”
“Coming right up.”
As Margie made her way to the kitchen, Emma grabbed her phone, checking her Facebook posts. Just then, Ada Harrison approached her table.
“Hello dear, how are you doing?”
Emma forced a smile. “I’m alright. How are you?”
As the bell above the door chimed, Emma's attention shifted to a stranger approaching the counter, who had a bag of Barking Orders treats in his hand.
“Can I get two turkey wraps to go?”
he asked Margie.
“Sure thing, Luke.”
She smiled at him as she rang up his order.
Ada followed Emma’s gaze and waved. “Luke! Over here! I want you to meet someone.”
As he drew closer, Emma could see Ada hadn’t been exaggerating about his good looks. He stood tall, with a chiseled figure. His piercing blue eyes, framed by his dark brown hair, glowed like a beach bonfire’s embers in the night. A sculpted jawline that contrasted with his full lips only enhanced his striking appearance. Finding herself momentarily lost in his features, she was pulled back by Ada's voice.
“Emma, this is the new neighbor I’ve been going on and on about.”
Ada paused, giving her a playful wink. “Luke Grayson, meet Emma Wright. She was the former owner of your new home.”
Luke smiled, revealing a dazzling set of perfect white teeth. “It’s nice to meet you.”
“Nice to meet you too.”
Emma held out her hand and shook his, smiling back.
“He came all the way down from Chicago,”
Margie said, refilling coffee mugs without missing a beat. Her eyes sparkled as she turned to Luke. “I hope Hadley Cove has enough to offer to keep your handsome-self here.”
Luke chuckled. “Well, I think the big city was what I was trying to get away from. Hadley Cove has been very welcoming so far.”
As the conversation meandered, the murmurs and appreciative looks from the local women didn't go unnoticed, adding a layer of intrigue to their meeting. Even Emma caught herself stealing her own glimpses of him, observing the subtle dance of his eyebrows, rising in bemusement as he gracefully navigated Ada’s relentless questioning.
While voices rose and fell in playful banter, Margie returned to the table, setting down Emma’s black bean burger in front of her. Sensing his discomfort from all the flirting, Emma decided to save him and pointed at the bag of treats in his hand.
“What’s your dog’s name?”
Luke looked at her with an expression of relief on his face. “Oh, I don’t have a dog. These are for a stray that I found curled up on my porch. I’ve been taking care of him for about a week now.”
A rush of excitement edged into Emma's voice. “Does that stray happen to be a golden retriever?”
“Yeah. Sandy-colored male. He had a collar, but no tag. I made a post on the community Facebook page, but it said an admin hadn’t approved it yet.”
Emma pulled off the flier she had taped on the window and handed it to Luke. “Is this him?”
He looked down at the paper, just as surprised. “Yeah! I’m pretty sure that’s him.”
Emma gasped. “Really? You have Riley?”
Luke nodded as he handed back the flier. “Only one way to find out. When can you swing by to pick him up?”
“Do you think I can come over now? Are you busy?”
“No, not at all. I came in to grab some lunch for me and my son, and I’m heading home after that. You’re welcome to come and take him if you’d like.”
“That would be amazing!”
Emma's heart raced with a mixture of hope and excitement. She tried not to let her hopes soar too high, knowing the disappointments of the past week had taken a toll on her. But the possibility of reuniting with her beloved Riley filled her with a quiet optimism.
The conversation reached a natural lull as Margie arrived, perfectly timed, with Luke's wraps in hand. Emma smiled at her apologetically. “If you wouldn’t mind, could I get this to-go? Luke might have found Riley. We’re about to leave.”
“That’s wonderful! See, I told you not to worry, Em. The universe always finds a way to work things out for good people.”
Margie gave her a hug. “Just give me a minute to throw this into a box for you.”
“Thanks Margie. You’re the best.”
Emma looked toward Luke. “Are you parked close by?”
“Yeah, that’s me right across the street.”
He pointed out the window to a large black Range Rover.
“Oh. That’s a nice car you got there.”
She imagined it cost much more than her little Honda Civic.
“Thanks. I bought it before we moved down here. Thought I’d get something durable.”
At that moment, Margie came back with her to-go bag. “Congrats on finding Riley. It’s good to see a smile on your face again.”
“Well, let’s hope it’s him.”
Emma grinned and turned to Luke. “Shall we?”
He held the door open as they stepped outside the diner. “Do you want to follow me? Even though I’m sure you know the way.”
“I think I remember it.”
Emma chuckled. “I’ll see you at the house.”
***
After the short drive, Emma pulled up to the house behind Luke and got out. With restrained eagerness, she stood back, allowing him to unlock the door as anticipation built within her.
When Luke opened the door, the rich smell of the old wooden floor and the subdued sunlight streaming through the curtains enveloped Emma. Though the furniture bore the personal stamp of someone else's life, the essence of the home—her home—still lingered.
“Ah, there he is,”
Luke said as they stepped into the living room.
Emma looked over and saw Riley gnawing on the rug in front of the fireplace. “Riley! That’s a no-no.”
At the sound of her voice, he bounded over and jumped up on his hind legs, attempting to shower her with his canine kisses. She laughed and sank down to her knees, burying her face in his fur.
“Oh, Riley. You scared me. But I can see now you were well taken care of,”
Emma said, looking up to meet Luke's eyes.
Pausing, Luke seemed to consider her words as he scratched the back of his head. "Well, about that—I don’t actually have any dog food for him at the moment. But I picked up these Barking Orders treats earlier. Think he'll like them?".
She smiled. “I don’t think he’ll object to those. Do you have a bowl?”
"Sure do," Luke said, gesturing for her to follow him.
Together, they moved into the kitchen, with Riley trailing behind them. Luke carefully opened the bag and put half the treats into a bowl, then placed it on the ground. Riley dove straight in, gobbling up the treats as his tail whipped back and forth like a pendulum in overdrive.
Emma leaned back against the counter, allowing her gaze to wander around the familiar space.
“Can I get you a cup of coffee?”
Luke asked.
“Only if you’re having one too.”
“Great.”
Luke walked over to the cupboard and pulled out two mugs. “So, you used to live here?”
Emma nodded. “With my husband. It’s a wonderful house, and I spent many happy years here.”
“Why’d you sell it? If you don’t mind me asking.”
He filled up one mug and handed it to her.
“That’s alright. I got divorced a couple months ago. And our lawyers decided it was in our best interest for us to sell the house.”
Luke stopped what he was doing and looked up at her. “I’m sorry. I never would’ve asked if—”
“No, it’s okay, really,”
she assured him. “It’s nice to have someone in town who doesn’t know all my business.”
Luke continued to top off his mug. “Milk or sugar?”
“I’m good. Thanks though.”
Emma took a small sip of the piping hot coffee. “I see you haven’t changed much of anything in the house yet.”
Luke looked around and shrugged. “I’m not sure what I’d change. Maybe a coat of paint in the dining room, but other than that, I’m not really sure.”
Emma's lips curved into a knowing smile. “Yeah. The dining room could definitely use it. It looks exactly how my grandpa left it.”
“Your grandpa?”
Luke asked.
“Yeah. It was his and my grandma’s house. He gifted it to us as a wedding present. After she passed, he wanted to move into something smaller.”
“I'm sorry about your grandma.”
Luke’s eyes met hers. “I know losing someone isn’t ever easy.”
Emma took a moment to soak in his kind words. “Thanks for that. It was years ago though, and we knew it was coming. But I’m alright now.”
Luke gave a small nod, as if acknowledging the gravity of her loss, before breaking into a grin. “Maybe you can solve a mystery for me,”
he said, motioning for her. “Come check this out.”
Emma followed him into the living room and over to the mantel. He pointed to the A + L carving.
“A and L. Who were they?”
“Amelia and Liam,”
she answered. “My grandparents. They were married fifty years before she passed. They met when they were kids.”
“Wow! Fifty years. They sound like me and my wife. We were high school sweethearts.”
“And where’s your wife now?”
she asked.
“Well...”
Luke paused, steadying his breath. “She passed a little over two years ago now. It was cancer. She always wanted to live on the Georgia coast. That’s one of the reasons why we moved down here.”
Emma’s eyes softened as she looked at him. “Luke, I’m so sorry.”
At that moment, a teenage boy descended the stairs. He resembled Luke so much that he could only be his son.
Emma turned to him and smiled. “Hey, I’m Emma.”
Her greeting fell on deaf ears as the boy fixed an icy stare at Luke. Without uttering a word, he spun on his heels, stormed upstairs, and with a resonating bang, shut his bedroom door behind him.
“Excuse me. I’ll be right back.”
Luke took on a serious tone and walked up the steps.
Emma nodded and took a seat in an armchair nearby, her eyes glancing toward the staircase where Luke had disappeared. She could hear the strained voices, muffled but audible, filtering down from the second floor.
“Jeremiah. Open the door.”
Luke's voice carried down the stairs, filling the house with a tense energy.
“Why?”
Jeremiah shouted. “I don’t want to talk to you. You can go back downstairs to your girlfriend!”
Emma flinched at those words. Girlfriend? Oh, poor kid.
“Jeremiah, you come out of this room and apologize right now.”
Emma clasped her hands together. Luke’s trying. He really is. Maybe that's the best any parent can do: try, fail, apologize, and try again. She felt a strange ache for both of them, a knot of empathy and sadness.
The door swung open. “We just got here and you’re already bringing another woman home. Have you forgotten about her completely?”
“Of course I haven’t! And lower your voice. Why don’t you come down here and meet—”
“No! You think some stranger can just waltz in and take her place? She was better than you...I wish it was you who died. Not her!”
Jeremiah’s words were a gut punch, even from a distance.
The door upstairs slammed with a force that seemed to echo throughout the house, shaking the windowpanes. Time to go. Emma looked at Riley, who had trotted back in after finishing his treats, and sat next to her. He seemed as unsettled as she felt, as if sensing that the moment for a graceful exit had arrived.
Luke reappeared, his face taut but controlled. “I’m sorry you had to hear that.”
“Oh, it’s alright,”
Emma said. “I was just leaving anyway...I have to get home.”
“I’ll walk you out.”
Luke followed her outside and over to her car, where he opened the passenger door. Emma guided Riley inside, then turned toward Luke.
“He didn’t mean it, you know. He’s still hurting from losing his mom.”
Luke shifted his gaze to the ground. "I wish I could believe that as easily as you do."
“I work as a substitute teacher at the high school. I’ve seen kids his age throw tantrums and say all sorts of things they don’t mean because they don’t know how to manage their emotions.”
Letting out a heavy sigh, Luke ran his fingers through his hair. “I'm struggling, Emma. I've tried every expert tip I could find, read books, consulted therapists. I still go to therapy, but Jeremiah refuses to join me. We moved here thinking it would be a new beginning. Now I'm wondering if it was just a huge mistake...”
His eyes drifted to some distant point, as if grappling with the weight of his choices. “Sorry if that was too much.”
“It’s not too much, Luke. And don’t be so hard on yourself.”
Emma reached over, placing her hand on his arm. “I think the best thing you can do right now is to be patient and understanding with him. He’ll come around on his own time.”
“I hope so. It’s nice to hear there’s light at the end of the tunnel.”
“There usually is.”
Emma said, opening the driver-side door. “Thanks again for looking out for my sweet boy. I’ll see you around.”
“Anytime. See you later.”
Emma climbed into her car and pulled away from the home she once knew so well. Watching him in the rearview mirror as he sauntered back inside, she felt a mixture of sadness and relief. Although she missed that house, she found comfort in knowing someone like Luke had moved into it—someone she believed would take good care of it. Afterall, he had cared for Riley when he didn’t have to.
As she drove through the winding roads that led her back to her own life, her thoughts were a swirl of past and future, of what-ifs and maybes. I wonder if I’ll ever see him again.
The thought stirred a sense of guilt within her, although Chad was the one who had betrayed their vows. She reassured herself that it was perfectly acceptable to entertain such musings now that she was divorced. And so, with a tender smile, she dismissed it as nothing more than a gentle crush.
When she pulled into her driveway, she sighed deeply, as if releasing the accumulated tension of the day. She shifted the car into park and looked back at her beloved companion, their eyes meeting in a moment of silent understanding. “Riley, you gave your momma a big scare. I’m never letting you out of my sight again.”
He tilted his head, as if contemplating her words, then let out a bark.
“Okay boy, we can go inside.”