Chapter 35
Emma
It had been nearly a month since Luke had come to her cottage, and since she’d told him to go away. Ending the relationship with the man she loved was as heartbreaking as she had imagined. Although her words to him had been cold and blunt, she sobbed the entire rest of the week behind closed doors. Part of her wanted him to stay and bang down the door to tell her it wasn’t over between them. But she knew that would’ve been wrong and only would have made things more difficult. She missed him with every ounce of her soul but took comfort in knowing she was doing the best thing for Luke and Jeremiah. Or at least, that’s what she told herself.
Emma eventually reached out to her friends again, telling them she had ended things with Luke and asked them politely not to bring it up again. Lisa and Kara respected her wishes, even though she knew Lisa was dying to ask for more details every time she saw her. She had even mustered up the courage to go back to her job at Hadley Cove High sooner than anyone expected. Principal Kennedy offered her extended time off, but she declined. After all, she did have bills to pay, and her Barking Orders business didn’t have the financial stability to fund itself.
Getting back to normalcy at school was much easier than the stories she had told herself. At first, there were a few snickers coming from the students, but that soon disappeared when they found some new piece of gossip to talk about. Emma was back to being plain ole Ms. Wright, a role she was quite okay with.
During one of her tutoring sessions, she took note of the empty seat Jeremiah usually occupied. She wondered if the month-long suspension he received from Principal Kennedy had been too harsh. Although what Jeremiah had done was inexcusable, she still had a soft spot for him. Emma only hoped his time at home would give him and Luke the space to rebuild their relationship.
After work, her time was spent distracting herself, as best she could, from thinking of Luke. Since Emma had finished bingeing the backlog of shows on Netflix on her to-watch list, she threw herself into other activities, like tennis at the rec center and joining her favorite author’s online book club.
But even after she’d had a long, active day, she would often find herself lying in bed and scrolling through the photo album on her phone she had named, “Since the Day We Danced.”
It was all of their memories together. Those photos held so much love, joy, and all the possibilities that life gives to us, if we’re brave enough to live again. Emma knew she should probably delete them but didn’t have the heart to do so yet.
And then, right before she would fall asleep, she’d read all the old text messages Luke had sent her, starting from the very first ones up until her birthday. Emma thought about him and how he was doing, and wondered if he missed her as much as she missed him. If he didn’t, she couldn’t blame him. The way she ended things had been harsh. It was a complicated situation, one that she never asked for. She had an impossible choice to make. Should she continue seeing the man of her dreams, even if it meant standing in the way of his relationship with his son? Or miss out on her second chance at love? There was no winning for anyone. To Emma, it was natural to defer her happiness for the sake of others. She had done this many times over the years, especially for Chad.
Some days, Emma struggled to keep her emotions in check, as everything reminded her of Luke: the memories at Phil’s Diner, the sound of the crashing waves on the beach, and even Riley. A thousand times Emma had typed out a text to him, deleted it, and retyped it, but never hit the send button. Although her heart pressed her to reach out to him, she knew a clean break was the only way forward for both of them, no matter how difficult it seemed.
Emma’s life went on, waking up every morning and spending time with Riley before heading to school or working on her dog treat business. Mrs. Anderson had returned from her maternity leave, so Emma was back to being part-time at school. It was nice to have a little extra time to focus on growing Barking Orders. Over the past few weeks, she’d even picked up two new stores that wanted to sell her dog treats. Things were looking up for her, at least on the business front.
***
One morning, after getting back from a long walk with Riley, Emma took a shower and cooked breakfast. While sipping down her coffee, she realized she didn’t have anything to do once all of her morning tasks were completed. She didn’t have to be at school and was caught up on all of her deliveries for Barking Orders. It looked like she would have the day to herself.
Emma decided to start with a deep cleaning of the cottage. But, because the space was so small, she was done in only two hours. She still had half of the day to fill and didn’t want to lounge on the couch and binge Netflix until the sun went down. She had done enough of that in the past month to last a lifetime.
Emma had to find something else to do; otherwise, she’d sit and think about Luke, which was the last thing she needed. It had been some time since she’d visited with her grandfather, so she gave him a call to catch up.
“Hello?”
“Hey, Grandpa. How are you doing today?”
“Oh, I’m fine,”
Liam said. “Although my knee’s acting up, so that means it’ll probably rain later.”
“Are you busy today?”
Emma asked, hoping he didn’t have any plans.
“Me? Busy? Not at all. I was just getting ready to eat.”
“How about I come over and make some lunch for you?”
Emma suggested. “I can bring Riley with me too, since it’s been a while since you’ve seen him.”
“Well, that sounds like a real treat, sweetheart. I’d love to have you two over.”
“Wonderful. We’ll be over soon.”
Emma’s heart swelled with gratitude as she hung up the phone. She was blessed to have Liam in her life, even though they didn’t spend much time together anymore. The weekly rides to the animal rescue hardly counted as quality time. It dawned on her that Liam wasn’t getting any younger, and she needed to make more of an effort to spend time with him. As she gazed out the window, she realized that life was too short to take loved ones for granted.
Emma stepped into her quaint kitchen and scanned the pantry and fridge, gathering ingredients for lunch and put them all in a canvas bag. After grabbing Riley’s leash and some dog treats for later, she loaded her car and drove across town to her grandfather’s little house on the water. It was even smaller than her place, but Liam didn’t need much. After her grandmother’s passing several years ago, Liam adapted to a quiet, simple life, full of volunteering at the rescue every week and soaking up ocean views from his dock.
She pulled up in front of his house and let Riley out of the car. He ran up to Liam’s door and started scratching and whining, knowing where he was. Liam opened the door and greeted Riley with some pats on his head. Emma grabbed her bag from the car and walked over to join them.
“Hi, pumpkin.”
Liam kissed her on the cheek. “This is a pleasant surprise.”
Emma leaned in, giving him a hug. “I figured I was past due for a visit.”
“Well, come on in.”
Liam held the door open for her and Riley.
“How do you feel about soup and sandwiches?”
Emma asked, holding up her bag. “Since it’s getting chilly, I thought it might be a good day for something warm.”
“That sounds great, Em.”
She walked into his kitchen and set her bags on the counter, then got to work. Since she was the one who had helped Liam move in here after he left the house on Muscadine Drive, she already knew where everything was. Emma chopped everything up for tomato basil soup and threw it into a pot to simmer. Once it was finished, she made a few vegan grilled cheese sandwiches and poured the soup into a bowl. After she set the table, she walked into the next room to find Liam playing tug of war with Riley on a piece of rope.
“Lunch is ready, Grandpa.”
Liam stood up and clasped his hands together. “Wonderful. It smells delicious, Em.”
As they sat down at the kitchen table and ate, Liam looked up at her. “So, how are things with you and Luke?”
Emma let out a heavy sigh, accepting that she couldn’t delay sharing the news any longer. It wasn’t that she was unwilling to confide in Liam; she didn’t want to burden him with her emotional baggage. Liam had been her rock since her mother’s passing and had an uncanny ability to make her feel safe and secure. Emma knew that she could always count on him to be there for her. She dreaded the thought of breaking down in front of him again, especially over something she couldn’t change. With a deep breath, she mustered up the courage to look into his kind eyes and spoke.
“We’ve ended things, Grandpa. It’s for the best.”
Liam frowned. “The best for who, Emma? I thought he made you happy.”
“He did, but that’s not the point. I had to break up with him.”
Liam reached over and placed his hand over hers, giving it a gentle squeeze. “And how did you come to that decision, sweetheart?”
Tears formed in Emma’s eyes as she spoke. “Because I don’t want to come between Luke and his son. I didn’t have a father growing up and I don’t want to be the reason Jeremiah feels the same.”
Liam scooted his chair over to Emma and pulled her into a hug. “Hey, I’ve got an idea. I think that rain might hold off for a while...why don’t we take the boat out and ride around the cove?”
Emma nodded, leaning back to give him a watery smile. “That sounds nice.”
After finishing lunch, they headed out to the small motorboat parked next to the dock. Riley ran ahead and climbed in, followed by Emma, then Liam. She was thankful he hadn’t pushed her to talk more about Luke, or tried to convince her she was overreacting.
They rode along the coast and up to the marsh through the waterways up to Bridwell Bay. Emma remembered how much she used to love going out on her grandfather’s boat in the fall when she was younger, and how Amelia would wait on the dock to bundle her up in blankets as soon as she stepped off.
They cruised the water until the early evening and headed back after seeing the golden light of the sun disappear behind some dark clouds moving their way. It had begun to rain as they pulled up to Liam’s dock.
“Since you made me lunch, how about I make you dinner?”
Liam asked, as they hustled across the yard to the door and walked inside.
Emma grabbed the throw off the back of his couch and wrapped herself in it as her teeth chattered. “That sounds good.”
Liam had a way of knowing exactly what Emma needed. As she walked into the kitchen, she caught a whiff of something delicious cooking on the griddle. It was the same smell that used to fill the house when her grandmother Amelia was alive, and it instantly made her feel warm and comforted. Liam had made blueberry pancakes, like Amelia used to make for her when she was a child. Emma smiled, grateful for the small moment of happiness that Liam had brought into her life.
“Have a seat,”
Liam said. “Now I know these aren’t as good as your grandmother used to make, but I think they’re still edible.”
“They look great, Grandpa. I don’t think anyone makes them as good as she did.”
“And no one ever will.”
Liam gave her a wink and fixed each of them a plate before walking over to the table.
As they ate, he tore a piece of one of his pancakes while he thought Emma wasn’t looking and fed it to Riley.
“Don’t tell your momma,”
he whispered behind his hand.
Emma let out a small laugh as she wiped syrup from the edge of her lip. Liam spoiled Riley as if he was one of his grandkids too.
“How’s your dog treat business doing?”
Liam asked.
“Really great,”
Emma said. “My orders have doubled over the last month.”
“That’s incredible, dear. If you need any help I could come and help you bake, Em. I am retired you know.”
“That’s nice of you to offer, but you’ve done enough for me throughout the years. I’ll think about it though.”
“Well, I’d do anything for you, sweetheart. You are my favorite granddaughter.”
Emma burst into laughter, shooting her hand up to cover her mouth. “I’m your only granddaughter. But I guess that does have its perks.”
After dinner was finished and they cleaned up, Emma decided it was time for her and Riley to hit the road. As they walked to the door, Liam pulled her aside, his eyes brimming with concern. “Emma, Luke is the love of your life. And if you truly love him, you should be happy with him. Everything else will work itself out. Don’t let the fear of the unknown hold you back.”
Emma felt a lump form in her throat as she looked at Liam, her heart heavy with emotion. “I don’t know, Grandpa. I do still love him, but it just feels impossible.”
Liam placed a comforting hand on Emma’s shoulder, his eyes full of understanding. “I know it’s scary, Emma. But love is always a risk. It takes courage to put yourself out there, to take that leap of faith. But I truly believe that if you and Luke are meant to be together, everything else will fall into place.”
Emma took a deep breath, a sense of calm washing over her. “Thank you, Grandpa. You always know what to say.”
She hugged Liam and kissed him on the cheek, promising to visit again soon. Liam opened the door for Emma and Riley and lingered there, waving goodbye until their car disappeared into the misty afternoon gloom.
As Emma drove away, Liam’s words echoed in her mind. Yes, being with Luke was all she wanted, but at what cost? The thought of causing pain to others, especially his son, made her stomach churn with guilt. Emma remembered how she had felt growing up without a father and didn’t want to stand in the way of Jeremiah and Luke’s relationship. She knew firsthand the pain that came with a broken family, and her conscious wouldn’t allow her to be the cause of any more heartache.
For a moment, Emma considered the possibility of following her heart and trusting that everything else would work itself out.
But the voice of reason in her mind kept reminding her that she couldn’t be so impulsive. Lives were at stake and no matter how much she wanted to be with Luke, she had to do what was best for Jeremiah.
And so, with a heavy heart, she decided to stay the course and find a way to live without Luke in her life, even though it felt like losing a part of herself.
It wouldn’t be easy, but she was determined to do what was right no matter how difficult it might be.