Chapter 40
Luke
The scent of Emma’s hair lingered, wafting up from his shirt as he entered the supermarket. His thoughts were consumed by her and the seamless way she nestled into his arms as though they were designed just for her. He didn’t want to leave Emma, especially knowing she was in so much distress.
The hum of an air-conditioning unit mixed with the chatter of shoppers wasn’t loud enough to cover the constant chime of the store’s bells. It was crowded and Luke didn’t intend to stay longer than he had to. Moving with purpose, he darted through the aisles, searching for the calculator.
When Luke arrived at the office supply aisle, he dug into his pocket for the little slip of paper with the model number written on it. He scanned through several of the calculators until finally spotting the one he needed and headed toward the front of the store.
While he stood in the checkout line, his eyes drifted toward the window, wondering if Emma was still there. At that moment, Lisa’s car pulled up and Emma hopped in. Luke sighed, wishing he was the one driving her home, although he knew it was better for Lisa to do it. If they had gone together, the car ride would most likely have ended with him begging Emma to give them another chance.
“Cash or card?”
Luke turned to the cashier, clueless of what she had said. “Pardon?”
“Cash or card?”
she repeated, with a hint of annoyance in her tone.
“Card,”
Luke replied quickly, hoping he hadn’t been holding the line up for long. He paid, grabbed the bag, and walked outside to his car.
The pale-yellow light of the sun washed over Luke’s face as he turned out of the parking lot to head home. Pulling up to the next stoplight, he remembered the conversation he had with Jeremiah. “Shoot, I knew I forgot something.”
He was supposed to pick up subs for dinner.
Luke made a U-turn and drove a few blocks over to the deli across the street from the courthouse. When he walked inside, an older man, who appeared to be the only staff in the building, greeted him with a welcoming smile.
“Let me know when you’re ready,”
the man said, washing his hands and then putting on a pair of gloves.
Luke placed his order, then walked a few steps over to the register. As he waited, he pulled out his phone and texted Jeremiah, letting him know he was just now picking up the food and would be home soon.
After Luke pressed the send button, he spotted an unopened notification from around the time he and Emma had their first kiss. It was a photo album she had shared with him entitled Since the Day We Danced. The album was a chronicle of their romance, and as he scrolled through the images, his heart was filled with bittersweet memories of their time together.
But it was one particular photo that caught his eye—a snapshot of the two of them dancing in Emma’s yard as Riley looked back at the camera. Luke remembered how difficult it was to prop her phone up against the Range Rover because of the wind and how she’d come up with the ingenious idea of using a Bluetooth remote to take the shot.
Together, they had clasped their hands tightly around the remote, and as they squeezed their fingers together, the camera had captured a perfect moment. The image was bathed in the warm, golden colors of a setting sun, illuminating Emma’s charming cottage and Riley’s infectious smile. But more than anything, it captured what it felt like to be in love again.
As Luke gazed at the photo, he was overwhelmed by the flood of emotions that coursed through him. All at once his heart was warmed and was crushed by anguish, realizing those moments were over forever.
He knew it would be best to remove the album from his phone, as those photos would only keep him in the past when he needed to move forward. Perhaps it was time to move on, he thought to himself. As he moved his finger to the top right corner of his phone to delete the album, an iPhone warning popped up:
Deleting this album will permanently erase all of its contents. Are you sure you want to proceed?
His chest tightened as he let out a deep breath. Although everything around him told him it was over, in his heart, he hadn’t really accepted it. They weren’t just photos to him. They were the evidence that happiness could be found again, even after the most devastating losses. He couldn’t let go of that hope. Not today, at least.
He snapped out of his daze as his order was completed.
“It’s gonna be sixteen thirty-five, sir.”
Luke closed out the photo album and held his phone up to the card reader to pay. The man behind the counter handed over the bag of subs.
“Hope you have a good day, sir.”
Luke gave a single nod, taking the bag. “Thanks, right back at you.”
***
Arriving home, Luke closed the front door behind him and walked into the kitchen.
“Jeremiah! I’ve got dinner!”
Jeremiah came running downstairs. “Great. I’m starving.”
Luke set the subs down at the table before filling two glasses with water, handing one to Jeremiah.
“So, how’s the studying going?”
Luke asked, pulling a chair out to join him at the table.
“It’s been going pretty well,”
Jeremiah said. “I skipped the math portion since I didn’t have the calculator, and I’ve already done English and Science. Next is History.”
“Well, you’ll probably breeze through that section,”
Luke said, unwrapping his sub. “I saw the videos your mom took at your history tournaments. You’re a natural when it comes to that stuff, Jer. Much better than me. I think you get that from your mom. She was always a whiz at trivia nights.”
“Trivia nights?”
Jeremiah asked, stuffing his mouth.
Luke’s face broke into a wide smile. “When we were first married, we used to go to trivia night at this bar down the street from our first apartment. We won a couple of times, all thanks to your mom.”
“She never told me that.”
“That’s surprising. She was so proud every time we won, and she wouldn’t let me forget it was because of her.”
“I didn’t know you used to do stuff like that together.”
“That was back when I wasn’t working so much and actually had time to have a life. We used to have a blast, me and her,”
Luke said, his voice tinged with nostalgia. “But then you came along and ruined all the fun, of course.”
Luke leaned over and ruffled Jeremiah’s hair.
Jeremiah laughed and batted his hand away. “Cut it out! Now you’ve got grease in my hair.”
“I hear it’s good for that.”
Jeremiah rolled his eyes. “Right.”
After dinner, Jeremiah continued working on the study guide in the living room while Luke went to his office to check his email. He was surprised to find one from Mark Whitaker, his boss at the firm. In the email, Mark stated he had recommended Luke for an opportunity in New York City partnering with the biggest client their firm had ever landed. Since Luke had finished the contracts with his previous clients, this would be his only one.
As he read through the details, Luke felt a twinge of hope. Mark had promised him a reasonable schedule, a chance to be home with his son, and the opportunity to start fresh in a new place. The relocation package was generous, including a top-notch school for Jeremiah that would fast-track him to ensure he graduates on time.
Luke was torn as he read through the email. He had moved down to this small coastal town to escape the pressures of his old life, to leave behind the long hours and endless travel that had left him feeling empty and disconnected from his family. But now, with this offer on the table, he couldn’t ignore the pull of his former career.
He leaned back in his chair and reread Mark’s email for the third time. The prospect of having everything taken care of for him and Jeremiah was tempting, to say the least. And Luke couldn’t deny the fact that he and Emma were over, and there was nothing left for him in Hadley Cove.
Although the offer checked all the boxes, he wanted to get Jeremiah’s take on it. Ultimately, he would do whatever it would take to keep their relationship on the right path, be it here in Hadley Cove or New York. After turning off his computer, he stood up and stretched, then walked into the living room.
“Hey, can you take a break from studying for a minute?”
Jeremiah put his pen down. “Sure, what’s up?”
Luke took a seat on the sofa and told Jeremiah about the email he’d received with all the details of the job offer. Once he finished, he looked over at Jeremiah, waiting for him to speak.
“So, what do you think, Jer? How does it sound?”
Jeremiah waited a few moments before replying. “It sounds like it could be good, and I do kinda miss the big city. But Hadley Cove is growing on me. It would be nice to have a fresh start again, though.”
“So, is that a yes from you?”
Luke asked. “I promise I won’t let the job drive us apart.”
Jeremiah sighed and stood up, grabbing his study guide. “I don’t know. You’ve made promises like that before.”
“Well, you got me there. I want to show you things have changed. We still have some time to think about it. Didn’t mean to interrupt your studying. Goodnight, son.”
Luke headed upstairs to the bedroom, deciding he’d hold off on replying to Mark. Jeremiah had every right to have reservations. Luke hadn’t exactly kept his promises before to his son. More than anything, Luke wanted what was best for their future. Lying in bed as his eyes fell heavier, he made mental notes of the pros and cons of taking the offer, weighing each of them carefully. While his focus mostly surrounded his mending relationship with Jeremiah, he couldn’t help but think about the eight hundred miles that would separate him from Emma.
Was he really ready to move on and let go of the woman he loved?