Chapter 12
Luke
Luke glanced at his watch, then called up the stairs. “Jeremiah, come on, we’ve got to go!”
The rescue was only a few miles away, but he didn’t want Jeremiah to be late for his first day of mandated community service.
“Be right there!”
Jeremiah’s voice resonated through the house as he descended the staircase.
“Didn’t mean to yell. Just want you to be on time. That’s all,”
Luke explained as he quickly opened and shut the front door. The rescue was only a few miles away, but he didn’t want Jeremiah to be late for his first day of mandated community service.
On the drive over, Jeremiah didn’t speak a word. Luke suspected he wasn’t excited about doing community service, but hoped that this experience might change his mind.
As they pulled up to the animal rescue, Luke observed the quaint nature of the building with its bright red door and white trim. The architecture was reminiscent of a small cottage with a pitched roof and small windows adorned with flower boxes. A polished brass sign hanging above the entrance featured a silhouette of a cat and a dog engraved with the text, Second Chance Animal Rescue.
Getting out of the car, Luke saw the girl from the Sheriff’s station standing a couple yards away. He glanced over at Jeremiah, thinking he would be thrilled to work with her, especially after he had protected her from her ex-boyfriend. Instead, Jeremiah’s face turned red, and he lowered his head, walking over to Luke.
“I changed my mind. I’d rather do the roadside clean-up,”
Jeremiah whispered.
Luke raised a brow. “What? Why?”
Jeremiah shrugged, avoiding eye contact. “It’s no big deal. I think it might be better for me.”
“It’s too late now. You’re going to be volunteering here today. It’s only a couple of hours, and then you can go back to wallowing in your room.”
Jeremiah stormed off, brushing past him.
Luke walked over to the passenger side to grab the community service form out of the glove compartment before heading inside.
“Here,”
Luke said, holding out the form to Jeremiah. “Don’t forget you need them to sign it after you’re finished.”
Jeremiah snatched it from his hand and handed it to the woman behind the desk. She looked surprised to see him.
“Hey, I think I remember you from the sheriff’s office, right?”
the woman said, looking at Jeremiah.
“Yeah, that was me,”
Jeremiah murmured.
“Thanks again for what you did for my daughter. I’m Kara, by the way. I’ll give you a tour of the rescue, and then we’ll get you started,”
she said, leading the way to the kennels.
Luke flashed a smile at Kara and then directed his attention to Jeremiah. “I’ll pick you up in a few hours, okay?”
Jeremiah didn’t reply, ignoring him completely. Luke sighed and headed back out to the parking lot. As he opened the door, he collided with Emma and an older man who were walking in from the other side.
Emma staggered backward. “Oh, Luke,”
she said, with a ripple of surprise traced across her face. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to run right into you.”
Luke shrugged off the impact with his easy-going charm. “No, no, it’s on me. I should’ve been paying more attention.”
“Well, it doesn’t matter now. What are you doing here?”
Emma asked.
“Dropping off Jeremiah. He’s volunteering today.”
“It’s always good to have new blood around here,”
the older man added.
Emma stepped forward, gesturing between the two. “Luke, this is my grandfather, Liam. Grandpa, this is Luke.”
“Nice to meet you, young man,”
Liam said, adjusting his glasses.
“It’s nice to meet you sir.”
Luke extended his hand, which Liam grasped firmly. “And hopefully, my son doesn’t give you any trouble. We’re both going through a bit of a rough patch at the moment.”
“I’ll look out for him today, don’t you worry.”
Luke offered a grateful nod. “I appreciate that.”
“Sure thing, Luke. And I’ll see you later, kiddo.”
Liam kissed Emma on the top of her head, then went inside.
Now alone with Emma, the air seemed to thicken between them. As their eyes met, Luke exchanged a polite smile with her, searching for the right words to say.
Nothing came to him.
She must think I’m awkward.
After what felt like an eternity, Emma broke the silence. “It’s funny.”
“What is?”
Luke asked, raising his hand to shield his eyes from a sudden ray of sunlight.
“How we keep bumping into each other,”
she remarked, tucking a loose curl behind her ear.
“Well, I guess that’s part of living in a small town, right? So, are you volunteering today?”
A seagull cried out in the distance, its sound mingling with the chatter of other volunteers.
“I suppose that’s true. And yeah, I already did, but only for a couple of hours. I’m about to head out now. I still need to replace the knob on the backdoor. Don’t want Riley getting out again.”
“How’s he doing? Is he getting use to his new home?”
“I think so,”
she answered, tapping a finger to her chin. “He hasn’t destroyed anything yet...I left him behind today, and he didn’t seem to mind.”
“That’s good to hear. It was nice having him around though when I did,”
Luke said, looking into the distance as if remembering the moments. “Reminds me a lot of my childhood dog.”
“Oh really? Was he a golden retriever too?”
Luke shook his head. “No, a husky. His name was Moose.”
“Moose?”
Emma’s brows lifted as her lips curled into an amused smile. “Is there a story behind the name?”
Luke paused, his eyes reminiscing about a distant past. “Yeah, Moose. I was five years old when I named him, and I like to think that I was pretty creative back then. Moose and I used to do everything together. There was a park across the street from my dad’s apartment, and I would walk him around it every day before school. And then again when I’d get home later in the day. He slept at the foot of my bed every night, and always woke me up in the morning by licking my face.”
Emma leaned in. “Aww. Riley does the same thing.”
“I noticed.”
Luke chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck. “Riley’s a special dog. Just like Moose was.”
“I’m glad you think so,”
Emma replied, glancing away momentarily. “Now I’m a little bummed I didn’t bring him with me.”
“Well, that’s okay. So, do you have any plans for the day other than fixing your doorknob?”
“Just driving my grandfather here and then picking him up later.”
Luke glanced toward the horizon, where the cerulean blue of the sea met the sky. A gentle breeze ruffled his hair, carrying the scent of salt and freedom. “Well, how about going for a walk?”
he suggested, pointing vaguely in the direction of the ocean. “I haven’t really explored the beach yet, and maybe we can grab something to eat later. Are you hungry?”
“Sure, I’m down for that. And there’s a secret spot on the beach that the tourists don’t know about. I could show you,”
Emma responded, a playful glint in her eyes.
Luke clapped his hands together. “Let’s do it. Lead the way.”