Chapter 5 #2
She meant the house, the storm, the sea lions, the way her chest felt like it had been hollowed out the second she saw those animals taking over.
Luke stretched out his legs, crossing them at the ankles on the floor beside the table.
His jaw was set, but his eyes were gorgeous, a shade of cornflower that reminded her of her favorite crayon from childhood.
“Yeah, I guess it’s hard to know what to expect when you haven’t been back in, what did you say, ten years?”
The accusation hovered there, just beneath the surface, sharp as a fishing hook. Emma looked away. The rain blurred the world outside the window, but she didn’t need to see the house or the shoreline to remember.
“I had to leave,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper. “My father was in prison, and my mother couldn’t leave town fast enough. What else was I supposed to do?”
Luke slid his cocoa closer, watching her.
“Like I said, I came back once for Abbie’s wedding.” She forced a shrug, trying for indifference. “But that just confirmed what I already suspected.”
His brows scrunched together. “What’s that?”
“That the life we’d dreamed about was just a dream. None of it was going to happen.”
The moment the words left her lips, she wanted to take them back. Luke’s expression barely changed, but something in his eyes darkened.
“Just a dream, huh?”
Emma’s chest squeezed. “I-I didn’t mean—”
“Don’t try to smooth it over, Emma.” His voice was flat, but the wound was there, fresh and raw.
Guilt twisted her insides. “I was fifteen, Luke. I didn’t have a choice.”
His gaze burned into her. “But you had a choice when you turned eighteen. Or twenty-two. Or thirty.”
She looked away. The silence between them stretched, thick with things she probably should’ve said a long time ago.
She dragged her gaze to meet his. “I wanted to come back. You have to believe me. I begged my aunt and my mother to help me. Pitched three different scenarios, including living with Abbie. But they refused, so I stopped asking.”
Hesitating, she glanced down at her cocoa, turning the mug in a slow circle. “And for the record, I looked for you at Abbie’s wedding. Hoped that we’d reconnect. But you didn’t come, and people said terrible things to me about my father, so—”
“So that’s when you killed off any hope of us?”
His words landed like a slap. Sharp and unexpected.
A cold knot tightened beneath her ribs. Heat flooded her face as she leaned forward, propping her elbows on the table.
“You weren’t here. And by the way, in all the years I’ve been away, you never once reached out.
Never tried to visit me. I don’t expect you to feel sorry for me, but my mother moved on and my dad went to prison.
There’s only so long a girl can wait, you know?
Eventually Boston, well, it felt like I’d been granted a fresh start—a place where people weren’t constantly telling me how awful my father was. ”
Luke took a sip of his cocoa, then set the cup down. “Does he know?”
She blinked, then met his gaze again. “What?”
“Your fiancé. Does he know what this place means to you, and what you left behind?”
She looked away. “He knows enough.”
“Huh. Interesting.”
Then he pushed to his feet, set his unfinished cocoa in the sink, and grabbed his coat from the hook near the door.
“We should get back,” he said, his hand already on the doorknob. “I can probably get us through this.”
Seriously? She stared after him as he left the cabin.
She’d poured her heart out, defended herself, and all he wanted to know was what Nathan thought?
Clutching her mug of unfinished cocoa, she stared out the window, speckled with a steady stream of raindrops.
She hadn’t come to Redemption to dredge up the past. But here they were, wading through it.
Her heart pinched. Maybe Luke didn’t want her apologies.
Maybe he just wanted the years back. The ones she couldn’t return.
Man, he owed Emma an apology.
Luke scrubbed his hand over his jaw, then slid his breakfast dishes into the dishwasher.
He’d said too much yesterday. Or maybe not enough.
Either way, the tone and the weight behind his words weren’t okay.
And he had no business behaving like he was the only one who’d had to deal with disappointment.
He’d been young when she left. Seventeen and thought he knew it all—so certain that he’d love her forever. And that she’d find her way back.
Except she hadn’t.
She’d gone on with her life. Made choices that didn’t include him. And somehow a twisted selfish part of him still expected her to apologize.
Oy.
“You’ve got to do better, McGuire,” he whispered, grabbing his jacket and putting it on as he strode toward the front door.
Ethan stepped inside, stomping snow from his boots. “Good morning. Where you headed?”
Luke stepped behind the front desk and plucked his keys from the basket beside the computer. “Driving Emma out toward her old house. We tried to get closer with Cal’s boat yesterday, but it didn’t work out. Figured we’d try hiking in.”
Ethan’s eyebrows shot up. “You’re hiking in? That’s a commitment.”
“She needs help.”
Ethan’s expression tightened as he leaned both elbows on the counter. “She needs a lot of things, Luke. You sure you want to be one of them?”
Warmth crept up Luke’s neck. “It’s not really your call, is it?”
Ethan’s gaze didn’t waver. “You’re right. It’s not. But I remember what it was like when she left. You were a mess.”
“I was seventeen.” Luke pocketed his phone and his keys. “Cut me some slack.”
“Just don’t let her wreck you again, all right?”
Luke managed a dry laugh. “Noted. Tell Tisha, Brody, and Sadie I said hey.”
Outside, cold air nipped at him and fresh snow crunched under his boots.
Blaming others who left Redemption when he’d chosen to come back wasn’t right.
Or fair. His resentment was on him. But it was easier to focus on Emma’s leaving and not coming back than to admit the truth: Even though almost twenty years had passed, part of him still hoped she’d look at him and want what he wanted.
Even if she was engaged to someone else.
A few minutes later, Luke pulled up in front of the bed and breakfast. The familiar porch railings were strung with white lights, glowing softly in the morning fog.
Before he could get out and knock, Emma emerged, her curls twisted into two neat braids.
She wore a blue anorak, rubber boots, and a plaid button-down over skinny jeans.
“Hey.” She climbed into the truck, then slammed the door.
“Good morning,” he said, his voice steady though his chest felt tight. He gestured toward the plastic shopping bag she held. “What’s that?”
“Lainey offered some snacks and water.” She shook the bag lightly, her smile small but genuine.
“Cool.” He took it from her and stashed it behind the seat.
“What’s going on at the resort today?”
“Not much, sadly.” He hesitated with one hand on the gearshift. “We’re struggling.”
“Sorry to hear that.” She reached for her seat belt. “If you need to be doing other things today, please don’t feel obligated to help me. I can find someone else.”
“I’ll make time.”
She tossed him a look he couldn’t quite read.
Oh brother. His mouth ran dry. Letting go of the gearshift, he raked his hand through his hair. “Emma, listen. About yesterday. I’m sorry.”
She grew still. “For what?”
“For my bad attitude. For implying that you leaving was somehow your fault.” He rubbed his clammy palms on his jeans. “I’m sorry that I didn’t…try harder.”
Tears welled, clinging to her lashes. She blinked them away. “I’m sorry too.”
He looked away, his pulse hammering. Ethan was right. She had wrecked him when she’d left. Cleaved his heart wide open. And he couldn’t go back there. Not again. He’d spent far too long dragging that hurt around.
He shifted into drive. “Let’s see if the sea lions are in a better mood today.”
The truck rumbled down the hill, cutting through town. Luke gestured toward the diner. “That’s where Ethan’s girlfriend, Tisha, works part-time. She has a cute little girl named Sadie, who loves to give my nephew Brody a run for his money. I’m guessing Ethan and Tisha will get married before long.”
“Good for them,” she said. “How’s Tate?”
“High-strung and following all the rules, as usual. He’s piloting tankers and cruise ships now.”
Emma laughed, the sound warm and familiar. “That’s fitting. Good for Safety Patrol.”
Luke grinned. “Man, he hated that nickname. No wife and kids for him yet. Just a golden-doodle puppy that’s more high-maintenance than he is.”
“And your sisters?”
“Caroline’s in Colorado. She’s finishing her PA program. We’re hoping she’ll move back here and work at the clinic when she’s done. Dr. Wallace says he wants to retire.”
“I can’t believe he’s still seeing patients,” Emma said.
Luke’s hands tightened on the steering wheel.
“How’s Megan?”
He hesitated. “Megan’s…a situation. I don’t want to get into it right now.”
“What’s the matter?” Emma turned toward him, her eyes searching his face.
“Emma, I really can’t. It’s not my story to tell.”
Sunlight pierced through the clouds, reflecting off the hardware store’s new metal roof. Luke fumbled in the console for his sunglasses, trying to ignore the knot in his chest.
“What about you, Luke?” Her voice was quiet now. “Are you seeing someone?”
He glanced over at her, holding her gaze a beat too long. “No.”
The word echoed in the cab.