Chapter 16
Chapter Sixteen
Maybe it wasn’t so bad being a loser.
Emma sat at a high-top for two, tucked in the corner near the window at Dockside Pizza Company.
She and Luke had scored the last empty table in the packed restaurant.
Today’s scavenger hunt for grown-ups hadn’t gone her way.
Not at all. But she kind of didn’t care.
Because as laughter and conversation swirled around her, warm and unrestrained, for the first time since she’d arrived in Alaska, it felt like she belonged.
She didn’t feel like an outsider anymore, the girl who left Redemption and came back with too much baggage in tow.
Tonight, she felt like herself. Not the daughter of a swindler, not the girl whose fiancé cheated on her, and not the owner of a house that seemed almost uninhabitable. Just Emma.
Across the room, Chloe stood on a chair by the air hockey table and held up a gift basket filled with donated merchandise from local businesses.
She grinned as the scavenger-hunt winner, some guy Emma didn’t recognize, pretended to bow toward Chloe.
The crowd erupted into cheers. Plastic drink cups clinked against each other, and Emma couldn’t help but reach for her own diet pop.
Luke sat across from her, leaning back against the wall, arms crossed and a smile on his lips. He looked too good tonight—his dark hair tousled, his flannel rolled up at the elbows—comfortable and effortlessly handsome.
“The guy’s only been here, like, two days,” Luke said. “How’d he pull off a victory?”
“But he won fair and square,” she teased, pinning him with a long look. “You’re just bitter because you didn’t win.”
“Bitter?” He spread his palm across his chest, feigning offense. “Me? Never.”
“Sure, that’s why you’ve been pouting since they announced his name.”
“I don’t pout,” he said, but the twitch in his mouth betrayed him.
“You are totally pouting,” she said. “Admit it, Luke McGuire. You wanted to win that scavenger hunt just for the free mani-pedi.”
“Maybe,” he said, his voice dropping a little lower, just enough to send a tiny thrill dancing along her spine. “But I think I’m handling the crushing disappointment pretty well.”
“Debatable,” she said, but her heart wasn’t really in the banter.
How could it be when he looked at her like that?
Like she was the only person in the room worth paying attention to?
She glanced away, pretending to watch the winner pose for a photo, holding the basket.
The truth was, Luke’s gaze had her feeling too warm and too seen, and she wasn’t sure what to do with these feelings.
“I’m glad you came tonight,” Luke said. “You look happy. Even happier than today when you were hiding eggs from little kids.”
Smiling, she swiveled in her chair. “It’s nice, you know, not feeling like the town pariah for once.”
“Pariah?” His brow furrowed. “That’s a little harsh, don’t you think?”
“Ha! Um, excuse me, but just two short weeks ago, I walked in here and I’m pretty sure I overheard some guy at the bar telling everyone I was just here to steal their money like my father did.”
Luke winced and reached for his drink. “That was probably Joe, and he says a lot of things he shouldn’t. I’m sorry that happened.”
“It’s fine. I’m over it.” She sipped the last of her drink through the straw, then set her plastic cup down on the varnished table. “It’s nice not having everyone whisper about me for a change.”
“Trust me,” Luke said. “The only thing anyone’s whispering about tonight is how you completely crushed that egg toss earlier.”
She laughed. “You’re just jealous that I have better aim than you.”
“Not jealous,” he said, plating another slice of Canadian bacon and pineapple pizza, his mouth curving into a slow grin. “Simply impressed.”
And there it was again, that look—that quiet, steady way he had of focusing on her.
As if nothing else mattered. Her heart stuttered.
Her engagement to Nathan ended less than three days ago, and she’d barely begun to untangle the mess of who she was and what she wanted.
Jumping into something with Luke—someone who had once meant so much to her—felt reckless.
But then he smiled at her, and all the reasons she should keep her distance faded. Vanished.
“So,” he said, “are you going to make your big Redemption comeback? Eliminating sea lions, uncovering gold treasure—what’s next? Headlining the egg-toss circuit?”
“I don’t know. I’ll have to see what fits into my busy schedule.”
“Busy, huh?” He tipped his head to one side. “Too busy for a Ms. Pac-Man rematch?”
“Are you asking because you want to lose to me again?”
He laughed, and goosebumps skated across her skin.
“There you go, assuming that I’m gonna lose.”
“Am I wrong?”
He shook his head, his grin widening, but he didn’t answer. Instead, he held her gaze for longer than necessary.
The noise in the crowded restaurant faded into the background, and just like that, the playful energy between them shifted, became heavier. Charged. It was stupid how much she wanted him to kiss her, stupid how her heart raced just sitting this close to him.
Before she could think too hard about it, someone called Luke’s name from across the room. He turned. His brother Tate. His expression pinched, and she blew out a breath.
“I should probably go,” she said, feeling a bit unsteady.
“Emma—”
She didn’t let him finish. Whatever he needed to say, she wasn’t ready to hear it. “Thanks for the pizza.” She flashed him a quick smile. “I’ll see you around, okay?”
She didn’t wait for his response. Instead, she yanked her coat off the back of her stool, grabbed her purse, and worked her way toward the door, her pulse pounding in her ears.
She needed air and space to think. Because if she didn’t leave now, she wasn’t sure she’d be able to stop herself from making another reckless decision.
And this time, she wasn’t sure her heart would survive it.
“Emma, wait.”
She had barely stepped onto the sidewalk outside when Luke’s voice cut through the night, firm but quiet. She froze, then turned as she heard his footsteps behind her.
“I just need to pay,” he said. “Wait for me?”
His eyes roamed her face. It wasn’t a question—not really. He knew she’d wait. She swallowed hard, then nodded.
Minutes later, he was back, walking beside her. “Let me give you a ride.”
“Okay.”
“I’m parked over here.” He pointed to his truck, sitting across the street, facing the harbor. He unlocked it and she climbed in, then buckled up for the short drive back to Lainey’s bed and breakfast.
The air inside the truck was thick and charged, the space between them suddenly feeling way too small. The engine rumbled to life and neither of them spoke.
“I didn’t expect to see you having so much fun today,” Luke said, his voice quiet.
Emma turned her head, meeting his gaze in the dim glow from the dashboard.
“Yeah, I really just wanted to keep my word and help out.”
His fingers flexed on the steering wheel. “It was good to see you smiling, laughing, hanging out.”
Her chest squeezed. “I guess I had a good reason to.”
“Yeah.”
Something unreadable flickered in his expression. What was it? She forced herself to look away.
“Emma.”
The way he said her name—low and rough—sent her heart into orbit. She didn’t turn, didn’t look at him, because if she did, she wasn’t sure she’d be able to hold on to her resolve. Instead, she let out a nervous laugh.
“You’re making it really hard not to think about the past, you know that?”
“I know.”
Frustration twisted inside her. “And yet, you’re still giving me all this space.”
He shifted into Reverse, pulled out of the parking spot, and drove down the road, easing to a stop at the intersection.
“Giving you space because you need it.”
She turned in her seat and faced him, her chest tight. “Do I?”
The question hung in the air between them. Luke’s jaw clenched. Of course he didn’t answer her. Because he was Luke—steady, careful, patient. The exact opposite of what she wanted right now.
They rode in silence up the hill to Lainey’s house. He parked but left the engine running. Before she could say something she’d regret, she unbuckled her seat belt, pushed open the door, and stepped out into the cold night air.
His boots thumped against the steps as he followed her onto the porch. She turned to tell him good night. He was standing way too close. The space between them disappeared. Her pulse thundered. This was it. If he kissed her now, she wouldn’t stop him. She wouldn’t even try.
He lifted a hand, like he might cup his palm against her cheek. She leaned closer, stopped breathing just for a second.
Then he shoved his hand into his pocket.
The moment shattered. A sharp pang sliced through her.
“Good night,” he said.
She swallowed past the ache in her throat and forced a smile. “Thanks for the ride. Good night.”
Then she turned away and reached for the door.
The porch light cast a warm glow across the faded welcome mat.
But she didn’t go inside. No, this wasn’t how the night was going to end.
Not with another almost. Her breath caught.
Maybe she wasn’t ready. But if she didn’t take this opportunity now, she might regret it.
And she was tired of living with regrets.
She whirled around, adrenaline pulsing through her veins. “Luke.”
He was already halfway to his truck, broad shoulders hunched.
“Please stop.”
He turned slowly. She launched herself off the porch, then raced toward him, clumps of snow spraying up from under her boots and spattering her jeans.
His brows knit together, his face half illuminated in the silver-blue glow from the security lights at the edge of Lainey’s property. “What’s go—”