AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Muted pastels painted the pre-dawn sky as Luke drove through the slumbering streets of Hadley Cove. The only sign of life was at Phil’s Diner, where through the window only one person sat at the counter.
After pulling into the driveway and gently closing the car door, he tiptoed inside, listening for any movement throughout the house.
Silence.
He crept upstairs to his bedroom and closed the door, then walked into the bathroom and started the shower.
As he dunked his head under the hot stream, a knock came on his door.
“Dad, you there?”
Luke hesitated before poking his head out from behind the curtain. Fearing Jeremiah may have heard him come in this morning, his mind raced to find a plausible excuse. “Yeah, what’s up?”
“I gotta leave for school and I need lunch money.”
“Sure, yeah. My wallet is on the bedside table. Take whatever you need from there.”
“Okay. Thanks, Dad.”
That was close.
Luke let out a sigh, thinking if he had only arrived five minutes later, Jeremiah would’ve caught him.
After showering, Luke stepped into his room and got dressed, grabbing his phone from the bedside table. Opening it, he saw Emma had sent him a picture of the bracelet he had given her on her wrist. He replied, complimenting how it looked on her, then set his phone beside his wallet.
Once he finished getting ready for the day, he headed downstairs and made breakfast. He didn’t have any meetings today, so he decided he’d tackle a few projects around the house. Since moving in, Luke had been considering repainting the dining room, but wasn’t sure which color yet. He wondered if he should ask Emma. This used to be her house, after all.
Browsing through paint colors online, his mind drifted to Emma’s dreams of opening her own brick-and-mortar store for her dog treat business. He believed with the right strategy she could truly thrive. Paint color searches shifted to reading articles on small-business startups and taking notes.
A lightbulb moment struck Luke as he remembered the extra bags of dog treats he still had after finding Riley. Driven by love, he immediately set out to find local stores interested in showcasing her handcrafted dog treats.
He first called Cove Corner Crafts. The owner, Susan, showed interest, especially after learning about the treats’ natural ingredients and the charity angle with Second Chance Rescue. Luke insisted his gesture be credited to an anonymous Barking Orders supporter. Encouraged by the positive response from Susan, he phoned two more businesses. Both conversations ended with a resounding yes, prompting him to punch the air.
I’d give anything to see her face when she finds out...
With plans set to drop off the treats later, Luke leaned back in his chair, letting out a contented sigh, reveling in the potential this had for Emma’s business. Shortly after, he stood, stretching his limbs to ease the stiffness. He then moved to the living room couch and scrolled through photos of himself and Emma on his phone. He marveled at how they’d met and how quickly he’d fallen for her. That morning, he felt like a teenager sneaking back home past curfew. Exhilarating as it was, he knew he couldn’t do this forever, nor did he want to.
He pondered how to break the news to Jeremiah on Sunday. Luke decided he didn’t want to leave it to chance and took some time mapping out the conversation. He’d used this approach many times before when pitching to clients, usually with success.
The adage from his Harvard professor rang in his ears: If you fail to plan, you plan to fail.
Luke picked up a pen and paper. He meticulously scripted every potential question, objection, and possible scenario. It took hours.
The outcome? He felt his plan would go off without a hitch, but a thought nagged at the back of his mind and reminded him, that on occasion, his over-preparation had made him come off as insincere and rehearsed, like the time it cost him a partnership.
The stakes with Jeremiah were higher, and he hoped his chosen approach would hit its mark.
31
Emma
Emma stepped out from behind her desk and began passing out papers to the start of each row. “Alright y’all, here are some worksheets for the chapter we went over. We’ll go over the answers once you’re finished.”
She felt much more alert and refreshed today after getting the best sleep she’d had in months. Sleeping in Luke’s arms had become her new favorite thing.
“Pass them back, and you can begin now. This will be on the test in a few weeks and it’s a tricky one, so it’s important that you take your time on this.”
Once everyone received a worksheet, Emma returned to her desk. “Make sure you have your book open to page seventy-six so you can look back to the formulas we went over. And if you’re having any trouble, raise your hand and I’ll come over and help.”
