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“Thanks Phil.” Emma lowered her gaze as Phil walked away.
“Are you alright?” Lisa whispered to her.
“Not really,” Emma muttered, her stomach tightening with swirling emotions. She knew this day would come, the day when she would inevitably run into Chad. She had dreaded it, hoped to avoid it, but deep down, she knew it was only a matter of time in a small town like Hadley Cove. Emma had imagined this moment countless times in her mind, preparing herself for the encounter, but now that it was happening, she realized that she still wasn’t ready for it.
Just then, Margie came over and placed a large veggie wrap with fries in front of Emma. As she glanced at the food, she knew she wouldn’t be able to eat any of it. Emma turned to Lisa as Margie walked away and said, “I have to go.”
Lisa’s eyes grew wide. “Go? What about the beach? And you haven’t eaten yet."
“I just... I can’t. I’m not up for it, Lisa. I’m sorry, but I need to go.” Emma reached for her wallet and pulled out a couple of bills to lay on the table.
Margie noticed Emma’s unease. “Is everything okay? Is something wrong with the wrap?"
Emma shook her head and stood up from her stool. “No, it looks great. I’m just not very hungry.”
Margie gave Emma a sympathetic look, “Okay dear, I’ll get this boxed up for you.”
After Margie returned with a plastic bag, Lisa walked Emma to the door. “What about the beach later? Do you still want to go? We can just have margaritas at your place instead.”
Emma sighed, glancing over at Chad and Ashley again. “No, no, you stay and have fun. I’ll just call you later.”
Emma hurried back to her car and drove home as quickly as she could, hoping that no one would try to make her stay. The thought of trying to have fun with Chad and his girlfriend nearby made her stomach turn.
***
Upon arriving at the cottage, she took the bag with her wrap and walked inside. She thought that spending the afternoon watching movies and cuddling with Riley sounded much better than pretending to be in a good mood. She looked over at Riley’s dog bed in the corner hoping to see Riley snoozing there, but it was empty.
“Riley? Where are you?” Emma walked into the kitchen, and put her wrap in the fridge. Riley’s water and food dish were still full and untouched.
She walked into the bathroom, then the bedroom, checking in the closet and under the bed.
“Riley? Where are you hiding?”
Her panic rose as she walked back out into the hall; she let out a gasp when she saw it—the back door. She had never properly closed it earlier when she was on the phone with Lisa. It was hanging wide open, and Riley was gone.
Running out onto the porch, Emma frantically called out for Riley, hoping he hadn’t strayed too far. “Riley! Here boy! Come here!” she shouted as she scanned the beach for any sign of him.
There were a few people walking by, but there was no sign of Riley. She ran up to the beachgoers, asking if they’d seen a loose golden retriever. But no one had.
Emma felt a lump form in her throat as she realized Riley was missing. She grabbed her phone and dialed Kara’s number.
Kara answered on the second ring. “Hey Emma. Charlotte and I just made it to the beach. Are you here somewhere?”
“No, I’m not at the beach,” Emma said, her voice shaking unable to contain her emotions.
“What’s wrong?” Kara asked.
“It’s Riley. I left the back door open, and he got out. I can’t find him anywhere.”
“Okay, he couldn’t have gone far. I’ll start walking toward your cottage and ask anyone if they’ve seen him. Can you send me a picture of him so I can show people?”
Emma felt her eyes well up. “Yes, I’ll do that now. I’m gonna drive around the neighborhood looking for him. Thanks Kara.”
After hanging up, she sent the most recent picture she had of Riley in her phone to Kara and grabbed her keys, hoping against all odds she’d find him. She drove around for hours, asking everyone if they’d seen Riley. But it was hopeless. No one had seen a dog that matched his description.
As the sun was setting, her phone rang. It was Kara. She pulled over, her heart racing with anticipation. “Did you find him? Please tell me you found him.”
“Sorry Em. We haven’t had any luck on our end, but it’s not over yet. I’ll have our volunteer team search around town early in the AM. I’ve already texted our coordinator, and she’s arranging it as we speak.”
