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Luke gritted his teeth, fury coursing through his veins.
“Dad, you’ve got to listen to me—” Jeremiah began, but Luke cut him off.
“I don’t want to hear it, Jeremiah. Not now. You need to get your act together.”
Jeremiah lowered his head in his hands. Luke could see that his knuckles were bloodied.
As Luke continued to scold his son, the office door flew open. A woman and a panicked teenage girl hurried inside and over to the sheriff’s desk.
“Sheriff Daniels, you’ve got to listen to me! You’ve got the story all wrong...he wasn’t trying to beat up Tony, he was trying to protect me!” The teenage girl bent over, gasping to catch her breath. “Please, just let me tell you what happened.”
Luke looked up at the woman behind the girl. She smiled politely and extended her hand.
“Hi, we haven’t met yet. I’m Kara, and this is Charlotte. I think she might add a little more to the story of what happened this morning.”
Luke shook her hand while Sheriff Daniels pulled up a few more chairs to his desk for Kara and Charlotte, and one for Luke.
“Alright Charlotte. Go ahead.”
Charlotte’s eyes darted nervously between Luke and the Sheriff. She cleared her throat and began, “I was going into the market when I heard Tony call out to me from behind. I had ended things with him when the summer started, but he still acts like we’re together. I dumped him because he’s a complete jerk. He thinks he’s funny, but he’s just a bully.”
Luke listened attentively as Charlotte recounted the incident, sensing the tension and anxiety in her voice.
“I tried to ignore him and that’s when he ran in front of me. He wanted us to get in his car and talk, but I didn’t want to. I was afraid he would just drive off somewhere. So I told him I wasn’t getting in his car, and that’s when he grabbed my arm and started pulling me. And out of nowhere, this guy here stepped in and helped get me free. Tony punched him, and he fought back, pushing him into the car. That’s why Tony tripped and fell onto the broken glass.”
Charlotte pointed to a bruise forming under Jeremiah’s eye that Luke hadn’t noticed before. “See? That’s where Tony hit him. I thought you should know the entire story, and know Tony isn’t innocent in any of this.”
Luke looked over at Jeremiah, who was avoiding his gaze. The guilt gnawed at him, knowing he had jumped to conclusions without giving his son a chance to explain. Why didn’t I ask him about his side of the story first? he thought, adding it to the growing list of his failures as a father.
After Charlotte gave her statement to the Sheriff and all the paperwork was completed, Luke and Jeremiah drove home in a heavy silence. Over the next week, the tension between them thickened until it became almost suffocating as they prepared for Jeremiah’s hearing in juvenile court.
When the day arrived, Jeremiah was sentenced to two-hundred hours of community service, with the choice between roadside clean-up or volunteering at an animal rescue. To Luke’s surprise, his son chose the animal rescue and arranged to start there the following week. He felt a small sense of relief knowing Jeremiah would have a chance to leave the house and do something productive.
Luke contemplated whether to join Jeremiah in volunteering at the animal rescue, wondering if it would help mend their strained relationship or make things worse. Although he wanted it more than anything, Luke still didn’t have the answers on how to fix things with his son, especially after this setback.
Chapter 9
Emma
After taping up the last flier she made with Riley’s picture on it in a window at Phil’s Diner, she sat down in an empty booth and pulled out her phone. She opened up her social media apps and checked if the posts about Riley had gotten any new hits since she’d last looked at them. Unfortunately, there were no new leads on his whereabouts.
The community members had been a tremendous help to her over the last week, volunteering to help her find Riley. She was devastated at the thought of losing him forever. Even more so, she blamed herself. With the recent divorce, seeing Chad again, and now Riley missing, Emma’s emotions were running high, feeling like she might explode into tears.
“How are you holding up, honey?”
Emma turned and looked up at Margie, who had walked over with her notepad. “I’ve had better days. I guess. I just wish I could find him.”
Margie reached out and squeezed her hand. “I know, Emma. I wish we could find him for you. But don’t worry. I’m sure he will turn up when you least expect it.”
Emma nodded sadly. “I hope you’re right.”
“In the meantime, you’ve got to eat. What can I get you today?”
Emma looked down at the menu, even though she knew the vegan options by heart. “I’ll take the black bean burger today.”
Margie smiled. “Good choice. Phil just made a fresh batch of them this morning. What would you like on the side?”
“Some of that vegan mac and cheese would be great.” Emma sighed, knowing she was definitely eating her feelings this week.
