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“So, does that mean we won’t be meeting tonight now?” Luke sounded disappointed.
“No! No, we’re still going to meet,” Emma told him. “We just have to go somewhere else. Have you ever been to the Treehouse Café?”
“Is that a real place?”
“Yes, it’s a real place, and it’s right outside the city limits. The only time people go there is for a wedding anniversary or something, and I don’t think anyone in Hadley Cove is celebrating theirs on a Tuesday night.”
“Okay, let me pull over and put that into my GPS.”
She waited a minute until he got back on the line.
“Emma, this is on the opposite side of Hadley Cove, heading toward Bridwell Bay. Right?”
She winced. “Yes, it is. We’ll have a late dinner. But they’re open until 11:00 and it won’t take too long to get there. I’ll leave now, so I won’t be too far behind.”
“Okay,” Luke said. “I’ll see you there.”
***
About forty minutes later, Emma pulled into the parking lot at the Treehouse Café, a fine dining restaurant with an eclectic vibe. She parked the car and hurried over to the main doors. As she stepped inside, she glanced around at the patrons hoping not to run into anyone they knew.
“Hello, you,” Luke said, appearing behind Emma. At that moment, all her worries seemed to disappear.
“You did get dressed up,” he said, stepping back and looking at her dress.
Shrugging her shoulders, her eyes scanned his suit and tie. “You did too.”
“You look beautiful, by the way,” he added with a playful wink.
“Thank you, kind sir. Likewise. Well, you’re handsome, not beautiful. You know what I mean,” Emma said, with a flirtatious laugh.
Luke grinned. “Thanks. Now, shall we go and sit down?”
Emma’s eyes darted around the room. “Did you already get a table?”
Luke nodded and gestured towards the seating area. “Right this way, ma’am.”
As they stepped into the grand atrium, Emma admired the stunning view of the high ceilings and tall glass windows. The décor was rustic with thick wood-paneled walls covered in heirloom paintings and hanging lanterns, giving the restaurant a cozy and intimate atmosphere. They sat at a table near the wall, with a spectacular view of the woods beyond, its trees bathed in moonlight. The twinkling stars overhead added to the romantic atmosphere of the restaurant.
Luke’s head swiveled as he surveyed their surroundings. “Now I see why they call it the Treehouse Café.”
“Isn’t it gorgeous?” Emma asked, her stomach grumbling as she picked up the menu.
After they put in their orders for food and two glasses of wine, Emma began to feel at ease. The restaurant was bustling with customers, but no one recognized them. They could enjoy each other’s company without it getting back to the Hadley Cove gossip mongers.
“Do you think we should’ve ordered an appetizer?” Luke asked. “I feel like I could eat a whole wheelbarrow of food right now.”
Emma arched an eyebrow and smirked. “Really? I’d like to see that.”
They were admiring a waitress carrying several wine glasses in one hand when their waiter brought out a basket of rolls. Luke picked up the basket and held it out to Emma, who usually avoided filling up on bread before a meal. She hadn’t eaten since lunchtime and couldn’t resist tearing one open and taking a bite. Luke grabbed two of them and followed suit.
As they devoured the bread basket, Luke’s eyes caught sight of the lighthouse through the window.
“Oh, look at that.” Luke pointed at the glass. “You can see the lighthouse through the woods from here.”
Emma turned her gaze toward the window. “It’s easy to get to the Bridwell Lighthouse from the beach, but if you’re driving, you have to go around the cove to where we are.”
Luke stared out into the night skyline. “It looks beautiful in the moonlight.”
