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“Jeremiah, you cannot speak to your teacher like that!” The principal’s voice rose a few decibels. “I thought we weren’t going to have any problems with you. Seems like I was wrong. Go wait outside.”
After Jeremiah left and shut the door, Emma let out a long breath she’d been holding in. “I’m sorry, Principal Kennedy. I have no idea why he said such horrible things.”
“Why don’t you take the rest of the day to yourself, Emma, and head on home. I’ll have someone take over your classes this afternoon.”
Emma gestured in agreement as a tear fell down her cheek. “That’s probably a good idea.”
Principal Kennedy phoned his secretary again. “Can you call Jeremiah’s father and tell him to come in as soon as possible? Thank you.”
Emma walked out to the parking lot, got in her car, and drove home. She sobbed the entire way back, completely embarrassed by what had just happened. Although she tried to defuse the situation, it wasn’t enough. She knew Jeremiah would probably get expelled, but she had to defend herself. And now her mind was a jumbled mess as she thought about her and Luke’s future. If Jeremiah wasn’t ready for him to date again, she couldn’t in good conscious continue doing so. It would never work, she thought.
She felt a heaviness in her chest as tears poured down her cheeks, blurring her vision. Emma wiped her eyes and pulled over on the side of the road, her car coming to a screeching halt. The reality of the situation hit her like a freight train: her relationship with Luke, the man she loved, and who loved her, was probably over. Gazing out the driver’s side window, the shoreline spread out before her, a reminder of the memories she had made with Luke. But the nostalgia only amplified Emma’s sense of impending loss, leaving her to wonder if this was truly the end of their love story.
Chapter 32
Luke
After Luke got a call from the school secretary notifying him that Jeremiah had gotten into trouble, he rushed over to Hadley Cove High. As he pulled into the parking lot, he gripped the steering wheel, took a deep breath, and tried to calm himself down. Maybe this was just a misunderstanding, like at the police station, he thought. Luke reminded himself of what he wished he had done differently in that situation. Ask questions first. Don’t assume it’s Jeremiah’s fault.
Luke turned off the car and walked toward the school entrance. He wondered if Emma knew anything about what Jeremiah had done. Maybe he’d find her after he was finished with his meeting with Principal Kennedy. Even though he’d just left her house a few hours ago, he couldn’t wait to see her again.
Walking into the front office, he approached the secretary. “Hey, I’m here to see Principal Kennedy.”
“Yes, Mr. Grayson. I’ll let him know you’re here.”
As Luke turned around, he spotted Jeremiah sitting in the corner.
“Jeremiah? What’s going on?”
Jeremiah glared at his father, then looked down at the floor.
“Mr. Grayson? The principal is ready for you to go in now.”
“Come on, Jeremiah.” Luke waited until his son got up. Jeremiah rolled his eyes and mumbled something under his breath before walking into the principal’s office. Luke shook his head in bewilderment at Jeremiah’s attitude toward him. This morning when he’d asked him for lunch money, everything seemed fine.
“Thank you for coming in so quickly, Mr. Grayson.” The principal stood and shook Luke’s hand.
“Of course,” Luke said. “Now, can you tell me what happened?”
After the principal explained what had taken place in Emma’s classroom, Luke’s veins bulged in his neck. He glared at his son as if he didn’t even know him. The principal hadn’t decided yet on what Jeremiah’s punishment would be, but told Luke he would be the first to know.
“I’m so sorry about all of this, Mr. Kennedy. Is Ms. Wright still here?” Luke asked as they got up to leave.
“She went home for the day.”
He nodded and left the office as Jeremiah followed behind. Luke marched out of the building in furious silence, his steps quick, not speaking a word to Jeremiah until they got into the Range Rover.
“I need you to tell me why, Jeremiah. Why did you do that to Emma?”
“You lied to me, Dad. When I got the lunch money, your phone went off. I saw the texts from her and the stupid bracelet you gave her. I knew you’d been cheating on Mom this entire time and now there’s actual proof. That’s why you were never around, and why you didn’t care when Mom got sick. You were seeing another woman!”
Luke turned to his son, flabbergasted. “Is that really what you think? That couldn’t be farther from the truth—”
Jeremiah interrupted Luke before he could finish. “Now this move down here makes all the sense. You just wanted to be closer to your lover. All you cared about was spending time with your little floozy. And Mom probably knew the whole time, but she was too sick to do anything about it. She died knowing you were cheating on her!”
Luke could hardly believe the words coming out of Jeremiah’s mouth. And what he said about him and Kate hit him like a physical blow that had knocked the wind out of him. Taking a deep breath, he spoke in the calmest tone he could manage, keeping his eyes on the road.
“Jeremiah, you’ve got it all wrong. I moved us down here because your mom always wanted us to live on the Georgia coast. She came down here for a vacation before you were born and loved it. I just wanted to fulfill her wishes, even if it was too late. I never even knew Emma before we—”
