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Emma wanted to ask more about Jeremiah and how they were getting along, but knew it was none of her business anymore.
“So, how about you?” He asked. “Are you headed home?”
That’s when Emma remembered her car troubles and threw her hands in the air. “Oh. Actually, I can’t. My car won’t start. It was fine when I drove here, but now it won’t turn on.”
Luke’s face filled with concern. “Oh no. Can I do anything? Do you need a ride home?”
Emma was torn, her heart longing to be alone with him again, but her head telling her it would only make things harder. She let out a sigh, a mix of frustration and disappointment. “No, no, that’s okay. But thank you. Actually, can I use your phone? I was going to call for a tow, but I realized I left my phone at home.”
“Of course.” Luke fished in his pocket and pulled out his phone, punched in the unlock code, and handed it to her.
“Thank you. I’m just going to call Lisa to come pick me up.” Emma punched in her number and hit send while Luke waited.
“Hey Lisa. It’s Emma.”
“What? Why are you calling from Luke’s phone?” Lisa asked. “Are y’all back together?”
Emma hoped Luke didn’t overhear Lisa’s question. “No. I’m calling because I forgot my phone at home and my car is dead. Could you come and pick me up? I’m at the supermarket.”
“Say no more. I’ll be there in twenty minutes!”
After hanging up with Lisa, Emma handed the phone back to Luke. “Thank you. That really saved me from trying to track down a payphone. I doubt any exist anymore.”
“It’s been a while since I’d seen one,” he said. “Well, I should probably—”
“Yeah, you should probably do your shopping. I’m just going to wait here until Lisa shows up.”
“You don’t need anything from inside?” Luke asked.
Emma let out a bubbly laugh, her eyes twinkling with amusement. “I already went in. It was good to see you, Luke. And thanks again for helping me.”
“Anytime. It was the least I could do,” he said, giving her a knowing wink before walking away.
Emma turned and got back into her car. She huddled into the seat and took a deep breath. As her eyes traveled up to the rearview mirror, she watched Luke walk across the parking lot and into the store. He wasn’t walking with his usual swagger. His shoulders were slumped, and his hands were stuffed into the pockets of his jeans. Although he had seemed to be doing alright, maybe he was hurting just as much as her. Her heart and head warred against one another, struggling for the upper hand. What her heart wanted and what she needed were two different things, and it would take all her strength to stay the course. She had broken up with him for a good reason; to avoid furthering strife between Luke and Jeremiah’s already strained father-son relationship.
Emma wiped away a tear as she thought about the future. It was bittersweet to think about Luke and Jeremiah moving forward without her, but she knew that it was what was best for everyone involved. She had to stay strong, no matter how hard it was, and trust that everything would work out in the end.
Chapter 40
Luke
The scent of Emma’s hair lingered, wafting up from his shirt as he entered the supermarket. All he could think about right now was her, and how perfectly she fit into his arms. He didn’t want to leave Emma, especially knowing she was in so much distress.
The hum of an air-conditioning unit mixed with the chatter of shoppers wasn’t loud enough to cover the constant chime of the store’s bells. It was crowded and Luke didn’t intend to stay longer than he had to. Moving with purpose, he darted through the aisles, searching for the calculator.
When Luke arrived at the office supply aisle, he dug into his pocket for the little slip of paper with the model number written on it. He scanned through several of the calculators until finally spotting the one he needed and headed toward the front of the store.
While he stood in the checkout line, his eyes drifted toward the window, wondering if Emma was still there. At that moment, Lisa’s car pulled up and Emma hopped in. Luke sighed, wishing he was the one driving her home, although he knew it was better for Lisa to do it. If they had gone together, the car ride would most likely have ended with him begging Emma to give them another chance.
“Cash or card?”
Luke turned to the cashier, clueless of what she had just said. “Pardon?”
“Cash or card?” She repeated, with a hint of annoyance in her tone.
“Card,” Luke replied quickly, hoping he hadn’t been holding the line up for long. He paid, grabbed the bag, and walked outside to his car.
The pale-yellow light of the sun washed over Luke’s face as he turned out of the parking lot to head home. Pulling up to the next stoplight, he remembered the conversation he just had with Jeremiah. “Shoot, I knew I forgot something.” He was supposed to pick up subs for dinner.
