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“Don’t be so hard on yourself. Accidents happen. Go home and get some sleep. I’ll text you in a bit to let you know when we’re meeting.”
There was something reassuring in Kara’s voice that allowed Emma to regain her composure. At least somewhat. “Okay, sounds like a plan. And I should’ve said this earlier, but thanks for today. You and Charlotte didn’t have to spend your day doing this.”
“Emma, we’d do anything for you. You know that.”
After they hung up, Emma leaned back into the seat, massaging her temples to ease the tension behind her eyes. She sat for a moment longer before pulling back onto the road.
On the drive home, the surrounding world blurred past her car windows as she clung to hope, praying for a miracle to find Riley soon.
8
Luke
The faint echoes of last night’s fireworks seemed to linger as Luke awoke. While most of Hadley Cove had been reveling in the Fourth of July celebrations, he had been knee-deep in unpacking. Stretching away the fatigue, he sat up, eager to get an early start on settling into their new home. Though he had made progress yesterday, a mountain of boxes still awaited him. After getting dressed, he headed down to the kitchen to make breakfast.
He noticed the empty banana bread dish by the sink.
All gone—Jeremiah must’ve enjoyed it.
He washed the dish and put on his shoes, deciding to return it to Ada’s house across the street. As he approached front door, a strange noise caught his attention.
What’s that?
The scratching sound continued, growing louder and more insistent. When Luke opened the door, his eyes widened.
There, sitting on the welcome mat, was a golden retriever.
“Hey, buddy.” The dog barked and wagged his tail. Kneeling, Luke scratched behind the dog’s ears and took a moment to inspect the collar. “Where’s your tag, boy?”
Before he could investigate any further, the dog shot past him into the house, padding into the kitchen with an air of familiarity. Luke chuckled, following him, wondering if he had been there before or had strayed from a nearby home.
“You must be hungry. Let’s see what we’ve got for you.” Luke prepared a makeshift meal from leftovers and filled a bowl with water. He set them down, and the dog devoured the offering.
After eating, the dog settled down on a quilt near the fireplace and dozed off. Luke gazed at him for a moment longer and smiled, struck by nostalgia over Moose, his childhood dog.
“Where’d he come from?” Jeremiah’s voice cut through Luke’s thoughts.
“I’m not sure. Found him on the porch this morning. Seemed friendly, so I let him in. Sort of.”
Jeremiah nodded, heading into the kitchen with Luke trailing behind.
“Are you hungry? We could grab a bite in town.”
Jeremiah reached into the fridge and pulled out a half-empty bottle of water. “Not really.”
“Well, could you maybe pick up some groceries? I’ve got a list. You can use my card.”
“Do I have to?” Jeremiah looked up from his phone. “I’ve got better things to do.”
“Son, can you help me out here, please? I need to find this dog’s owner.”
Jeremiah hesitated, then snatched the list and card from Luke’s hand, leaving without a word.
Luke sighed, rubbing his forehead.
With the dog now awake, he decided to make a trip to the local vet clinic. The tech took the retriever into a back room to check for a chip. After a few minutes, she returned with the news that he wasn’t chipped. Luke frowned; finding the dog’s owner had just become even harder.
“Thanks for checking,” Luke said, taking the leash from the vet tech.
