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A moment of quiet passed between them before Luke broke the silence. “Do they still have lighthouse keepers?”
Emma shook her head. “No, lighthouses are automated nowadays. This one’s still maintained, but only comes on for certain occasions, so there’s no one inside.”
Luke sighed. “It’s a shame. I always imagined some quirky old guy living at the top of one.”
“Well, there’s only one way to find out.”
Luke looked down at her. “What do you mean?”
Without answering, Emma led him toward a seemingly forgotten door at the base of the lighthouse. Pushing it gently, she whispered, “It’s never locked. Come on.”
She opened the door and pulled him inside, lighting their path with the flashlight on her phone.
“Isn’t this illegal?” Luke asked, his flashlight beam darting around the room. “Maybe we shouldn’t be here.”
“It’ll be fine. We’ll just go up the steps and come back down,” Emma said. “I want you to see the view up top.”
Sighing, Luke took out his phone and turned on the flashlight. “Alright, but only if we’re quick.”
Together, they wound their way up the tight spiral staircase. As they ascended, their initial enthusiasm gave way to fatigue.
Reaching a landing, Emma bent over to catch her breath. “More of a workout than you expected?”
Luke chuckled, pausing to stretch his calf. “If I knew, I would’ve brought my gym shoes.”
Emma playfully nudged him. “Almost there, promise.”
When they reached the top, Emma pushed open the door and took Luke’s hand, pulling him outside onto the balcony.
“Should we take a picture?” Luke suggested.
Emma grinned as she adjusted her hair. “My hair isn’t too crazy, is it?”
Luke shook his head and held up his phone. “You look perfect.”
Emma giggled as he snapped a few photos of them.
Luke turned his attention to the view below. “Is that all of Hadley Cove down there?”
Emma’s gaze swept across the panoramic view, her face beaming as she nodded. “It looks magical. Don’t you think?”
He drew closer to her, wrapping an arm around her shoulder. “It really does. A storybook town, especially with all the places along the water.”
She pointed down to the beach, tracing her finger along the coastline. “See how the beach curves? There’s The Point, and if you go down a little further, there’s my cottage. Beyond that is where the marsh begins.” She motioned across the cove. “And of course, there’s my old house, or your new one, rather.”
Luke followed her finger. “I didn’t realize they were so far away. It’s amazing that Riley walked all that way back to his old house.”
Emma glanced up at him. “That house is special, and Riley knows it.”
A smile lit up Luke’s face. “You’re probably right. But what’s even more special than the house is you, Emma.”
Her heart fluttered as a warm blush crept onto her cheeks. She was grateful for the darkness that concealed the redness.
“Is that so?” she asked.
Luke turned toward her, his hand reaching out to take hers. “Yes, it is.”
The world around them dimmed as Emma turned to face him. The thumping of her heart was the only thing she could hear, each beat echoing with anticipation. Their eyes locked, and time seemed to stretch, each second lingering longer than the last. She could feel the heat rising to her face.
