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Emma eventually reached out to her friends, sharing she had ended things with Luke and asking them not to bring it up again. Lisa and Kara respected her wishes, though she could sense Lisa’s angst for more details.
Returning to work was easier than the stories she had told herself. Initial snickers among students faded fast, replaced by newer gossip. Emma was back to being plain ole Ms. Wright, a role she was quite okay with. With Mrs. Anderson’s return from maternity leave, Emma was back to part-time subbing.
During one of her tutoring sessions, she took note of the empty seat Jeremiah usually occupied. Although what Jeremiah had done was inexcusable, she wondered if his month-long suspension had been too harsh. She hoped his time at home would give him and Luke the space they needed to rebuild their relationship.
Now with extra time on her hands, Emma distracted herself, as best she could, from thinking of Luke. She focused on growing Barking Orders and even picked up two new stores that wanted to sell her dog treats. She also threw herself into other activities, like tennis at the rec center and joining her favorite author’s online book club.
Still, Emma found herself scrolling through her phone’s photo album she titled, “Since the Day We Danced.” It held all the memories made with Luke. Those photos held so much love, joy, and possibility. Many times, her finger hovered over the delete button, but she just couldn’t bring herself to do it—to let go once and for all.
Some days were harder than others, as everything reminded her of Luke: the memories at Phil’s Diner, the sound of the crashing waves on the beach, and even Riley.
In the quiet of the night, she’d lose herself in old texts from Luke. Emma thought about him and how he was doing, and wondered if he missed her as deeply as she missed him. If he didn’t, she couldn’t blame him, considering the way she had ended things. A thousand times Emma had typed out a text to him, deleted it, and retyped it, but never hit the send button.
It was a complicated situation and there was no winning for anyone.
One Month Later
After a long walk with Riley, she called her grandfather to catch up.
“Hello, Em.”
“Hey, Grandpa. How are you?”
“Oh, I’m fine,” Liam said. “Although my knee’s acting up, so that means it’ll probably rain later.”
“Are you busy?”
“Me? Busy? Not at all. I was just getting ready to eat.”
“How about I come over and whip up some lunch for you?”
“Sounds like a real treat. I hope to see Riley too.”
“He’ll be there. We’ll see you soon.”
Emma stepped into her kitchen and scanned the pantry and fridge. She gathered all the ingredients for lunch, then put them in a canvas bag. After grabbing Riley’s leash and some treats, she loaded her car and drove across town to her grandfather’s house. It was even smaller than her place, but it was all Liam needed. After her grandmother’s passing several years ago, Liam had adapted to a quiet, simple life, filled with volunteering at the animal rescue and soaking up ocean views from his dock.
She pulled up in front of his house and let Riley out of the car. He ran up to Liam’s door and started scratching and whining. Liam opened the door and welcomed Riley with some pats on his head. Emma grabbed her bag from the car and walked over to join them.
“Hey, pumpkin.” Liam kissed her on the cheek.
Emma leaned in, giving him a hug. “Good to see you.”
“Well, come on in.” Liam held the door open for her and Riley.
“How do you feel about soup and sandwiches?” Emma asked, holding up her bag. “Since it’s getting chilly, I thought it might be a good day for something warm.”
“Sounds perfect, Em.”
She walked into his kitchen and set her bags on the counter, then got to work. Emma chopped everything up for tomato basil soup and threw it into a pot to simmer. Once it was finished, she made a few vegan grilled cheese sandwiches and poured the soup into a bowl. After setting the table, she found Liam playing tug of war with Riley on a piece of rope.
“Lunch is ready, Grandpa.”
Liam stood up, clasping his hands together. “It smells delicious, Em.”
As they sat down at the kitchen table and ate, Liam looked up at her. “So, how are things with you and Luke?”
Emma released a heavy sigh, resigning herself to the fact that she couldn’t avoid the topic any longer. It wasn’t that she was unwilling to confide in her grandpa: she didn’t want to burden him with her emotional baggage. He had been her rock since her mother’s passing and had an uncanny ability to make her feel safe. Emma knew she could always count on him to be there for her. She dreaded the thought of breaking down in front of him again, especially over something she couldn’t change.
