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“It’s my father,” she said, tears blurring her vision. “I ran into him.”
“Your father?” Luke tilted his head to the side. “But I thought you hadn’t seen him since you were a kid?”
Emma nodded, wiping her eyes. “I haven’t. For him to come up to me out of nowhere like we can just pick up where we left off, is just—I don’t have the word.”
“Jarring.” Luke finished her sentence, wrapping his arms around her.
She felt his heart beating against the side of her head. “Exactly. And now he’s back in town, and he’s back at his old job on the police force, and he wants to make amends, but I don’t think I can. Not yet.”
Luke rubbed her back up and down. “You don’t have to make amends if you don’t want to, Emma. If you’re not ready, then that’s fine too. You can take as long as you need.”
Emma stepped back and looked up at him. “He asked me to get coffee so we could talk. Was I too harsh by saying no?”
Luke shook his head. “Definitely not. And I’m not saying he deserves it, but it might help you if you let him explain himself.”
She paused and considered his advice. It reminded her of a recent discussion with the other ladies in the online book club she had joined after their breakup. In this month’s reading of Braving the Wilderness by Brené Brown, a particular excerpt had stood out to her so much that she underlined it twice: People are hard to hate up close. Move in.
Easier said than done, Brené.
Maybe she should let him explain. Even if not for him, for her own peace.
“You might be right,” Emma said.
Luke reached up and wiped her tears away with his thumb. As she looked up at him, she felt her knees go weak.
“I think I ruined your shirt.”
Luke looked down and laughed at the large stain on his white t-shirt from tears and smudged makeup. “Don’t worry. I have others.”
“I can buy you a new one,” she blurted before mentally facepalming. The man drove a Range Rover and had taken her on a date in a helicopter. He didn’t need her money.
He reached up, tucking a loose curl behind her ear. “No need for that.”
“Alright, if you say so.” Emma’s lips formed a smile, her heart fluttering as she swayed back toward him.
“I love your smile,” Luke whispered. “I was wondering when it was going to show up.”
As they gazed into each other’s eyes, Luke reached down and grabbed Emma’s hand, squeezing it. Her mind wandered to the time he had looked into her eyes before kissing her on top of the Bridwell Lighthouse. She could still recall every intricate detail, as vividly as if it happened yesterday. The woody and spicy notes of his cologne, which blended seamlessly with the scent of the crisp night air and the starlit sky, with its twinkling constellations, had cast a magical glow around them. She had replayed that memory countless times in her mind before.
Luke’s phone rang, breaking the spell between them. Clearing his throat, Luke pulled the phone out of his pocket and looked down. “Sorry, it’s Jeremiah. Hold on one second.”
He hit the talk button and took a step back.
“Hey bud...Dinner? Sure, I can grab something...Subs it is. I’m just heading into the store. Be home soon...Bye.”
Luke hung up and put the phone back in his pocket.
“How is he doing with the suspension?” Emma asked.
“Good. Great, actually.”
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. “Heading home?”
Emma threw her hands in the air. “I can’t. My car won’t start. It was fine when I drove here, but now it won’t turn on.”
“Can I do anything? Need a ride?”
