Page 29 of Since the Day We Wished

Luke raised a brow. “What? Why?”

Jeremiah shrugged, avoiding eye contact. “It’s no big deal. I think it might be better for me.”

“It’s too late now. You’re going to be volunteeringheretoday. It’s only a couple of hours, and then you can go back to wallowing in your room.”

Jeremiah stormed off, brushing past him.

Luke walked over to the passenger side to grab the community service form out of the glove compartment before heading inside.

“Here,” Luke said, holding out the form to Jeremiah. “Don’t forget you need them to sign it after you’re finished.”

Jeremiah snatched it from his hand and handed it to the woman behind the desk. She looked surprised to see him.

“Hey, I think I remember you from the sheriff’s office, right?” the woman said, looking at Jeremiah.

“Yeah, that was me,” Jeremiah murmured.

“Thanks again for what you did for my daughter. I’m Kara, by the way. I’ll give you a tour of the rescue, and then we’ll get you started,” she said, leading the way to the kennels.

Luke flashed a smile at Kara and then directed his attention to Jeremiah. “I’ll pick you up in a few hours, okay?”

Jeremiah didn’t reply, ignoring him completely. Luke sighed and headed back out to the parking lot. As he opened the door, he collided with Emma and an older man who were walking in from the other side.

Emma staggered backward. “Oh, Luke,” she said, with a ripple of surprise traced across her face. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to run right into you.”

Luke shrugged off the impact with his easy-going charm. “No, no, it’s on me. I should’ve been paying more attention.”

“Well, it doesn’t matter now. What are you doing here?” Emma asked.

“Dropping off Jeremiah. He’s volunteering today.”

“It’s always good to have new blood around here,” the older man added.

Emma stepped forward, gesturing between the two. “Luke, this is my grandfather, Liam. Grandpa, this is Luke.”

“Nice to meet you, young man,” Liam said, adjusting his glasses.

“It’s nice to meet you sir.” Luke extended his hand, which Liam grasped firmly. “And hopefully, my son doesn’t give you any trouble. We’re both going through a bit of a rough patch at the moment.”

“I’ll look out for him today, don’t you worry.”

Luke offered a grateful nod. “I appreciate that.”

“Sure thing, Luke. And I’ll see you later, kiddo.” Liam kissed Emma on the top of her head, then went inside.

Now alone with Emma, the air seemed to thicken between them. As their eyes met, Luke exchanged a polite smile with her, searching for the right words to say.

Nothing came to him.

She must think I’m awkward.

After what felt like an eternity, Emma broke the silence. “It’s funny.”

“What is?” Luke asked, raising his hand to shield his eyes from a sudden ray of sunlight.

“How we keep bumping into each other,” she remarked, tucking a loose curl behind her ear.

“Well, I guess that’s part of living in a small town, right? So, are you volunteering today?”

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