The Love Letter (13 page)

Sabrina left soon after lunch
, armed with a list of shops and strict instructions about what not to buy. She spent the next few hours trying on dresses in every style and color under the sun, but none of them seemed right. Feeling that time was slipping away, she pushed open the door to the last place on the list.

Near the back of the store stood a
mannequin wearing a summer dress in a filmy material that sparkled under the lights. What attracted Sabrina’s attention was the color – the dress was the exact shade of Meredith’s eyes. Nowhere in the store could she find another one like it.

She asked the saleslady if the dress was still for sale and if so, what size it was.
That kind lady confessed she didn’t know anything about the dress and offered to check with the store manager. After several phone calls, Sabrina was told it had been a special order for a customer who’d changed her mind.

In the fitting room, she studied the effect of the dress in
the three-way mirror and had to smile. It would need alterations, but Casey could handle that. This was the one Sabrina wanted. Wearing it was the next best thing to drowning in Meredith’s eyes. With a silent laugh at such childish thoughts, she carefully hung the dress on the padded hanger.

When
Casey was shown the dress, she gave it her full approval. “I like it, Sabrina. You can wear my pearl and diamond earrings with it.”

“What about shoes?”

“I’ve got some silvery-gray sandals that should look great with it. What are you going to do with your hair?”

“What should I do with it?”

Casey laughed. “Get a haircut, for one thing. And please, don’t wear it in a ponytail.”

Grinning now, Sabrina swiped the dress out of her sister’s hands. “I wasn’t planning to. Let me
put this away, and then I can help you with tea.”

When Sabrina returned to the kitchen, Casey was arranging chocolate cream puffs on a three-tiered serving tray.

“You’ve been busy this afternoon, sis.”

“
One of the guests requested these, and I didn’t have the heart to refuse. By the way, I found you a ride to the wedding.”

“I d
on’t need a ride – I have a car.”

“Why drive alone when you can have company? It’s always nicer to travel with a man anyway.”

With growing alarm, Sabrina demanded, “What man are we talking about?”

“Meredith, of course. What other man would I find around here?”

Sabrina was now as pale as her white t-shirt. “Casey, please tell me you didn’t ask Meredith to drive me to Virginia.”

“I didn’t
have to ask him. He dropped by to tell me he would be gone for a few days. You know how nosy I am - I asked him where he was going. He said he had to make a trip to Virginia to pick up some things he didn’t feel comfortable leaving to the movers. I told him about the wedding and how odd that you would both be going to Virginia at the same time.”

“And he jumped right in and
suggested I ride with him?”

“Actually, he did. He
told me he would talk to you about it.”

Sabrina
groaned. “Did it occur to you that Juliet might also be going with him? Do you really think they want a third person in the car?”

“Of course I thought
of Juliet. I don’t leave things like that to chance. Meredith said something about it being too short a trip to take her along.”

Sabrina started pacing the floor.
“I wish you hadn’t told him about the wedding. He most likely felt obligated to offer me a ride when he would have preferred to go alone.”

Casey looked at her strangely.
“You can find more reasons to be difficult than anyone I know. I thought you’d be relieved to get out of driving all that way by yourself.”

“I drove
here
by myself,” she pointed out.

“I’m not going to say another word. If you want to throw his kind offer back in his face, go ahead. I thought it was rather sweet of him to suggest you
go with him.”

“You didn’t leave
him much choice.”

Casey
shook her head in disbelief. “Believe what you want; I’m taking these into the dining room.”

Sabrina
didn’t follow her. Meredith might be in there with Juliet, and she wasn’t ready to see that mocking look in his face. In his mind, this was another example of her relentless pursuit of him. He wouldn’t understand that forcing herself on him was the last thing she wanted.

Sitting alone in the parlor of the inn that evening, S
abrina was on pins and needles. Surely this was when Meredith would talk to her. It was the perfect chance for him to vent his frustration over the upcoming trip without fear of interruption.

As
the hours passed, and he never made an appearance, she didn’t know what to think. If he would come see her, she could refuse his offer, and they could get the whole thing cleared up. Then neither of them would have to worry about it anymore.

The next morning w
hen she stepped through the back door of the inn, he was waiting for her. The sight of Meredith leaning against the porch railing would normally have given her heart a pleasant jolt; right now it had the opposite effect. The dismay she couldn’t hide brought a faint smile to his lips.

“You don’t look very happy to see me, Sabrina.”

That was the understatement of the year! “I didn’t expect to see you.”

“I thought we might walk together this morning. You and I have some things to discuss.”

Sabrina walked past him down the steps. “Do we? That sounds ominous.”

He laughed softly and fell into step behind her.
“And you sound grumpy. Didn’t you sleep well?”

“I slept fine
, and I’m not grumpy.”

“Then you might try smiling; that frown you’re wearing is scaring me.”

Sabrina chuckled despite her intention to stay aloof. “There’s nothing about me that is capable of scaring you.”

“I might have thought that at one time, but I’m not so sure now.”

There was no answer to that so Sabrina didn’t offer one. Her companion didn’t seem to be in any hurry to initiate any new subjects. They walked in silence until they were some distance from the inn. Just when she was starting to relax, he spoke again.

“Who’s getting married?”

“Sheila.”

He
looked at her, and though she kept her eyes straight ahead, she could sense his amazement. “Is this the same Sheila who took it upon herself to deliver your letter?”

“
Yes; why make a big deal of it?”

Again he gave her a speculative glance.
“You are touchy this morning. I wasn’t aware that I was making a big deal about it. I’m expressing surprise; this is the person who more or less betrayed your trust.”

For a few moments, Sabrina said nothing. Then
, in a more subdued tone, she went on, “She apologized to me - I couldn’t refuse to forgive her.”

“
That couldn’t have been easy to do,” he murmured almost to himself.

“I never said it was easy, but it was something I had to do. I couldn’t allow
our friendship to be destroyed over one lapse in judgment.”

A half-vexed laugh escaped him.
“Is there a message for me in there somewhere?”

Her head turned in his direction. “
Should there be?”

“You don’t feel I should forgive you for
a few lapses in judgment?”

“
We agreed to close the door on them – not forgive them, remember? In any case, the situations aren’t similar. You have no motivation to forgive me because there’s no friendship or anything else between us worth saving.”

“
True, but then I don’t believe forgiveness is totally dependent on association. When is this wedding, and how long were you planning to be gone?”

Sabrina sighed softly; it appeared Meredith wasn’t going to give up easily. She
wondered why he was bothering. “The wedding is Saturday. I was thinking three days away from the inn. I don’t know why Casey told you about it.”

“Because I had already
mentioned my own plans. Where exactly is the wedding? Casey seems to think Sheila lives fairly close to the college.”

“She lives in Bristol, but it doesn’t matter. I’m not riding with you.”

Meredith smiled faintly. “I hadn’t actually reached the point of offering you a ride. I was trying to figure out if it was even feasible to do so.”

“Oh, well, I saved you the trouble.”

His smile grew. “Is this where I’m supposed to give you all the reasons you should ride with me and try to change your mind? Because I probably could, you know. Make you change your mind, that is.”

Sabrina knew he could if he kept looking at her like he was right now. Her eyes dropped to the sand at her feet. “
This kind of talk isn’t helping anything.”

“You’re
pretty when you blush. I’ve noticed it before.”

She stopped abruptly and
dared a look into his face. “That’s not funny, either. I’m turning back now. I take these walks to relax and enjoy the sunrise; right now, I’m not doing either.”

Sabrina
didn’t give him a chance to say anything else. She took off at a run, but Meredith caught her easily, pulling her gently to a stop. His hand slid down her arm to her fingers, and then he let her go. The contact was brief, but enough to make Sabrina aware of his effect on her.

“
You really did get out of the wrong side of bed this morning. Does the idea of going with me make you that unhappy?”

Unhappy? Was he serious?
It would be heaven to ride with him - to have him all to herself for an extended period of time. He wouldn’t even have to talk to her; just being near him was enough. Why was she fighting so hard to deny herself something she wanted so badly? He already knew her secret. If he was willing to have her come with him, why was she being so stubborn?

Sabrina tried one more time. “You can’t want me around. I’m trying to get you out of an impossible situation.”

“If it bothered me as much as you seem to think, I wouldn’t have suggested anything to Casey in the first place. I’m more than capable of ignoring a hint when I want to. You need to be in Bristol on Saturday. I suggest we leave Friday, and I can drop you off wherever you’ll be staying that evening. I’m not going very far past Bristol so I can easily pick you up again on Sunday morning for the trip back. It would be ridiculous to take two cars. And as long as you don’t talk me to death, we’ll get along fine.”

“How will Juliet feel
about it?”

“Relieved – she didn’t want to go. She’ll be glad to know I’m going to have company.”

Being of a somewhat jealous nature, Sabrina was surprised by this calm reaction. “She won’t mind that you’re traveling with a woman.”

“I wouldn’t think so.”

“Does she know? About the letter?” she asked curiously.

“
No, Sabrina, I’ve never told anyone,” he assured her.

She smiled
uncertainly and turned to go. “I need to get back.”

“I’ll see you later
, then.”

This didn’t prove to be the case. Meredith never put in an appearance at breakfast. Juliet occupied a table by herself and offered no clues as to his whereabouts.

Sabrina spent the afternoon in her room helping Casey make the necessary alterations to her new dress. Her sister’s chatter kept her mind from wandering too far, but once Casey pronounced the dress a perfect fit, Sabrina’s thoughts went back to Meredith.

Why had he offered to take her with him? It didn’t make any sense. Why would he put himself
in the position of having to spend time with someone he didn’t like? Yes, he’d been nice to her on several occasions, but that was more because he was essentially a kind man. In all of their encounters, events had been more or less forced on him. In this instance, he was initiating the event, and Sabrina could find no logical explanation for this sudden change of attitude.

Into these serious considerations came the pleasant memory of
that rainy afternoon spent at Meredith’s house. A furtive smile touched her lips. Meredith without a shirt was definitely worth remembering. It’s a good thing he’d never walked around like that on campus. There’s no telling what might have happened.

“Why are you smiling? My having to get a root canal isn’t funny.”

Sabrina jerked herself back to the present. “Of course it isn’t, but at least you’re on good terms with the dentist.”

“True.
Well, I’ve done my part to make your trip a success. The rest is up to you.”

As she watched Casey stroll out of the room, Sabrina had to laugh.
In terms that really mattered, Sabrina needed more than a pretty dress, earrings and sandals to make this trip a success; she needed a miracle.