The Love Letter (18 page)

Meredith
looked up from the stacks of paper on his desk and smiled gently. Her hair had come loose from the ponytail and hung in soft tendrils around her face. Under her eyes were dark shadows of fatigue.

“You’ve done enough. Go to bed. You look ready to drop.”

Sabrina didn’t leave; instead she walked over and sat down in the chair across from him. “I came to help you. When I reach the exhausted point, I’ll let you know.”

His eyes roved over her face and as before, he marveled at her control. She so seldom lowered her guard.
“There’s not much more to do. I was able to get through the stuff in here more quickly than I thought. I only have to clean out my desk. That’s what I’m working on now.”

A mischievous smile formed on her lips.
“If you let me help, I promise not to look for any letters in your desk.”

Even as M
eredith laughed at the joke, he remembered that her letter was actually in the bottom drawer, still folded in its original pink envelope. How could he have forgotten that? And what possible explanation could he give her for still having it in his possession? Not even to himself could he explain why he hadn’t destroyed it.

He stood abruptly and came around to where she sat. “There’s not enough here to worry about
, and I can do it quicker alone.”

Sabrina didn’t need another hint
to leave. “I’ll say goodnight then. What time should I be ready in the morning?”

“
I think we should leave by nine.”

Once in the guestroom, she
removed a few things from her luggage and headed to the bathroom. When she passed his office, the door was firmly shut. For no reason at all, this final gesture of rejection cut more deeply than anything else. A sob escaped her throat before she could prevent it. Hoping Meredith hadn’t heard it, she hurried into the bathroom.

Sabrina could have blown a trumpet
, and Meredith wouldn’t have noticed. He sat motionless at his desk, a sheet of pale pink paper resting between his fingers. After a long while, he slid the letter into the envelope and put it in his briefcase. He didn’t know why he’d kept it all this time. Why would anyone keep a love letter from someone they didn’t love?

When Meredith finally finished in his office, it was
long past midnight. Sabrina had been so quiet, he wondered if she was still in the apartment. After a hot shower, during which he took the trouble to rationalize his various reactions to Sabrina as being due to proximity and not indicative of anything else, he was wide awake.

He quietly exited his room and went to get his laptop, figuring he could write for a while. On the way back, he noticed a beam of light coming from under Sabrina’s door. Apparently, she couldn’t sleep either
, but he resisted the urge to check on her. At this time of night, he might not be strong enough to leave without kissing her no matter how right or wrong it was.

With a heavy sigh, he flipped open his laptop and absently started typing.
The incident in the living room was enough to convince Meredith that from this point forward, he must distance himself from Sabrina. He had come too close to making things between them even more complicated.

Sabrina must be
relegated to her previous position in his life, and that would be much easier if he went back to treating her like the former student she was. Once she was gone from the island, his interest in her would cease to exist.

Long before her alarm sounded,
Sabrina was up and dressed. She made her way to the living room and sat down to wait. When Meredith strode down the hall an hour later, she was reading.

“Up already?” he asked with a faint frown. “Did you sleep okay?”

She slowly raised her eyes to his face. His concern was almost more than she could bear at that moment. She didn’t want the polite courtesy he gave everyone else - she wanted his love!

“I slept fine. I’m so used to getting up early at the inn that I find it difficult to sleep late.” This wasn’t strictly
true, but she couldn’t tell him the real reason she hadn’t been able to sleep.

Meredith
looked at her more closely. In his opinion, she hadn’t slept at all. “Well, since we’re both up, we might as well get going. There’s nothing keeping us here.” When she would have risen, he added, “Go back to your reading; I’ll pack the car.”

“I’m perfectly capable of carrying my own bags to the car,” she assured him.

Meredith nodded. “I don’t doubt it, but when you travel with me, I carry the bags to the car. That’s the way I was raised.”

Sabrina smiled. “Me, too, actually. My father opened doors for my mother until the day she died.”

On his way outside, Meredith stopped and looked back in her direction. “When did it happen, Sabrina?”

“A few months after my last summer on Tybee; I was twelve years old.”

“It’s tragic to lose your mother anytime, but losing her at such a young age must have been difficult.”

“I don’t think I could have made it without Casey. She’s
been mothering me ever since. Can I at least hold the door open for you?”

Meredith accepted her change of subject. “
Sure. Look around for me, won’t you? When I come back, we’ll lock up and be on our way. We can get breakfast on the way out of town.”

A
fter he filled the gas tank, he stopped at a bakery Sabrina had frequented during her college years. The sight of it brought a reminiscent smile to her face.

“I used to come here to study at least three times a week. They make the best apple fritters in the world.”

Meredith grinned boyishly. “I know. Let’s get a dozen and eat them all day long.”

“
That’s fine with me – I don’t mind making a pig of myself over fritters.”

“I like a woman who’s not afraid to eat. I’ll be back in a minute.”

When he returned, he was carrying two bags and two coffees. He handed her one of each. She glanced in the bag and started to laugh.

“Meredith, did you get me a dozen fritters?”

“Should I have bought more?”

Sabrina giggled and the sound of it brought Meredith’s eyes to her face. He had never seen her look so relaxed and happy. It made him realize what a strain all this had been on her.

She pulled a fritter out of the bag and took a big bite. “Oh, they’re still warm. I think I would do anything for one of these.”

The wicked grin he threw her set her pulse racing.
“What would you do for twelve?”

“I’m not sure,” she
said slowly. “What would you consider suitable payment?”

“I’ll have to think about it. You’re already in my debt for several other things.”

Meredith watched her lick the glaze off her fingers. When she looked his way and met his amused glance, she laughed. “I know, I know. I should be using a napkin. But this is so much better.”

His smile grew
, and his blue eyes started to gleam attractively. “I agree – I haven’t had so much fun watching someone eat in a long time.”

Sabrina didn’t quite trust that smile. “I don’t know what you mean by that.”

“It wasn’t anything bad - it was a compliment. I’ve made it through six. How are you doing?”

“Three so far, but I’m not done yet.”

With a chuckle, he started the car. “I don’t think we’ll have to worry about stopping for lunch.”

Sabrina finished a fourth fritter before closing her bag. “That’s it for me.”

His grin was amused. “I can’t imagine where you put them.”

“I’ll have to walk a little farther
in the mornings for the next week or so.”

“I wouldn’t worry about it; you could use a few more pounds. You’re thinner than I r
emember.”

“That’s because
I’m not staying up all night snacking in my dorm room.”

When he just nodded at this, she turned her attention to the road. After a few minutes, she retrieved her book and pretended to read.
She even turned the pages at regular intervals.

How could she
receive so much pleasure from simply listening to him breathe? It was as if every breath was a caress against her skin. A small gurgle of laughter escaped her; things had reached a new low when she could get excited about someone breathing.

As slight as it was, the sound drew
Meredith’s notice. Not that he needed a reminder of her presence. He hadn’t completely forgotten Sabrina. He was finding that almost impossible to do with any degree of success. It had reached the point where she didn’t have to actually
do
anything to get his attention.

Th
is growing awareness of her was puzzling and made Meredith uncomfortable. He hadn’t invited Sabrina to come with him so he could find out how wonderful she was. His decision had been motivated by a desire to help her move on with her life. It bothered him that she might compromise her chance of happiness with David or another man while she waited on something that wasn’t going to happen and had no substance to begin with. In essence, Meredith had deemed Sabrina too young to really understand what love is.

This
so-called plan of his to talk some sense into her hadn’t worked out as Meredith expected. Instead of helping Sabrina “see the light”, Meredith had been the one making all the discoveries. Not only did the woman beside him understand love, she knew instinctively how to give it without reserve and without expecting anything in return. Hers was the type of devotion one hoped to inspire in someone else.

He might be older in years, but Sabrina was wiser in the ways of love. She
had, in fact, forced Meredith to the unsettling conclusion that he wasn’t the best person to analyze her. He knew little of what she was going through because he’d never been in love. Who was he to judge her actions? Or even offer advice? Maybe he should be taking notes instead.

Meredith
glanced in her direction and smiled faintly. Sabrina was giving an excellent impression of reading, but somehow he knew she wasn’t. She was as deep in thought as he. Even as he wondered if she was thinking about him, he marveled at his arrogance. It didn’t seem right to assume he never left her thoughts.

“You haven’t turned a page in ten minutes, Sabrina. What are you thinking about?”

His question startled her. “Oh, nothing much really. I was wondering what I’m going to do when I get back home.”

“You mentioned teaching
the other day. Have you a job waiting?”

“No. I’ve applied to several schools, but haven’t heard anything yet.”

“What ages do you want to work with?”

“Elementary – preferably first to third graders.”

“You like them young and moldable, huh?”

“I like children, period.”

“That doesn’t surprise me at all,” he said on a laugh.

“Why? Because I’m still a child myself.”

Meredith shook his head. “It’s more the way you approach life in general. You do everything with an unselfish abandonment and almost child-like enthusiasm. It’s a rare quality in an adult and an appealing quality in a woman.”

“Is that
how you see me?” she asked doubtfully.

Meredith glanced at her with a slight smile. “
Yes. Should I have kept it to myself?”

Sabrina’s
eyes fell from his. “I’ve always thought you must despise me.”

He reached over and clasped her hand. “I never got as far as despising you. I
formed an erroneous impression of you based on faulty data. How’s that for being diplomatic?”

Sabrina had ceased to be aware of anything except Meredith’s hand on hers.
His long fingers felt cool against her skin. She could feel his strength in just his hand; this was a man who would hold on to what was his.

Meredith gently shook the hand he held. “Sabrina –
have I said the wrong thing again?”

“Of course not. I was daydreaming. Casey gets on me all the time.”

To her surprise and immense pleasure, he turned her hand over and linked his fingers through hers. “That’s a nice way of saying that I’m boring you.”

“
You never bore me,” she assured him.

“Then why did so many students fall asleep in my classes?”

“They must have been male students. I never saw any females do so. There was always the chance that you might smile at one of us. It was the highlight of our day.”

Meredith laughed at this
, and then gently drew his hand away. He was beginning to wonder who was having the most effect on whom. He was supposed to be the detached one, and yet he could hardly concentrate while holding her hand.

For the remainder of the trip, Meredith made sure the conversation was limited to the most mundane subjects. Enough
revelations had been made to make him anxious to return to the normalcy of the inn. This closeness he felt for Sabrina would naturally fade when they weren’t constantly in each other’s company.