The Love Letter (5 page)

Once she left th
e shelter of the porch, the gusty winds pulled at her hair and clothes, making nonsense of the jacket she’d thrown on at the last minute. By the time she reached the shore, the first drops of rain started to fall. Sabrina walked for a mile or more without seeing another soul, reveling in elements that seemed to share her unsettled mood.

It was
strange that Casey should be the one to bring her back to Tybee.
Her sister’s boss had inherited Sea Grape Cottage and needed someone to manage it. With several years’ experience in tourism and hospitality services, Casey was the natural person to take on the job. She had easily persuaded Sabrina to join her there for the summer.

Stranger
still was the horrible coincidence of Meredith Copplin being here. Out of all the places he could have gone, he had to pick Tybee Island. Why couldn’t he have written his book somewhere else? And he was staying for a month – how was she going to stand it?

I
t was bad enough that she’d actually penned those lines to a man she barely knew; she’d made it worse by trying to steal back the letter. Why hadn’t she approached him openly and told him the truth? It would have been difficult, but she would have kept her integrity. As it was, in one man’s eyes, not only was she a fool, she was a liar.

A
t long last, she turned back in the direction of the inn, her slower gait a testament to her lack of enthusiasm for the task awaiting her. She never saw the man sitting amidst the sea oats, his expression quizzical. Only when she disappeared from view did he rise to his feet and continue his walk.

Meredith was
just as annoyed with this unexpected reunion as Sabrina. She was part of a past that he’d gladly left behind. He didn’t want his time on the island disrupted by an irresponsible girl who had no more sense than to write a love letter as some kind of sick joke and then have the nerve to break into his office in order to get the letter back. If she became a problem, he would have to find somewhere else to stay.

The letter itself was another source of irritation
, and seeing Sabrina again brought it all back. He didn’t need a reminder of something he’d tried so unsuccessfully to forget. Nor did he want to admit how deeply those words of love had burned into his soul. It was absurd that he could recall every word of a letter he knew had been written for pure shock value.

A
s she hurriedly changed clothes, Sabrina realized there wouldn’t be time to dry her hair. She pulled the damp tendrils hanging from all angles into a ponytail and ran a powder puff over her face. That would have to do. It wasn’t as if she wanted to impress anyone. Down in the kitchen, she met Casey, who took one look at her and let out a subdued scream.

“
Sabrina! What have you done to yourself? Don’t tell me you’ve been outside.”

Not
concerned by these comments, Sabrina went to the refrigerator for a package of bacon which she tossed onto the counter. “I couldn’t skip my morning walk, and I’ve always liked walking in the rain.”

“You’re h
opeless; did you know that?”

Her unrepentant sister blew her a kiss. “
You must accept me as I am.”

“That would be easier
to do if you acted more like the adult you are.”

“
I’ll try, just to please you.”

As she bore the covered tray to Room 5,
Sabrina felt the tension begin to build inside her. Her tentative knock on the door produced nothing. A louder one got the ball rolling. The door was flung open, and they stood facing each other.

Sabrina
admitted grudgingly that even unshaven and looking fatigued, Meredith Copplin was an attractive man. It was annoying that her legs should suddenly feel like jelly. How could he still have such an effect on her? Was she to carry this burden forever?

She
wished for the hundredth time that her literature professor had remained healthy. If she hadn’t spent all those weeks exposed to a man who possessed more than his fair share of good looks, charm and wit, that letter would never have been written.

“Good morning; I’ve brought your breakfast.”

Standing aside, he waved her in impatiently. “Is it a good morning?”

Sabrina ignored this and
moved toward the table. Its surface as well as most of the floor around it was littered with books and papers. “Where would you like me to put this?”

Two hands spanned her waist and gently moved her to the side. As she watched him clear a spot on the table, she
despised herself for wishing those hands could have lingered a moment longer. She could still feel their warmth through the thin material of her shirt. To cover her reaction, she rushed into speech.

“
Your jacket is dripping on the floor.”

He took
the tray from her. “I know. I just returned from a walk when you arrived.”

“I took a walk this morning, too. I didn’t see you.”

“I think it would be best if we keep it that way.”

Given their history,
Sabrina supposed she deserved that remark. She walked slowly toward the door. “Ring down to the front desk when you’re finished, and I’ll return for the tray.” Without waiting for a reply, she closed the door with a firmness that spoke volumes.

For a moment, Meredith stood listening to her departing footsteps
, and then he shrugged. He’d come here to work, and no foolish girl was going to get in the way.

Sa
brina wasn’t surprised by Meredith’s attitude toward her; she just wished it didn’t hurt so much. It was one thing to know how he felt; it was quite another to experience it firsthand. There would undoubtedly be many more unpleasant encounters to come in the next four weeks. This was just the beginning.

After the morning meal had been served
, and the kitchen restored to its usual pristine appearance, Casey set off on her weekly trip into Savannah for supplies. She left Sabrina with a long to-do list which included the baking for afternoon tea. This was no hardship to Sabrina, who like her sister, was quite at home in the kitchen. Losing their mother had necessitated both of them learning to manage a household.

The daily cleaning of the guestrooms was left to a trio of college students
. They arrived soon after Casey’s departure, and Sabrina was able to apprise them of the fact that they would have to tread softly around Room 5. Unlike the other guests, Meredith would likely be in his room most of the day.

Sabrina
was searching her mother’s cookbook for a frosting recipe when she was tapped on the shoulder. Naturally, she jumped a mile, and the frown on her face was still in evidence when she turned around to see who’d had the nerve to sneak up on her. She was shocked to find the tall figure of Meredith hovering over her.

Hating that his nearness could make her so breathless, she
spoke quickly, “There are other ways of getting my attention.”

“
Such as what? Pulling your hair?” he asked with a sardonic glance at her golden head.

“You could have
used words; you know, those things you’ve been keying into your laptop all morning.”

“
I should have been doing just that, but things didn’t work out that way. Am I to have those chattering girls interrupting me every day?”

Light began to dawn
in Sabrina’s addled mind. “How often they clean your room is up to you.”

“I would prefer once a week.
I’ll come around for anything I need in the meantime.”

“I’ll
see that they’re informed of your wishes, and I’m sorry you were disturbed.”

“Disturbed
is putting it mildly. Mauled is more like it,” he retorted somewhat dryly.

Sabrina
tilted her head to one side. “Notoriety has its drawbacks. I suppose you had to sign a few books.”

“
And a few other things I won’t bother to mention. I hope they don’t spread the word.”

“I
can take care of that as well.”

Meredith
eyed her with something like awe. “Can you really? I may have cause to be grateful to you yet.”

Getting to her feet,
Sabrina eyed him with disfavor. “Are you this contemptuous of all your fans?”

He smiled slowly
, and Sabrina felt her heart start to pound so loudly in her chest she was certain he must be able to hear it. “Not all of them, Sabrina.”

The use of
her name startled her. “You remember my name?”

“
How can I forget? You supplied it when you signed your letter. On a side note and strictly from a literary point of view, your confessions of love were expressed in a truly imaginative way. I don’t recall ever reading anything else quite like it before.”

Her face turned crimson.
“Oh, would you just forget that stupid letter?”

“
Why would I do that? It’s the only love letter I’ve ever received.”

Sabrina turned away, biting her lip. “
It’s not nice of you to tease me about it. I never thought you would ever see it.”

Meredith looked skeptical
. “That plan didn’t work out too well, did it?”

“No, but it would be
easier for both of us if you would stop bringing it up to me every time we meet. The letter was a mistake. I didn’t even know you when I wrote it.”

“
Which is exactly why it never should have been written in the first place. Discretion is apparently not one of your strong points.” With a curt nod, he left her staring after him.

When
Casey popped through the door, arms full of bags, Sabrina was placing delicate curls of chocolate atop a three-layer cake. Her sister eyed the confection with suitable appreciation. “You missed your calling. You should have gone to culinary school.”

“
I prefer imparting my limited knowledge to children. Let me get this masterpiece covered, and I’ll help you put everything away. By the way, our resident author wants to forego the daily cleaning of his room. He also wants our assurance that his residence here won’t make the island newspaper.”

“
We should have seen that coming. I’ll talk to our cleaning crew. We can’t have our VIP’s identity getting out too soon.”

When
Casey returned to the kitchen, she was smiling. “Mission accomplished. Carly and crew have been sworn to secrecy. I wish I could have been a fly on the wall when Carly asked him to autograph not only a book, but her shirt as well.”

Sabrina’s mouth dropped
open. “Her shirt?”

“
Yes, and he did a surprisingly good job of it, too, which couldn’t have been easy with her wearing it at the time.”

“I’m surprised he
agreed.”

“He probably
didn’t mind – she’s not exactly plain.”

Sabrina had no wish to
explain how she knew Meredith had seen enough co-eds in his former profession not to be bowled over by the Carly’s of the world. “Does it matter? Meredith Copplin looks as if he prefers the sophisticated type.”

“
I don’t know. He strikes me as one of those ‘darkly romantic’ men who fall hard for someone and never look at another woman.”

Sabrina laughed at this.
“He’s dark, but I’m not sure about the romantic part.”

Her sister
looked at her thoughtfully. “I wonder what makes you say that.”

Not liking the look, Sabrina went on.
“I finished everything on the list. Would you mind if I went to the library after tea?”

Casey
’s look became teasing. “Why don’t you check out one of his books? If that doesn’t convince you that I’m right, nothing will.”

“
Doesn’t he write thrillers? Not my favorite reading material. Did you want me to bring you anything?”

“No
, thanks. And you can stay out as long as you want. It’s my night at the front desk.”

Once
she was away from the inn, Sabrina hoped to put the matter of a certain man out of her mind, at least for a while. Enough time had been spent thinking about someone she wished had never come to the island. Meredith’s sudden reappearance brought back to the surface all the hopelessness of her situation. She hardly needed a visual reminder of what she would never have.

The library was almost deserted. Greeting the lone worker
on duty, Sabrina descended the stairs into the fiction section. She browsed the new arrivals and picked out a few of her old favorites. Then she went to one of the reading areas, settled into an oversized chair and prepared to enjoy herself.

On the table next to her chair, she discovered
a stack of books lying face down. Apparently, whoever had been reading them had gone. Sabrina glanced through the stack. It was always interesting to discover what someone else thought worthy of reading. The book on the bottom caused her eyes to widen.

D
irectly underneath the bold letters of the title was the name Michael Copeland, the pen name Meredith used for his books. For a moment, Sabrina couldn’t think what to do. She’d come here to get away from Meredith, and yet here was another reminder of him. Was it too much to ask to get a few hours reprieve?