The Love Letter (6 page)

There was
little chance of her being able to concentrate with his book lying there. Leaving her own books on the table, she walked toward the shelving cart stationed at the end of the aisle. Just as she went to lay the book down, she pulled it back again.

Impatiently, almost as if
she was forced to do so, she flipped to the back cover. There was the smile; the one he’d so carelessly bestowed on her earlier. Did he have any idea what that smile did to her?

“
Stalking is a punishable crime in this country.”

The words
were spoken quietly in her ear, but their effect was like a foghorn. Sabrina jumped, dropping the book at the same time. The annoyed glance she cast at the man at her side brought a faint smile to Meredith’s lips.

“
What are you talking about?” she asked in a loud whisper.

“
Lower your voice. We’re in a library. Don’t you think following me here is a bit much?”

Sabrina couldn’t have looked more astonished.
“Why would I follow you to the library?”

“The same reason you followed me to Tybee Island.”

For a moment, Sabrina was speechless, and then she got angry. She couldn’t help loving this man, but she refused to be bullied by him. “I didn’t follow you anywhere! How could I? I arrived here two weeks ago, and you just got here yesterday. Besides, how could I know you would decide to vacation on Tybee Island?”

“I’ve lived here on and off for the last
thirty years. It wouldn’t be difficult for you or anyone else to find that out - every bio about me on the internet has that information. It would save time if you would admit that you somehow managed to track me here.”

“
You always have an answer, don’t you? And most of them are wrong, but I know there’s no point in my saying anything else. Go away and leave me alone. I may have to put up with you at the inn, but I don’t have to talk to you anywhere else.”

His smile was amused. “If I didn’t already know you for a liar, I might believe
in the long arm of coincidence. As it is, what choice do I have?” He bent and retrieved the book, looking it over carefully before handing it to her. “This was my first book,” he stated in a conversational tone. “I worked on it for two years.”

The
change of subject took Sabrina by surprise. Still seething inside, she made an effort to bring her wild thoughts under control. She was wasting a free evening on an argument she would never win. All the talking in the world wasn’t going to change his opinion of her.

“Is it any good?”

“It was a bestseller, but that’s only a few thousand people’s opinion. You may be more difficult to please.”

“Were I to read it,
would you please not take it as a continuation of some kind of stalking scheme?”

He looked at her curiously. “
You’ve never read any of my books?”

“
No. Does that surprise you? I must have missed that information during my internet search.”

Meredith
grinned at her tone. “Touché, Sabrina. Now, as to your original question, no writer minds people reading his books.”

He turned to leave
, and a sense of panic seized Sabrina. She had told him to leave her alone, but that wasn’t really what she wanted. With no clear idea what she was doing, Sabrina reached out and touched his arm. His skin felt warm under her fingers. She felt him stiffen and quickly drew her hand away. His eyes had narrowed to blue slits; she had to say something.

“
Our being here at the same time is inconvenient for me, too. This isn’t a situation I would have chosen.”

Meredith could still feel the
cool touch of her hand on his arm and the slight tremble of her fingers. He felt a stirring of guilt - perhaps he was being too hard on her. “I think this island is big enough for us to stay out of each other’s way.”

This time she made no move to stop him.

After
that uncomfortable encounter in the library, Sabrina dreaded meeting Meredith again. Every conversation between them seemed to consist of her defending herself against his accusations. Was this all she would ever hear from him? Maybe it would be better if he ignored her.

As things turned out,
she got a break from Meredith’s presence. Casey informed her the following day that he’d left the inn.

“That was sudden. And
his room? What are we supposed to do about that?” Sabrina demanded.

“
Nothing; he paid for the use of a room for an entire month.”

“He must have money to burn,”
she added with a frown.

Flipping pancakes with a precision that spoke of long practice,
Casey shrugged. “Apparently so. Would you mind warming the syrup?”

A
s she went about her morning duties, Sabrina wondered what had caused Meredith to leave so unexpectedly. Had he gone to visit a sick relative? Keep an appointment? See a girlfriend? That last one really bothered her. Sabrina didn’t want to think about this unknown woman who had what she so desperately wanted. Things were difficult enough without adding jealousy to the list of sensations Meredith’s appearance had awakened.

During the afternoon,
Sabrina helped Casey do an inventory of the inn’s formidable supply of linens. It was a boring job that couldn’t hope to keep her entire attention. Her mind drifted back to the previous day and the bittersweet meeting with Meredith at the library.

She supposed it was natural that he would be suspicious of her actions after her previous
irresponsible behavior. He had no way of knowing that the library was like a second home to her. But the accusation of following him to Tybee was absurd even for him. How could she know of his connection to the island? Sabrina naturally assumed he was from Virginia where she’d met him. As for investigating him on the internet, such an idea never entered her mind.

When Sunday morning dawned, Sabrina realized she
’d been back on Tybee Island for almost three weeks. On the way to church with Casey, she noticed one of the older Victorian houses was undergoing major renovation. She was glad that such timeless architectural beauty would be preserved and lived in again. It was unfortunate that so many homes from that era were being torn down to make way for their more modern counterparts. With a wistful smile, she thought how perfect a home it would make.

As they
took their seats in the sanctuary, Casey pointed at the satiny lavender ribbon adorning the ends of the pews. “There must have been a wedding here yesterday.”

“It would be a lovely church for a wedding,” commented Sabrina. “It’s just the right size and those stained glass windows are
stunning. Can you imagine how beautiful the pictures would be?”

“I agree about the windows, but
it’s too small. This place wouldn’t hold more than a hundred people.”

“Why would you want more than
a hundred people at your wedding?”

Casey eyed her sister with amusement. “A wedding is a celebration of happiness meant to be shared with others. I believe you would
be content with just the pastor and the groom.”

As the choir
had started to sing, Sabrina answered in a hushed voice. “That’s really all that’s necessary, you know.”

Though she tried to keep her mind on the service that followed, Sabrina
’s attention kept wandering in the direction of weddings. It must be the most wonderful feeling in the world to walk down the aisle and see the man you adore waiting to join his life with yours. To know without uncertainty that you alone hold his heart – that out of all the women in the world, he has chosen you.

Sabrina
caught her breath on a long sigh; why did she torture herself with these thoughts? She had little chance of this particular dream coming true. The only man she wanted was Meredith, and he was the last man on the planet who would fall in love with her.

A hand touching her arm brought her back to the present. Casey was motioning her to stand for the benediction.
With heightened color, Sabrina rose to her feet, wishing she could curb this tendency to daydream. She spent too much time with her head in the clouds.

O
nce the weekend was over, the inn was less full and the entire atmosphere more relaxed. Sabrina spent her afternoons on the beach taking long walks and reading. She also did extra desk duty in the evenings allowing Casey to spend time with her dentist boyfriend.

By the middle of the week,
Sea Grape Cottage was almost empty. Only four guests remained, a pair of honeymooners and a middle-aged couple celebrating their twenty-fifth anniversary. Fewer guests meant less work and more free time for Sabrina to dwell on the whereabouts of Meredith.

This preoccupation led her to Room 5.
She wasn’t sure why she felt so anxious to go in there. Would being in the room where he’d so recently spent time ease the ache in her heart? Or by visiting his room, was she trying to convince herself that he would return?

As she swung open the door,
Sabrina couldn’t prevent the nervous feeling in the pit of her stomach. She walked in slowly, her eyes sweeping the empty room, bare of any of his personal possessions. Meredith might never have been here. Had she dreamed the whole thing?

With a swift shake of her head, she moved
toward the bathroom. The least she could do since she’d been foolish enough to give in to this silly impulse was check the contents of the cabinets. No one had been near the room since Meredith’s departure.

As she approached the marble vanity, a
fleeting smile formed on her lips. Here the scent of Meredith’s cologne lingered in the air. If she closed her eyes, she could see him standing next to her. A shiver went through her as if he’d actually touched her skin.

The
soft click of the door in the other room wiped the smile from her face. This couldn’t be happening! If Meredith caught her here, all his suspicions would be aroused again. His sense of timing continued to be her worst enemy. While she frantically tried to figure out how she was going to get out of this impossible situation, a woman spoke.

“Darling,
what a delightful room! And just look at the view! You didn’t tell me you were so close to the ocean.”

A
tremor of pain went through Sabrina. The situation she’d feared the most had become a terrible reality. Meredith had brought a woman back with him. How would she endure this newest assault on her senses? It had been hard enough accepting his animosity every time they met; now she would be forced to watch him give the attention she craved to someone else.

“I told you, but you evidently weren’t listening. If you can be patient just a while longer, I need to let Casey know she’ll have one more guest.”

The affection that laced Meredith’s deep voice wounded Sabrina almost as much as the discovery of his girlfriend. What was the point in waiting to be discovered? The longer she delayed, the worse it would be.

Wi
th a composure she was far from feeling, Sabrina emerged from her hiding place. “I can pass along the message. I was making sure your room was ready. I didn’t realize you were returning today.”

The effect of her ap
pearance would have been entertaining if Sabrina hadn’t already been in such a nervous state. A quick frown replaced the easy smile on Meredith’s face. If such a thing was possible, Sabrina would have sworn he was embarrassed.

“
How could you? I didn’t know myself.” He turned toward the woman. “Juliet, our welcome committee is Sabrina Collins. Among her other talents, she helps her sister run this lovely inn.”

Not caring for the
implication, Sabrina pointedly looked away from Meredith and met Juliet’s amused glance. Here was a face that held more than mere beauty. The silvery-blonde waves that fell to her shoulders were merely a frame for the azure-blue eyes that sparkled underneath thickly fringed lashes and a smile that would undoubtedly draw attention for years to come.

The comparison to Sabrina was almost laughable. Her eyes flicked back to Meredith
, and something in the way he was watching her stiffened her resolve. She refused to make a fool of herself in front of him.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you
, Juliet. I hope you enjoy your stay with us.”

“Thank you. I have every intention of doing
so.”

Sabrina began to inch her way
toward the door. “Well, I need to get prepared for afternoon tea.”

“Yes, I imagine you do,” murmured Meredith as he
opened the door for her. To Juliet he added, “Make yourself at home; I won’t be long.”

The silence was oppressive as Sabrina and her
unwanted escort made their way to the front of the inn. Once inside, he placed a hand on her arm, effectively bringing her to a halt.

“
Snooping again?” he asked insinuatingly. “You just can’t stop yourself, can you?”

Sabrina’s face darkened
, and for a moment she looked pretty enough to draw an appreciative glance from her companion. “It’s my job to check on the rooms of our guests.”