The Love Letter (9 page)

Casey
swiped a bit of the foamy white mixture and plopped it into her mouth. “It needs more vanilla, otherwise it’s perfect.” She waited until the batter was safely in the oven before she spoke again. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

“
Stop fussing - I’m fine. What are your plans for tonight? Are you still giving John the cold shoulder?”

Casey
smiled faintly. “That’s proving to be a difficult task. He refuses to take no for an answer. If he wants to come over and watch me at the front desk, that’s up to him.”

“Don’t use me as an excuse. I’m more than capable of
taking my turn at desk duty.”

“I’ll only agree if you promise to
let me finish the cake. Seriously, Sabrina, you still don’t look quite right.”

Sabrina wondered if she would ever look right again.
“All right, you win, but take my advice and go light on the icing; the cake is sweet enough on its own.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

Later that evening, Sabrina abandoned the desk and curled up on the loveseat in the inn’s parlor. With a sigh, she opened the book in her lap and began to read. After a few minutes, she wasn’t aware of anything else.

Meredith had done what all good writers do – he had pulled her into the story. Sabrina wasn’t slow to appreciate his cunningly developed plot and skillfully
cultivated characters.

A call from someone wanting a reservation interrupted her. When she resumed her seat, she didn’t immediately return to reading. Instead,
she turned to the picture on the back cover. Her fingers went to the dark wave of hair that fell forward over the high forehead as if to move it back and she laughed self-consciously. What was she doing?

She closed the book
just as the front door of the inn opened. Confused at finding herself confronted with the object of her thoughts, she hastily swung her feet to the floor.

Meredith’s
eyes went to the book in her hands, and he smiled faintly. “Enjoying the prospect of critiquing my writing for a change?”

“
There’s nothing I can find to complain about. You’re as good writing literature as you were teaching it.”

His brows lifted
, giving her the full measure of his icy blue stare. “That doesn’t tell me if you like it.”

“
Do you really want my opinion?”

Much to her surprise,
Meredith joined her on the loveseat. “A writer wants every reader’s opinion.”

“Well, I’m not finished yet, and I have to admit that I prefer a good romance to a thriller, but I
do like it. Did you base the setting on Tybee?”

“
Yes, I like to use islands as settings, and Tybee is a good choice because I know so much about it. I also happen to think it’s the best place on earth.”

“
I do, too, actually. I’ve liked it since my first visit many years ago. I suppose that makes you question my motives for being here even more. But I was telling the truth. I didn’t know you grew up here.”

“
It’s strange that you and I have been here and in Virginia at various times. If I was less grounded in reality, I might start to think it means something.”

“Is that a warning
for me not to get any ideas? Because if so, it’s unnecessary. I’m much more of a realist than you seem to think.”

“You’ll never convince me of that. I’ve read the letter, remember? You’re as romantic as they come.”

She looked down and a curtain of hair hid her face. “I wrote the letter a while ago. I’m not sure how much of a romantic I am now.”

“Look at me, Sabrina,” he
demanded softly.

“
I don’t want to,” she retorted in a husky whisper.

He laughed in a low tone that sent a shiver down her spine. “
Do it anyway.”

She looked at him then, her eyes shadowed. “Why? So you can make another of your cutting comments
to put me in my place.”

“
No, I don’t want to say anything.”

His hand went to her face
, his fingers sliding down the curve of her cheek to rest under her chin. Slowly, he lowered his head and kissed her with a gentleness sufficient to deprive her of breath and thought. When her mind did start functioning again, she drew back hurriedly.

“
Why did you do that?” she asked faintly.

His slow smile was like a warm caress. His blue eyes,
absent of their usual mockery, gave the illusion of affection. For a moment, Sabrina felt the full force of a charm that could make a woman feel she was the most important person in the world.

“Why does any man kiss a woman
, Sabrina? I wanted to.”

Her
lovely eyes widened. “I don’t understand you. You don’t even like me.”

Meredith caught the book just as it slipped off the couch, a wry smile pulling at his
mouth. “What I think about you isn’t important. If the kiss bothers you that much, forget it ever happened.”

“
I don’t want to forget it,” Sabrina said slowly. “I liked it.” Why in the world had she said such a thing and to the one person who would least want to hear it?

Meredith moved beside her
, and she realized with alarm that he was leaving. Her impetuous tongue had really done it this time. The door opened, and her heart sank.

“
Once you have time to think about it, you’ll probably change your mind. Goodnight, Sabrina.”

After the door closed,
Sabrina slowly rose to her feet and returned to the desk. Was he serious? Did he think it was possible for her to forget his kiss or even more incredible, decide she didn’t like it? She would never forget the feel of his lips moving over her mouth in that delightful, exciting way.

As she
opened the pile of mail stacked neatly by the phone, she started to cry. The tears in her eyes carried no sadness; they conveyed the deepest kind of joy. Meredith had given her something precious to hold close to her heart. It seemed a shame to wipe away the evidence of such a happy occasion, but Sabrina wasn’t one of those people who cry beautifully. If someone should come in, they would know exactly what she’d been doing.

Unfortunately, Sabrina wasn’t given
long enough to repair the damage. She was inspecting her reddened eyes in a small hand mirror when Meredith strolled back through the door. Aghast at him finding her in such a state, she quickly turned away and grabbed the first thing at hand – a stack of brochures.

She heard his measured footsteps and then his sudden halt.
Into the silence came a small hiccup she couldn’t suppress. When he heard it, Meredith frowned. Kissing Sabrina had been a rare lapse in judgment. He hoped the repercussions weren’t going to be a problem.

“
Why are you crying?” he asked quietly. When the only answer was a shuffling of the brochures, he stepped around the desk and stood just behind her. “It was just a kiss, Sabrina; a spur of the moment impulse. It’s nothing to get upset about.”

S
he slowly turned around to face him. Her beautiful eyes glistened with unshed tears, giving them the appearance of glowing emeralds. Meredith was moved despite his impatience with the situation.

“Please don’t say anything else. I’m not upset – at least not in the way you mean.”

He glanced away from her face, hating that the words he was going to say might hurt her. “I don’t want you to get the wrong idea. Nothing has changed between us.”

Sabrina’s lips formed a wry smile. “
I’m fully aware of that.”

“
In any case, the end is in sight. In a little over two weeks, I’ll be leaving.”

Sabrina didn’t want to think about that.
His departure hung over her like a cloud of doom. “The next bestseller will be ready by then?”

He threw her a long look as if he suspected sarcasm. “The book is on schedule but could hardly be done in two weeks. It takes months to write a novel of this magnitude.”

“Do you have another quiet place lined up?”

“I’m not divulging that kind of information. When I leave here, Sabrina
Collins, only I will know where I’m going.”

Her eyes fell from his. She’d asked out of politeness not curiosity, but he wouldn’t believe that. “A
nd Juliet will be leaving, too, so we’ll have two rooms vacant.”

“Not for long, I’m sure. Your sister seems to know what she’s doing.”

Sabrina smiled faintly. “Her hard work is paying off, and I couldn’t be happier for her. She’ll make a success of this place.”

“I agree. Are you going to stay and be part of it?”

“No. Like you, my stay here is temporary.” She started to tell him about her desire to teach and then decided to say nothing. He wasn’t interested.

Trying not to look relieved, Meredith merely nodded. Sabrina was a distraction to his
orderly life that he couldn’t wait to be rid of. “Well, I’ll say goodnight then.”

Sabrina watched
Meredith leave, the merest quiver of her lips the only sign of her feelings. He hadn’t needed to come back and explain. She knew he regretted kissing her, and she also knew how little it meant to him.

But what Meredith failed to recognize
is that like words, kisses can’t be taken back or explained away. That kiss would always be there between them. And if she never had anything else, Sabrina had the memory of being kissed by the man she loved.

Th
e following morning was overcast with gray clouds that promised rain. When she arrived in the kitchen, Sabrina was surprised to find it still in darkness. As she prepared the inn’s breakfast casserole, she wondered the whereabouts of her usually vigilant sister. Before she could leave to find out what was keeping Casey, she heard footsteps coming slowly down the stairs.

Ready
to make a teasing remark about people who oversleep, Sabrina caught sight of Casey framed in the doorway and changed her mind. The usually neat head of golden hair was a bird’s nest, and her face was as pale as milk.

“
A migraine?” Sabrina asked in concern.

With a barel
y perceptible nod, Casey made her way to the counter. “I took some medicine, so I’ll be feeling better soon.”

Sabrina watched as Casey bent to get a bowl from the cabinet. “Well, you can stop doing whatever you’re starting to do and get right back into bed.”

Casey ran a hand through her hair and winced. “What about breakfast?”

“What about it? There
are only ten people; nothing I can’t handle. Now, get out of here.”

After making sure Casey made it back
to her bedroom, Sabrina got to work. There were five tables to set, a few side dishes to prepare and the usual tea and coffee to make.

Pushing the cart into the dining room, she began placing
silverware, cups and saucers on the white linen tablecloths with efficient speed. She never heard the arrival of the man who entered through the door at the other end of the room.

Meredith watched
her in silence for a few moments, his mind recalling every sensation he’d felt when he kissed her. Her skin had smelled like strawberries and felt like satin beneath his fingers. Her soft lips had clung to his and tasted like sweet cream. But it was her eyes that would haunt him forever. When he’d drawn away, her lovely eyes had opened, and what he’d seen reflected in those green depths had shocked him.

He should never have given into the temptation to kiss Sabrina in order to satisfy his own curiosity.
There was something cruel in playing around with another person’s emotions. It was like offering a child a piece of candy, watching them take a bite and then snatching the piece away.

“Good morning,” he said as he made his way
toward her.

Sabrina’s head swerved around
in surprise, her cheeks turning slightly pink under his steady regard. “Oh, hello. What brings you here so early?”

“Caffeine. The coffee is usually out at this time, isn’t it?”

She set another crystal water goblet in place before answering him. “Usually, yes. But this morning, there’s only me, and I forgot about the coffee.”

“Why is there only you?”

“Casey isn’t feeling well. Would you mind moving back a little? I need to work on that table just behind you.”

Meredith moved a few feet beyond the table, but didn’t leave as she
’d hoped. “Do you want me to make the coffee?” he asked after a long moment.

Sabrina looked suitably shocked by this. “I can’t let you do that. You’re a guest.”

“And as a guest, I’d like my coffee sooner than later.”

“In that case, feel free to make the coffee.”

After a few minutes,
he joined her in the kitchen and grabbed an apron. “What else?” When she just stared at him, he went on. “Do you want me to fry the sausage or are you planning to serve it raw?”