The Love Letter (2 page)

The sound of a fast-driven car pulling in
to the inn’s parking lot hardly impinged on her consciousness. It was the sudden opening of the front door that brought her head up abruptly. With a faint smile, she closed the book and stood up to greet their newest guest.

“Welcome to Sea Grape Cottage.
I’m Sabrina Collins.” When she met the man’s vivid blue eyes, a strange sensation passed over her.

“
Thank you, I’m David Wells. Sorry I’m late. I decided to do a little sightseeing on my way here.”

“No problem. Could you fill this out, please?” She handed him
a registration card and while he did as she asked, she studied him. When he glanced up suddenly and met her gaze, she blushed. “Are you going to be in the area long?”

His smile was amused.
“Just a few days.”

“You’ll be in Room 2; here’s the key. Breakfast is served in the dining room from
eight until ten and afternoon tea is at four. Do you need help with your luggage?”

David
looked at her doubtfully; she barely reached his shoulders and didn’t look substantial enough to carry a bag of groceries, let alone the suitcases reposing in his trunk. “No, thanks; I can manage.”

Sabrina watched him leave with a
wry smile. She’d certainly made a great impression, gawking at him like a teenager. Casey returned while she was in the kitchen preparing for tea service.

“Anything ex
citing happen while I was gone?”

“David Wells is safely in Room 2.”

“Is he attractive enough to be considered exciting?”

Sabrina
smiled as she drizzled chocolate glaze onto scones. “Yes, I’d say so.”

Casey laughed. “That’s quite an admission from you.
I’ll have to check this guy out later.”

“That’s fine, but don’t do any matchmaking unless it’s for you.”

“What’s the fun in that?” After a moment, she went on in a more serious tone. “I sometimes wonder what happened to you, Sabrina. You haven’t been the same since you went to college. Did some man break your heart?”

Sabrina
wasn’t surprised by Casey’s comments. Despite their age difference, they’d always been close. However, what happened in college was going to stay there. The condition of her heart wasn’t up for discussion.

“You worry too much. How are things with your cute dentist?”

“We’re going out to dinner tomorrow night.”

“
Nice work, Casey. It only took you two visits to get a date.”

“Actually, it was three if you count today. You know, I like the shy ones; it makes a nice change from the more aggressive types.”

“I’ll have to remember that,” Sabrina retorted on a laugh.

Early the next morning,
she strolled through the back door of the inn and met David coming from the opposite direction. A funny feeling swept over her again. Had she met this man before?

“Good morning.
Did you sleep okay? I remembered later that Room 2 has one of the smaller beds, and you’re definitely on the tall side.”

David
grinned and Sabrina couldn’t help smiling back. “I slept like a log. You have a nice place here – I’ll have to spread the word to my friends.”

“
Thank you. My sister manages it for the owner, and I’m temporarily helping her.”

He
descended the steps to the grass, and then stopped to look back at her. “I was going for a walk. Do you have time to join me or are you busy?”

“
I usually walk every morning at this time.”

“
Perfect. I won’t have to walk alone. Lead the way.”

Once they left the
narrow footpath and reached the beach, he asked, “Do you live here year-round?”

“No
, I’m only here for the summer. My home is in Virginia.”

“I
grew up here, but I’ve not been back for a while.” He stopped and laughed a little. “I didn’t appreciate the quietness of this place before. I couldn’t wait to escape.”

A
memory from the past floated through her mind; an incident she hadn’t thought about in a long time. Was it possible? Could David be the man from the gazebo? Is that why he seemed so familiar to her?

“So you’re here to reminisce?”
she asked, her eyes searching his face for any kind of clue to this mystery.

His eyes slid away from hers
and though she couldn’t be sure, he seemed to be embarrassed. “I travel with my job; when I realized I was going to be within driving distance of Tybee Island, I couldn’t resist seeing the place again.”

“I don’t think you’ll find many c
hanges.”

“
That’s what I’m hoping for. I hated that quality of sameness growing up. Now that I’m older, I see things differently.”

“Do you still have family here?”

David shook his head. “My father passed away while I was in college. My mother stayed for a while, but I suppose she found it hard to live here without him. She moved to Florida to be closer to me.”

“My mother died when I was twelve. I don’t think my father ever really recovered.”

“Some people only love once,” he added in a low voice.

Sabrina felt a lump in her throat
. Was this her fate? Would she never love again? It was frightening to believe she was destined to have given her heart in vain. She couldn’t think of this now - it was too painful. With an abrupt movement, she glanced at her watch.

“I’m going to let you finish this walk on your own. Casey will be wondering where I am.”

“Thanks for keeping me company, Sabrina.” With a wave of his hand, he went on, and Sabrina made her way back to the inn.

Casey’s reaction to David was typical.
“Did you ever see such blue eyes? I could really lose my head over him.”

Sabrina smiled faintly, accustomed to her sister’s comments.
“Better you than me. Let him finish breakfast before you commence your attack.”

Casey looked at her curiously. “
Aren’t you the least bit interested? Good-looking men like that don’t come along every day. And when they come to places like this, they aren’t usually alone.”

Sabrina shrugged.
“All the more reason to be cautious. Now, move out of the way so I can ice these cinnamon rolls.”

When she
carried the rolls into the dining room, David was reading a newspaper. He was surrounded on all sides by young couples, most of them newlyweds. Sabrina wondered if he felt as out of place as he looked.

As if he could feel her regard, he glanced in her direction and nodded. She walked over with a carafe of coffee.

“Would you like a refill?” she asked with a smile.

“Thank you, I would.
Are you tied to this place all day?”

The question
took her by surprise. “Not all day, just certain times,” she admitted.

“I
found a place that rents bicycles. Would you like to ride around the island this afternoon?”

Sabrina
could hardly contain her surprise. Why would David ask her when Casey was around? Did the man not have eyes in his head? “Wouldn’t you rather explore on your own? There must be special places you want to visit.”

“Exploring is more fun with someone else.” When she still hesitated, he laughed. “Am I moving too fast?
I’m sorry. I’m a ‘seize the day’ type person.”

“That’s okay;
I’ll be free from one until three.”

David smiled slowly. “Great. I’ll have the bicycles in the parking lot at
one.”

Sabrina
left him then to return to the kitchen. As she helped Casey wash dishes, she debated mentioning her plans. The last thing she needed was for Casey to start getting ideas. David would be leaving tomorrow, and their paths were unlikely to cross again. In any event, Sabrina wasn’t interested in getting involved with anyone; the man she loved was miles away.

“Once we finish here, I need to run some errands,” Casey
was saying. “I’ll be back by noon at the latest.”

Sabrina
jerked her thoughts back to the present and reached into the sink for another plate. “That’s fine; I wanted to go out this afternoon, if you don’t need me for anything.”

“Why don’t you take David along?”
Casey asked in a teasing voice.

With a sly grin, Sabrina quipped, “
Maybe I will.”

“If you do, promise me you won’t wear what
you have on now.”

Sabrina
swiped at her with the towel. “I’m not a complete idiot.”

David was waiting in the parking lot when Sabrina emerged from the inn. He offered her an aging bicycle whose original color was long gone. “
It’s not much to look at, but the choices were limited.”

Sabrina eyed the other bicycle and realized it was in even worse shape. “
We may be walking back to the inn.”

With a chuckle,
he said, “All part of the adventure.”

With due regard for their questionable transportation, t
hey set off at a cautious pace. Neither of them spoke much at first, but their silence wasn’t in any way awkward. The scenery was enough to absorb them. Their first stop was an ice cream shop housed in what appeared to be a shack.

“In the mood for ice cream?” he
inquired with a grin.

“I’m always in the mood for ice cream.”

After they ordered, Sabrina looked around with a smile. “I remember this place. My mother brought my sister and me here a few times.” At his puzzled glance, she explained. “My family vacationed here when I was young. We stopped coming after my mother died.”

“You know, a
t some point, you and I were probably on Tybee Island at the same time.”

Sabrina laughed self-consciously. “I’ve been
thinking that myself.”

“
Did you get to know any of the residents?”

“No
t really; my mother wasn’t very social.”

He looked away from her for a moment. “
I actually came here looking for someone.”

“
What’s her name?” she ventured when it seemed he couldn’t continue.

His blue eyes flew back to her face.
“How did you know I meant a woman?”

“The way your voice changed.”

David grinned ruefully. “We dated through high school and into college, but lost touch somewhere along the way. A few weeks ago, I was going through some old boxes and found her letters. When I realized my trip was going to bring me so close to Tybee, I decided to look her up.”

“And you think she’s still here?”

“I don’t know. I used to meet Heather at a gazebo. It’s not far from here.” David didn’t notice Sabrina’s reaction to his words.

“I think I know the one,” she said slowly. “I spent a lot of time there reading.”

“That’s what I should have been doing. I
spent too much time in that gazebo meeting girls.”

A wave of excitement went through her. David had to be the man she met at the gazebo.
Though she hadn’t known
his
name, the name of the girl he was meeting had never been forgotten.

She wondered if she
should tell him. Would it matter? Since he’d come to find Heather, he probably wouldn’t be interested anyway. “I think that’s the sweetest thing I’ve ever heard. I hope you find her.”

David reached over and clasped her hand. “
Thank you for not laughing. I feel foolish enough as it is.”

When they arrived back at the inn, Casey was sitting on the front porch. Her look of surprise br
ought a grin to Sabrina’s face. “Did either of you think to put on sunscreen?”

David chuckled. “Obviously not. I suppose you won’t let Sabrina go out with me anymore.”

Casey glanced sideways at her sister. “Some things are worth a little pain. You both look like you could use something cold to drink. Have a seat, and I’ll get some iced tea.”

Sabrina looked up to find those blue eyes intent on her face.
“She’s right, you know,” David declared with a grin.

“About the sunscreen?” she asked impishly.

He lightly touched her reddened skin. “Well, yes, she was right about that, but I was referring to her other comment. I would have risked more than sunburn to spend the afternoon with you.”

“That’s very nice of you to say.
”

“I meant every word. I haven’t enjoyed myself so much in a long time.
”

Before Sabrina could reply to this, Casey rejoined them.
After they finished their drinks, David excused himself, leaving the sisters alone. Sabrina bore the speculative glance Casey sent her way with a resigned smile.

“It was just a bike ride
, Casey, nothing to get excited about.”