Free The Love Letter by Erica Matthews Page B

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