The Love Letter Read Free

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