by Medley, Lisa
It is with this course of action in mind that I pluck up the courage to write to you in the hopes that you are of a similar mind, at least as far as discourse shall go. I have found in my life that sometimes the best way to get to know a person is through their written words. While it’s true that action speaks more than words…thoughtful and careful words have launched entire civilizations. Surely, you and I could take a chance at launching a friendship?
If you are so inclined as to respond in kind, I would greatly enjoy getting to know you better, which is to say, at all. To be so bold as to say my heart leaped the very first time I laid eyes on you would be too much, I’m sure. But it is the very truth.
I shall peek up your stairway to see if a reply appears under your door for me tomorrow. If so, we shall begin this journey. If not… I shall suffer indeed.
Yours truly,
Tanner
Sarah immediately cast about the coffee shop, scrutinizing its patrons, wondering if Tanner sat here, in the coffee shop with her, right now.
His letter!
She took a sip of her coffee and looked into her mug, startled it had grown cold so quickly. Then she checked her phone. Eleven thirty. It had taken her an hour to decipher the letter. And then reread it. It was as if she’d time traveled back to Pemberley and her own Mr. Darcy had taken a fancy to her.
After her disastrous First Friday outing and even with Ellie’s indulgence, her heart had sat like a heavy stone in her chest, impossible to breathe around its burden. But now? Someone liked her?
The fact that he obviously knew where she lived maybe should have set off a few mental alarms, but what was the difference? If she’d met him in a bar or online, chances were he’d make his way here to pick her up for a date eventually anyway. Besides, she had the Adam security override system now. Between him and Ellie, she felt confident that after the last few encounters with Jason, one of them would have the police here if so much as a heavy footfall neared her door.
Ironic that it was the man she knew and had loved who set off all of her internal alarms now. It had certainly taken long enough.
Five years too long.
She was embarrassed to even think about the time and tears she’d wasted on him. Ellie was right. He wasn’t going to change. No, he had changed. He’d gotten worse. There was no use kidding herself any longer. The Jason she’d seen in the past few days—months even, if she were honest—was not the man she’d loved. Not the man who’d encouraged her to leave Georgia and make a life away from factory work. Not the man who’d made her romantic playlists, sent her flowers at random and picked her up from her late night classes so she’d be safe on campus.
Those days had been gone for some time. Ellie had seen it. But Sarah hadn’t. Her and Jason’s relationship had slipped into something comfortable, then convenient—for Jason—and for the past year or so, controlling.
Still, she hadn’t considered leaving. But now? With his exaggerated displays the past few days she realized she had options and with this letter in her hand she also realized…
She had prospects.
Any man who could write such a beautiful letter couldn’t possibly have a heart like Jason’s. For the slightest moment, she let the possibility that Adam might have written the letter play across her mind, but quashed it. He was interested in Ellie. And Ellie was more than interested in him. No. This was someone new. Secret. An admirer.
The mere thought of it sent a blush to her cheeks, and she felt her face grow hot. Out of habit now, she slid the ring along the platinum chain, lost in thought. Another lucky break. On the day she decided to break up for good with Jason, she met—okay, sort of met—a new man. What were the chances of that?
Slim and none.
This ring was a lucky talisman. And she was keeping it.
Determined, she gathered her coffee mug and plate, and carried them to the counter for a to-go cup and a sack.
She couldn’t wait to get back upstairs and write her reply.
Chapter Eleven
Writing a letter by hand was hard. Physically hard. Sarah’s hand cramped, and began to resemble that of an arthritic old woman. First her injured knees, and now this? It was a concurrence she didn’t want to ponder too closely.
For God’s sake, she was only halfway down the page.
It had been ages since she’d written more than a grocery list by hand. Even that she usually composed on her iPhone.
How did people do this in the old days?
And a love letter? No, not a love letter. A what? A pen pal letter seemed too childish. So what was this? Good old fashioned correspondence. That was all. Like online dating for the nineteenth century.
Arg!
She’d started and stopped a dozen times already. It was worse than helping Ellie write her eHarmony profile for real online dating. Code was her first language. English was second. Even with a hoard of devoured romance novels under her belt, putting together words as lovely as Tanner’s nearly proved impossible.
Finally, she buckled down and started writing, determined she wouldn’t stop until the page was filled. She was who she was, and if her rambling scared him away, so be it. She was tired of being the girl someone else expected her to be. Which reminded her—she still hadn’t sent Jason’s email.
As soon as she finished, she would. Tanner was right—she needed to pluck the day and this day was quickly getting away from her.
What to say? He already knew what she looked like, which gave him a clear advantage. She liked to think of herself as open-minded, and surely someone who wrote so beautifully and hung out at bookstores wouldn’t turn out to be a troll, but the possibility remained.
Oh, for the love of all things sparkly, it’s one letter.
Sarah read through what she had so far.
Dear Tanner,
Thank you for your beautiful letter. I appreciate your kind words. Things have been complicated here lately and your letter was a wonderful pick-me-up this morning. I can’t help but wonder which of the coffee shop staff was so susceptible to your charms, but I can hardly blame them. You have quite a way with words.
I’m afraid you have me at a disadvantage, having already seen me when I have no idea what you look like.
As I read, I couldn’t help but think of one of my favorite books. Can you guess the one? You’re correct in guessing that I love to read. Although, the fact I live above a book and coffee store was merely serendipity. No one else could stand the noise, ha.
I read mostly romance novels, but have read a few classics as well, including the one I alluded to above.
I spend most of my time at work. I do web design and development. For fun, I mostly hang out with my girlfriend, Ellie. She’s constantly planning some sort of crazy adventure or another.
As for travel, I’ve not been to New York nor had the opportunity to travel much, but I would love to one day. My family is scattered around Georgia, none more than a few hours away. I’m sorry to hear that yours has mostly passed. It makes me very curious about your age and/or the circumstances of their passing.
It sounds as though something life-changing has happened to you very recently. I’ve had a bit of that myself. In fact, today, as soon as I finish this letter I will break up with my longtime boyfriend. Five years we’ve been together and last night was the final straw. I’m embarrassed to say I’ve allowed him to treat me badly for some time, but last night he actually scared me.
I tell you this so your eyes will be wide open if you wish to continue corresponding. While I love your letter, I would like to meet you in person before we continue much further. Honestly, I don’t want to lead you on if we have no chemistry. You seem like a very nice person. I’m interested, and I have to say your timing is impeccable.
Hope to hear from you soon.
Sarah
She folded the letter in half and set it on the edge of her desk. She’d leave it under her door, and then go downstairs to quiz the bookstore staff to see who might have met her a
dmirer. Someone had spoken to him, and she was determined to find out who. Tanner had said he’d contracted for his utmost discretion and secrecy. That left four possibilities: Drew, Samuel, Thomas and Kevin. One of them would fess up.
Well played, Tanner. I don’t even know your last name.
I would know more about you if we’d met in a bar.
Taking a deep breath, she booted up her laptop. This had turned into a day for letters. The only good thing about the next one was it would be short and sweet. She wasn’t wasting one more minute on Jason than was absolutely necessary. Emailing him was a cowardly way out, but there was no way she was prepared to do it in person. Not after last night.
Jason,
I know you’re going to find this difficult to understand, but I am officially breaking up with you. Last night was more than I can bear. I’m sure with your considerable talents you’ll be able to find someone better matched for you in the long run. I’ll miss you. Five years is a long time to be together. But honestly, we hadn’t been together, really together, for a very long time. Please do not contact me. I need time alone, and I do not want to see you for a while. I hope you’ll respect my wishes.
Sincerely,
Sarah
She hit send before she could chicken out, and then immediately regretted it. Her heart pounded in her ears and her vision tunneled to black for a split second. Closing her eyes, she concentrated on slowing her heart and breathing calmly until she didn’t feel like throwing up anymore.
Had she made a mistake?
No. It was the right thing to do. It was.
She needed to keep repeating that mantra until she believed it. It was just after lunchtime, and she still hadn’t eaten. Unwrapping her pastry again, she sat on the couch and debated whether to read or watch television when she noticed the framed photographs on her mantle.
Odd.
Curious, she rose, cringing at abrasion of her pants scraping against her wounded knees, and went over to investigate. Dusting was not one of her favorite housekeeping tasks. The clean tracks and frame footprints left clear evidence that the photos had been moved recently. Had Ellie moved them? And if so, why?
She startled when her phone rang and jerked quickly toward the sound, the skin along her wounds pinching in reminder.
“Hello?”
“Sarah, it’s Ellie. Are you sitting down?”
“That question never ends well. What’s up?”
“Three guesses who went to jail last night.”
Sarah could hear Ellie bouncing on the other end of the line. “Don’t make me guess. Just tell me.”
“Jason.”
“What? Why? How do you know that?” Sarah’s palm grew damp around the phone with nervous sweat.
“My brother called me last night. Mike’s friend Carl works at the sheriff’s office. He said Jason got pulled over for speeding, asked to walk the line, and then booked for a DWI. And if that’s not enough, Jason got all belligerent with the arresting officer and spent the night in jail!”
“He’s going to be so upset. This could ruin his career,” Sarah said, pacing in front of her windows.
“Nothing he doesn’t deserve. He’s been on this track for a while now.”
“Still. Oh, Ellie, I just sent a breakup email too. He’s going to go off the rails.”
Ellie laughed. “Well, if he does he’ll land right back in jail.”
“He’s out already?”
“Of course. He made bond no problem. But he’ll have to be on his best behavior. If he shows up, you call the police. Promise me, Sarah. You should go down to the station and get a restraining order against him too.”
“I don’t need a restraining order. He’s got enough problems right now. I don’t want to ruin him. I just don’t want to see him anymore. Besides…”
“Besides what?” Ellie asked.
“I met someone.”
Ellie’s scream blared through the phone, and Sarah yanked it away from her ear but could still hear her just fine. “Who? When? Are you still wearing that damned ring? You are officially the luckiest girl in the universe. I’m coming over. I want all of the details.”
“No! There are no details. Someone left me a sweet letter and wants to get to know me better. I don’t even know what he looks like. He’s probably a troll. Or old. Or I don’t even know. I feel foolish even telling you about it but you’re my best friend. It’s practically the law!”
“You’d better believe it is. Rule number one of the girlfriend code. Are you sure you don’t want me to come over? I mean, Adam might be wandering about the hallways or something too.”
“You’ve got it bad for him.” Sarah smiled into the phone.
“Excuse me? Have you seen the man? If you hadn’t been so blinded by all of the Jason nonsense lately, you’d have beaten me to him. So what are you going to do tonight then?”
“I’m staying in and reading. I don’t feel like going out.”
“What about the curtain shopping?” Ellie asked.
“I’ll browse online. Maybe I’ll find something there. I’m…”
“What? Is something else going on?”
Sarah hesitated a moment too long before answering. “No.”
“Liar. What happened?”
“Did you rearrange my mantle pictures?”
Ellie paused. “No. Are they rearranged?”
“Just a few. Maybe. Seriously, it’s probably Bitly moving things around.”
“Framed pictures? Your cat is an interior decorator now? Are you even listening to this gibberish?”
“It’s nothing. I’m stressed, which is exactly why I need to stay in and relax. Quit worrying.”
A long silence filled the phone.
“Ellie? Are you still there?”
“I’m here. Just thinking. If anything else weird happens. I want to know.”
“Nothing else is going to happen.” Her gaze drifted back to the photos.
“Promise you’ll tell me if it does. Even if it seems like a silly thing. Okay?”
“What are you worried about, Ellie?”
“Probably nothing. Just promise.”
“I promise.”
*
Tanner was torn. His need to communicate with Sarah was strong but if he wasn’t careful, he’d frighten her away before he had a chance to make her understand what was at stake. He’d been surprised she’d even noticed the photos. So thrilled had he been at being able to influence them at all, the thought hadn’t occurred to him she might notice they were slightly out of place. Whether by the necessity of his circumstance or the mere proximity and whimsy of fate, he really was developing feelings for her. More so than for any other woman he’d ever courted. A list that was quite short, as it was. Love at first sight was a fairytale best left to young girls to muse upon. With the little stab of fear piercing his heart at the thought of losing Sarah already, however, he couldn’t help but wonder if love at first sight was at least a possibility.
Sarah put on her shoes and grabbed her wallet again. He followed, and she slipped her letter under the door on her way out.
Down the stairs they trekked, once again to the bookstore below, his heart picking up its pace. He’d read her reply letter over her shoulder as she composed it and was encouraged that her efforts in communicating to a stranger were almost as taxing as his own.
If she meant to quiz the shop staff, she’d get no answers, which worked in his favor. He wouldn’t be able to quell her curiosity forever, but as long as she held the ring, and he was less than corporeal, this exchange would have to do. He feared laying all of his cards on the table, as it was, would only frighten her away before he could win her over. Still, his plan was risky.
She went straight to the counter as he’d expected her to.
“Hey, Sarah. Twice in one day?” the attendant asked.
“What can I say, Drew? You tempt me all day with your sweets.” Sarah smiled.
“What can I get for you then?”
&n
bsp; “A black coffee would be great, whatever you have brewed.” She glanced behind the counter. “You all by yourself this afternoon?”
“Yeah, Samuel comes in at six.”
“Would you know if anyone has been asking about me? Like my name or anything? Maybe even a regular?”
Drew poured black coffee into a white logo mug for her. “Not that I know of. Why?”
“Someone left me a letter, and I want to know who it was. He said his name is Tanner and that one of the staff told him my name. Ring any bells?”
Drew shook his head. “None of us would do that, Sarah. And no one’s been asking about you. I’ll check with the other guys, but I’m absolutely sure they would protect your privacy.”
“I’m not mad. Just curious.”
“You should be mad if someone did that. You’re too trusting. I’ll keep an eye out though.”
“You’re sweet. I think he’s harmless. Thanks.”
Sarah took the mug and walked around the stacks to the back corner once again. This time instead of lounging, she stood before the Civil War and History section, perusing titles. She collected four from the shelf, cradled them in her free arm, then settled into the chair with her coffee.
The 10 Biggest Civil War Battles: Gettysburg, Chickamauga, Spotsylvania Court House, Chancellorsville, The Wilderness, Stones River, Shiloh, Antietam, Second Bull Run, and Fredericksburg
Fredericksburg! Fredericksburg! (Civil War America)
The Fredericksburg Campaign: Winter War on the Rappahannock
The entire wall bookcase was filled with similar titles, floor to ceiling, and Tanner longed to hold each book and devour its pages. His tether would reach this far without a doubt, and coming down here would help to pass the long nights while Sarah slept. In the meantime, he scanned as quickly as he could while she flipped through the pages. His attention riveted on one book in particular, filled with battle photos and soldier portraits. His breath caught in his throat as she paused on a page dedicated to Chatham Manor. His Major General’s portrait sat alongside the accompanying text.