Message in a Bottle by Nicholas Sparks Read Free Book Online

this right. You want a faithful, charming, handsome, thirty-something-year-old man, who’s also intelligent, romantic, and athletic. And he has to be good with Kevin, right?”
    “You got it.”
    She took a deep breath as she laid her hand on the table.
    “Well, at least you’re not picky. Gin.”
    *  *  *
    After losing decisively in gin rummy, Theresa went inside to start one of the books she’d brought with her. She sat in the window seat along the back side of the house while Deanna went back to her own book. Brian found yet another golf tournament and spent the afternoon watching it avidly, making comments to no one in particular whenever something caught his interest.
    At six that evening—and, more important, after the golf tournament had ended—Brian and Deanna went for a walk along the beach. Theresa stayed behind and watched from the window as they strolled hand in hand along the water’s edge. They had an ideal relationship, she thought as she watched them. They had completely different interests, yet that seemed to keep them together instead of driving them apart.
    After the sun went down, the three of them drove to Hyannis and had dinner at Sam’s Crabhouse, a thriving restaurant that deserved its reputation. It was crowded and they had to wait an hour for seats, but the steamed crabs and drawn butter were worth it. The butter had been flavored with garlic, and among the three of them they went through six beers in two hours. Toward the end of dinner, Brian asked about the letter that had washed up.
    “I read it when I got back from golfing. Deanna had pinned it to the refrigerator.”
    Deanna shrugged and laughed. She turned to Theresa with an “I told you someone would do that” look in her eyes but said nothing.
    “It washed up on the beach. I found it when I was jogging.”
    Brian finished his beer and went on. “It was quite a letter. It seemed so sad.”
    “I know. That’s how I felt when I read it.”
    “Do you know where Wrightsville Beach is?”
    “No. I’ve never heard of it.”
    “It’s in North Carolina,” Brian said as he reached into a pocket for a cigarette. “I had a golf trip down there once. Great courses. A little flat, but playable.”
    Deanna chimed in with a nod. “With Brian, everything is somehow connected to golf.”
    Theresa asked, “Where in North Carolina?”
    Brian lit his cigarette and inhaled. As he exhaled, he spoke.
    “Near Wilmington—or actually, it might even be a part of it—I’m not exactly sure about the boundaries. If you’re driving, it’s about an hour and a half north of Myrtle Beach. Have you ever heard of the movie Cape Fear ?”
    “Sure.”
    “The Cape Fear River is in Wilmington, and that’s where both of the movies were set. Actually, a lot of movies are filmed there. Most of the major studios have a presence in town. Wrightsville Beach is an island right off the coast. Very developed—it’s almost a resort community now. It’s where a lot of the stars stay while they’re on location filming.”
    “How come I’ve never heard of it?”
    “I don’t know. I guess it doesn’t get much attention because of Myrtle Beach, but it’s popular down south. The beaches are beautiful—white sand, warm water. It’s a great place to spend a week if you ever get the chance.”
    Theresa didn’t respond, and Deanna spoke again with a hint of mischief in her tone.
    “So, now we know where our mystery writer is from.”
    Theresa shrugged. “I suppose so, but there’s still no way to tell for sure. It could have been a place where they vacationed or visited. It doesn’t mean he lives there.”
    Deanna shook her head. “I don’t think so. The way the letter was written—it just seemed like his dream was too real to include a place he had only been to once or twice.”
    “You’ve really given this some thought, haven’t you?”
    “Instincts. You learn to go with them, and I’d be willing to bet that Wrightsville Beach or