Stone sighed silently. “That’s disappointing, but I understand.”
The line went silent for several seconds.
“Look, Stone…”
“No good sentence starts like that.”
“No, I guess it doesn’t. You are a wonderful man whose company I love…”
“I hear abut.”
“You do.Butwith the responsibilities of my new job, which is in a new city for me, not to mention a new country, I’ve started to realize I don’t have the bandwidth to give us the time we deserve.”
“I can take up as much or as little of your time as you want me to.”
“I know you can, and I appreciate you saying that, but I know myself. I’ll feel horrible for putting you in that position.”
“It won’t bother me.”
“But itwillbother me.” She paused. “Maybe after things settle down in a few months, we can try again. If you are not otherwise occupied.”
Stone sat at the end of the bed. “Are you sure that’s what you want?”
“It’s absolutely not what I want. But it’s what I need right now.”
Though she couldn’t see him, he tried to smile but failed. “I understand. And I look forward to when you’re free again.”
“Me, too. For now, go enjoy life, just nottoomuch.”
“I’ll do what I can.”
A sense of melancholy washed over him as they said their goodbyes.
After the call ended, he stayed on the bed for several minutes, processing what had just happened. He finally made his way downstairs, hoping a cup of coffee would perk him up.
“Good morning, Mr. Barrington,” Mary said as he stepped into the kitchen.
“Good morning, Mary.”
She poured him a cup of coffee. “You look like you could use this.”
“Thank you.”
As he took a sip, he looked out the window and saw an unfamiliar boat pulling up to his private dock.
“Oh, good,” Lance said from behind him. “They’re here.”
“Who’s here?” Stone asked.
“My team. I told you they were coming. I thought it bestthat they arrive without drawing the attention of the locals. Word has a way of spreading quickly on this island.”
He was not wrong about that.
“Glad my dock could be of assistance,” Stone said.
Behind them, Dino entered the kitchen and joined them at the window. “What’s all the fuss?”
“Lance’s minions have arrived,” Stone said.
