Stone said goodbye and hung up. His stomach was growling, and he hated missing this lunch.
He was eating a ham sandwich when the phone rang.
“Hello?”
“It’s Sarah; I understand you’re standing me up.”
“I am so very sorry; I was looking forward to seeing you, but something extremely…intrusive has come up.”
“So, I have to drink the Veuve-Clicquot all by myself?”
“For the moment, I’m afraid.”
“Shall I come to you after lunch?”
“No, we definitely can’t do that.”
“How about dinner?”
He hesitated. “Where are you staying?”
“I have some friends’ apartment all to myself. They’re in Europe.”
Stone thought about this.
“Are you there?” she asked after a moment.
“Yes, I’m sorry; I was thinking.”
“Is this such a tough decision, Stone?”
“Of course not; I’m dying to see you, it’s just…”
“Just what?”
“We can’t be seen together.”
“Stone, did you get married during my absence?”
“No, no, nothing like that.”
“Are you living with someone?”
“No. It’s just that there’s a very difficult situation I’m dealing with, and I don’t want you drawn into it.”
“How about if I cook you some dinner? I learned a lot in Italy.”
“Are you sure that won’t be too much trouble?”
>
“Of course not.” She gave him the address.
“Can I bring something?”
“You can bring the wine.”
“Red or white?”