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Back The Short Forever Save as PDF
Chapters (62)
  1. 1
  2. 2
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  7. 7
  8. 8
  9. 9
  10. 10
  11. 11
  12. 12
  13. 13
  14. 14
  15. 15
  16. 16
  17. 17
  18. 18
  19. 19
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  24. 24
  25. 25
  26. 26
  27. 27
  28. 28
  29. 29
  30. 30
  31. 31
  32. 32
  33. 33
  34. 34
  35. 35
  36. 36
  37. 37
  38. 38
  39. 39
  40. 40
  41. 41
  42. 42
  43. 43
  44. 44
  45. 45
  46. 46
  47. 47
  48. 48
  49. 49
  50. 50
  51. 51
  52. 52
  53. 53
  54. 54
  55. 55
  56. 56
  57. 57
  58. 58
  59. 59
  60. 60
  61. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
  62. AUTHOR’S NOTE

He had just drifted off when she returned to his bed, snuggling up to him.

“What?” he said sleepily.

“Sorry I took so long,” Monica said, throwing a leg over his.

Stone sat straight up in bed. “How long has it been?” he asked.

“I don’t know; three-quarters of an hour, I suppose. I had a bath.”

Stone fell back onto the bed, realizing what had happened. “Monica,” he said, “you’re going to have to forgive me. I think I’ve had too much to drink.”

“Oh, surely I can bring you around,” she said, feeling for him.

“I’m afraid not,” he said. “I hope you’ll forgive me. Tomorrow is another day.”

“Oh, all right,” she said grumpily, and went back to her room.

Stone, before he drifted off again, had the momentary feeling that he was a character in a Feydeau farce.

11

STONE SLEPT LATER THAN HE INTENDED and was still struggling with the time difference. When he came downstairs for breakfast, nearly everyone had finished. He scraped the last of the scrambled eggs from a silver serving dish and grabbed some bacon and toast.

He found a leather chair in the library and settled into it. As he started on the eggs, Sarah and her fiancé, James, appeared before him. He struggled to get to his feet, but Sarah motioned him back into his chair.

“And how are you this fine morning?” she asked, smiling broadly. “I hope you were very comfortable in your bed last night.” She winked, while James looked on, sure that something was going on, but without a clue what.

Stone choked down a big bite of eggs. “Yes, sure,” he managed to say without spraying her with food.

“I was certainly very comfortable in bed,” Sarah added unnecessarily.

“Good,” Stone said. “What’s up for the day?”

“Oh, you’re coming sailing with James and me,” she replied, taking James’s arm in a proprietary way. “James is just learning to sail.”

James nodded, clearly her prisoner.

“Great; what time?” Stone asked, longing to return to his eggs before they got any colder.

“Five minutes,” she said. “We’ll meet in the mud room and get you some gear.”

“Great,” Stone replied, returning to his eggs. They wandered away.

Monica appeared with two cups of coffee and sat down on the rug at his feet. “Good morning,” she said. “I hope you’re feeling better rested today.” Her voice dripped with meaning.

“Yes, thanks. I’m sorry about last night,” he said, accepting the coffee and setting it on a small table beside him. “It must be the jet lag.”

“We’re going sailing shortly,” she said.

“I heard.” He was shoveling in breakfast as fast as he could. He set down his plate and picked up the coffee. Black. He hated coffee without sugar, but he forced himself.