Westmoreland,
and
he’d
said
she
could
come
over
to
his
place.
She
took
a
deep
breath,
deciding
to
be
upfront
with
Stone
since
she
couldn’t
deny
the
obvious.
“The
only
reason
I’m
here
is
because
of
my
mother,
Stone,
and
when
I
resolve
that
issue,
I’ll
decide
if
I
want
anything
out
of
this
trip
for
myself.
Chances
are
I
won’t
and
will
return
to
Boston
as
soon
as
I
can.”
He
nodded,
understanding
what
she
was
saying.
“All
right,”
he
said
and
slowly
crossed
the
distance
separating
them.
“If
that
speech
was
to
let
me
know
you
need
time
to
figure
things
out,
that’s
fine.
Take
all
the
time
you
need.”
He
needed
time
to
figure
things
out,
as
well.
Why
did
she
turn
him
on
like
no
other
woman
he
knew
and
why
at
that
very
moment
was
the
need
to
taste
her
about
to
make
him
lose
his
mind?
In
the
past,
his
writing
had
always
taken
center
stage
in
his
life.
He
had
lived
more
or
less
through
his
characters,
knowing
their
fears,
conflicts
and
deep-
rooted
and
often
chilling
adventures.
Transferring
his
thoughts
from
his
mind
to
paper
had
been
all
consuming
and
the
need
to
block
off
everything
and
anyone
had
been
essential.
His
only
goal
had
been
to
deliver,
on
every
occasion,
what
readers
expected
from
a
Rock
Mason
book
and
he,
without
exception,
had
happily
obliged
them.
The
last
thing
he
had
to
spare
while
working
on
a
book
was
time
for
a
woman,
and
in
the
past
that
was
something
he
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