“He says the invoices are unusually large.”

Aaron stopped and looked at me, adjusting his silver cufflinks before answering.

“We’re upgrading the core infrastructure, and it costs money.”

He did not miss a single step.

“The global supply chain problems are forcing us to look at new manufacturing partners.”

He brushed the dead leaves off the stone and sat down.

He patted the empty space next to him.

I stayed standing on the brick path.