Contract for Love, page 13
Danielle leaned against the bar, observing Madison, who filled a glass of Coke. “How’s Jake doing, by the way? Any problems after the surgery?”
“No, he’s fine.” At least as far as she knew. When she’d left the house, he had seemed healthy. You should ask Sherry about him sometimes. These are the things you should know.
“Great.” Danielle took the prepared drinks, put them on a tray, and was gone.
“Hey, Madison,” Jack called over. “You know how to do a Virgin Colada?”
“I’m an expert when it comes to virgins and Piña Coladas. Does that count?”
Danielle came behind the bar and slapped Madison’s shoulder. “Don’t taint my Jack here with your dirty jokes.”
Jack chuckled while taking the pineapple juice to show Madison how to prepare it.
Madison was decorating the non-alcoholic cocktail with a slice of pineapple while Jack was over at the coffee machine when a customer stopped in front of her. “I’d like to have a caffe latte with hazelnut syrup, please.”
Madison turned away from the woman and rolled her eyes. “Jaaack!”
Chapter 13
A clicking noise at the front door was followed by a long, dramatic groan.
Sherry looked up from their jigsaw puzzle.
Jake seemed to have heard it too, because he jumped up.
“Slow down,” Sherry warned.
“But, Mom—”
“Don’t ‘mom’ me. Sit back down. It’s probably just Madison.”
At that moment, Madison stepped out of the hall, rubbing her eyes, and shuffled toward her bedroom without sparing them a glance.
Rita Mae looked up from her crocheting. “Are you okay?” she asked loud enough for Madison to hear.
Doorknob already in hand, Madison turned. “Yeah. Sure. There were just lots of things to do at the Archer, and I had to help out.” With drooping shoulders, she dragged herself to the couch. Moaning, she sank onto it.
“Archer?” Sherry asked.
“Oh, didn’t I mention it? I’m the co-owner of a coffee bar close to the city park.”
Madison owned a coffee bar and had actually lifted a finger to help? “No, you haven’t told me that.”
“Well, now you know.”
What she didn’t know was… “What exactly is a coffee bar?”
“That’s like…” Madison moved her hands as if trying to explain a complicated scientific concept. “Well, imagine a coffee shop, a diner, and a bar having a threeso—” Madison glanced at Jake. After a moment, she cleared her throat. “It’s a combination of all three, kind of.”
“Sounds interesting,” Rita Mae said.
Madison nodded and let out a long breath. “But it’s a lot of work, I can tell you. At four, we were finally relieved by the late shift.” Piercing Sherry with an uncomfortably intense gaze, Madison added, “We’re short of staff.”
Was that her way of asking if Sherry could help out?
“You’re a waitress…or at least you were until recently.”
Bingo! “You want me to work in your coffee bar?”
Rita Mae, who sat on the opposite end of the couch, didn’t interrupt her crocheting while asking in a casual tone, “How much does it pay?”
“Pay? I p—” Madison looked over at Jake. “We’re a couple. And Sherry is sitting around all day anyway.” She pointed to the jigsaw puzzle.
“It’s fine, Rita Mae,” Sherry said. “Jake will start school next week, so I’ll have plenty of time in between dropping him off and picking him up.”
“Why would you do that?” Madison shook her head. “Rita Mae can do that.”
Sherry nibbled on her lower lip. “I’d rather take him myself, at least for the first few days.”
Madison regarded her thoughtfully. “Okay. This is how we’ll do it. You and I will take Jake to school starting next week. From there, we drive directly to work. And we finish in time to pick him up again.”
“Yippee!” Jake shouted. “You’re both going to take me. That’s so cool.”
Cool was about the last word Sherry would have used to describe Madison’s suggestion, because it meant Madison would spend more time with Jake even if it was just while sitting in a car together.
Madison ignored Jake’s outburst and said, “But I need you to help out tomorrow.”
“That’s fine, but I need a few hours to go to the mall to get Jake some new clothes for school before next week.”
“Good. Remind me later to give you some money for the mall. You should also get yourself something.”
Sherry was too stunned to answer. She hadn’t expected Madison to be this generous.
Rita Mae cleared her throat. “Paying for new clothes is one thing, but you’ll give Sherry a little pocket money for her effort at your coffee bar, right?”
Sherry could have kissed her. It felt wonderful to have someone fight for her even though she would have helped Madison out with her coffee bar without compensation.
Madison rolled her eyes. “Fine. I’ll ask what Danielle pays her staff. Sherry will get the same.”
Sherry didn’t like being talked about as if she weren’t sitting right here, but her happiness at getting even more money to save for the time after this arrangement prevailed.
Madison stood slowly as if she had worked twenty-four hours in a row. “I need a shower.” After a few steps, she halted. “By the way, how’s Jake? After the surgery, I mean.”
“I’m great.”
Madison ignored him and looked at Sherry.
Had someone cloned her at the coffee bar? Since when did Madison care about Jake’s well-being? “Fine. He’s doing fine.”
Madison nodded and walked into her bedroom.
Madison sat down on the opposite end of the couch from Sherry. Why wasn’t Sherry in bed even though everybody else was?
“What?” Sherry asked quietly.
“I’m just sitting here. That’s all.”
Sherry focused on the floor-to-ceiling window, presumably to watch the lights chasing away the darkness.
Madison moved closer. “Why are you not in bed?”
“I didn’t know I was expected.”
Jesus, what’s up with her? “You can do whatever you want.”
Just when Madison had decided to get up, Sherry asked, “Can I?” Sherry moved closer to her until their bare legs were touching.
The contact sent a tingle through her body.
“You forced me into playing your girlfriend. Do you think I like kissing you?”
Madison gaped at her.
“It doesn’t matter to you what happens with Jake or me. All you care about it your damn money.”
Sherry’s words—or was it her closeness—made her dizzy. “That’s not true. I…It does matter to m—”
“Hush. I know,” Sherry whispered before covering Madison’s lips with her own.
The kiss was so tender, almost tentative.
That made no sense. But Madison didn’t care right now. She wanted more than this careful kiss. Pulling Sherry closer with both hands, she kissed her passionately.
Sherry moaned, exploring Madison’s mouth hungry.
Madison’s body was on fire.
“God, I want you,” Sherry whispered and kissed her even harder.
Madison wanted to tell her that she could have her, but then she heard another voice. No, two voices.
“No, baby. You can’t,” Sherry whispered.
Huh?
“Please, Mom. I promise to be quiet.”
Madison’s eyes flew open to find herself in her dark bedroom. It had all been just a dream. But what a nice one. Her body was still buzzing with arousal. Sighing, she shifted to face Sherry and Jake, who stood beside Sherry’s side of the bed. “What’s going on here?”
“Great. Now you’ve woken Madison.”
Sherry sat up. “I’m sorry. Jake had a nightmare and—”
“Whatever.” It wasn’t enough that he’d woken her, but of all the moments, he had to choose this one. How did he know where Sherry was anyway? Had she told him yesterday? Or had he been walking around, maybe scared, searching for his mom until he found her here? Don’t think about it.
He snuffled, and a noise sounding like a suppressed whimper drifted over.
Sherry hugged him. “It’s all good, baby. Come on, I’ll read you a story.”
It was like a punch in the stomach. “Stop whining and go to bed,” her grandmother had told her more often than Madison could count. She hadn’t thought about it in years, but now it all came back to her. How she had crawled into her father’s bed almost every night after her mother’s death. And how he had moved away from her each time. And then how she’d had to move in with her grandparents after his death. Her grandfather had almost never been there, and the old bat hadn’t cared about her nightmares or her inability to sleep for months. The only thing she’d cared about, and still did, was her damn scotch.
Sherry stood and took Jake’s hand.
God, she was like her grandmother. The boy needed his mother, and she was standing between them. “Wait!”
Sherry turned.
“He can stay.”
Silence.
“He can sleep here if he wants.”
No reaction. Just staring.
Why was Sherry hesitating?
“Are you serious?”
What a dumb question. “I won’t repeat my offer. Take it or leave it.”
“Mom, please. I wanna to stay with you.”
Finally, Sherry nodded.
The mattress dipped slightly when she crawled with him under the sheets. Sherry now lay in the middle.
Their gazes met.
In the darkness, Sherry’s eyes shone a mysterious gray.
Sherry’s closeness reminded Madison of her dream. It made her hot and uncomfortable at the same time. She turned away from her but still felt Sherry’s body heat on her back.
Most people probably would have felt all cozy in this situation, but Madison felt trapped although their bodies weren’t even touching. What had she expected? She had made the decision, and now she had to live with it.
She punched her pillow into an acceptable form, lay back down, and forced her eyes closed.
“Thank you,” Sherry whispered.
Unsure how to answer, Madison chose to keep silent.
“Good night, baby.”
“Good night, Mom. Good night, Madison.”
“Yeah, good night, Madison,” Sherry repeated.
“Night.”
Chapter 14
“And don’t forget that you’re head over heels in love with me,” Madison whispered while holding the door to the Archer open for Sherry.
“Of course not.” Sherry walked past her and looked around. The Archer was about three times the size of Hank’s Diner, but she could make out only two people serving the tables even though the place was packed. They really needed help, and fast.
An attractive woman with red, curly hair tumbling over her shoulders stepped behind the bar with an empty tray, smiled at them, and waved them over.
Sherry turned back to Madison. “Is that—?”
Madison beamed. “That’s Danielle. The co-owner.”
Never had Sherry seen Madison smile so brightly. She likes her. Hopefully, they weren’t involved somehow, or their charade would be in jeopardy.
At the bar, Madison wrapped an arm around Sherry’s hips.
Sherry tried not to flinch. If only Madison had told her more about how she wanted to play this instead of staring out of the windshield without saying a word on their way to the Archer.
Danielle placed three cups on her tray. “Hey, you two.” Smiling, she extended her hand. “You have to be Sherry. I’m Danielle. It’s so nice to finally meet you.”
Sherry took her hand. “That’s me. Nice meeting you too.”
“Madison said you would help us today.”
Sherry peeled off her coat and shoved it at Madison. “How can I help?”
“Do you think you can handle the coffee machine?” Danielle nodded toward a place behind her.
“No problem. I’ve worked at a Starbucks once. They had a similar one.” She stepped behind the bar.
“Great. If you’d excuse me.” With her tray in hand, Danielle left.
The second person working here, a young man, smiled at Sherry in passing. “Hi, I’m Jack.”
“Nice name you have. I almost called my son that, but then it turned out to be Jake. I’m Sherry.”
He winked and then disappeared behind a double-swing door, probably one that led to the kitchen.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” Madison snarled.
“Huh?”
Madison leaned forward, their noses almost touching. “We’re a couple. Have you forgotten that already?”
“What—?”
“One hot chocolate and two white coffees, please,” Danielle called while rushing toward the bar. “For the hot chocolate, please use the huge yellow cups, and for the white coffee the white cups.” She pointed to the high rack over the coffee machine where cups with different sizes and colors were lined up.
“On it!” While getting the cups from the high rack, she asked Madison over her shoulder, “Want something too?”
Madison mumbled something unintelligible while stomping off toward a door marked private.
Sherry had just filled the cup with the hot chocolate when Danielle stepped up to her. She pointed at a few dredgers and explained the Archer’s decoration style.
When Sherry looked up, Madison was back, staring at them as if she had swallowed a fly.
What now? She waved Madison closer. “Do you know how to decorate the hot beverages?”
“A little,” Madison grumbled.
“She also doesn’t know how to handle the coffee machine,” Danielle said.
“I can show you.” Sherry pulled Madison closer. “Most professional coffee machines are more or less the same. These two buttons—”
“That could take a while,” Danielle interrupted. “Maybe save your lesson for another day when there’s more time.” She watched the door that Jack had disappeared behind. “I’d better check what’s taking Jack so long.” Quieter, she added, “He likes chitchatting with Harry in the kitchen. And they say women are the talkative ones.”
As soon as Danielle had left for the kitchen, Madison hissed, “First you’re flirting with Jack and then with Danielle. Have you forgotten that you’re my girlfriend?”
Sherry’s mouth fell open. Madison’s jealousy was ridiculous.
Jack rushed past them with a bowl full of heavenly smelling buns.
“Got nothing to say to that?” Madison asked.
Sherry gazed deep into her eyes to make sure she had her full attention. “I thought we’re just pretending—besides, I didn’t flirt with anybody. Can we do our jobs now? Please.”
Madison stared at her as if unsure how to answer.
There was no time for this childish behavior. When Danielle came back out of the kitchen, Sherry took Madison’s face in her hands, pulled her down, and kissed her.
Madison’s eyes fell shut with Sherry’s close behind.
So soft.
“Hey, lovebirds.” Danielle chuckled. “Wanna go back to work, or do you want to step into the office for a few minutes to get it out of your system?”
Sherry pulled back and let go of Madison’s face. Kissing her had been… No time to think about it. There’s work to do. She looked at Danielle. “I…” She ignored her wildly beating heart and cleared her throat. “I’m sorry. We just couldn’t help it.” Hopefully, that would be enough for Madison to show everybody what a happy couple they were.
When Sherry turned back, she saw that Madison’s eyes were slowly opening and a hint of a smile was playing around her lips. Had Madison enjoyed the kiss, or was she just a really good actress?
Sherry had no time to reflect about their kiss because Danielle said, “Well, then, get back to it.” Grinning, she added, “And before you get any ideas, I’m talking about the job.”
Madison halted in the middle of wiping down the bar with a rag.
Within one hour, Sherry had learned everything she needed to know about the Archer. Without spilling even one drop, she had brought some drinks on a tray in one hand and a plate of enchiladas in the other one to a table. Now she served them while smiling and chatting with the customers.
Madison couldn’t hear what was being said, but the customers—a young man and a woman—were smiling at Sherry.
She’s good with people. And she was a much better waitress than Madison. Not surprising giving her years of experience. But still… It was almost elegant how Sherry moved. Elegant? Madison shook her head at herself. Yeah, Sherry looked cute, especially the way her hips slightly swayed when she moved, but that had nothing to do with elegance. Maybe Sherry seemed classier because of her black trousers and her white blouse instead of the short waitress skirt she had worn at the diner. Yeah, that had to be it.
Sherry stepped behind the bar and stopped beside Madison. “Is it just my impression, or are things slowing down?”
Beside wiping down the bar and pouring or opening some cold beverages, Madison hadn’t done much, but even she had picked up that the Archer had gotten less crowded. “No, you’re right.”
Sherry leaned against the countertop beside the coffee machine and smiled.
Heat rushed through her. Almost as much as when Sherry had kissed her earlier. This was crazy. She never reacted this intensely to a kiss and definitely not to a smile. It had to be because of the dream from last night. Shards of memory still entered her consciousness from time to time—probably because she was practically living the life of a nun right now.
