Contract for Love, page 18
Ignoring her, Sherry kept marching to the elevator.
Madison caught up with her and grabbed her elbow. “You’re totally overreacting.”
Sherry broke free of her touch and pressed the button.
Had she missed something? Why was Sherry’s reaction so over the top? And why had Sherry suddenly lost all respect for her? First at the Archer and now this?
Okay, at the Archer she had kind of liked it, but now Sherry had gone too far. Madison was still paying her after all.
“Did you see how she looked at us?”
“Who?”
“Mrs. Burlinski.”
“The homophobic owl?” Madison rolled her eyes. “Who cares what she thinks?”
“She’s gonna tell all the parents. What if they don’t let their kids play with Jake anymore? That would break his heart.”
“That won’t happen,” Madison said, but now Sherry’s words had made her worry too. Shoving the feeling aside, she added, “Maybe we’ll get some stares at parent-teacher conferences or stuff like that, but I really don’t think Jake will have any problems.”
Sherry shifted her weight. “How can you be so sure?”
“Because Jake is the cutest little boy there is. And everybody will want to be his friend.” Madison’s mouth snapped shut. Where had that come from? And had she just implied she would accompany Sherry to parent-teacher conferences?
The elevator doors opened, but they ignored it.
“And if not? He didn’t really have the chance to play with other kids in the past. Either they picked on him or there weren’t any to play with.”
“Why was he picked on? Because he was such a good student?”
Sherry shuffled her feet as if she was embarrassed by the answer. “There was that. You know, it’s important to me that he’s articulate, that it’s not obvious where he comes from as soon as he opens his mouth. You know that I don’t have money. And God knows he deserves better than what he’s had up till now. All I want is that he’ll have a chance in life. I want him to have all the opportunities I didn’t have.” She swallowed. “I want to teach him the importance of education. This means as much to me as him having a happy childhood. Our arrangement has the potential to give him both.” She shook her head as tears began to form in her eyes. “I don’t want him to be an outcast. Can’t you understand that?”
Madison was speechless. She hadn’t thought about what all this meant for Jake. And then there was Sherry. Yes, she was a mother. But until now, Madison hadn’t seen how hard Sherry tried to be a good one. A woman living in a trailer park, barely getting by but wanting to create a better future for her son and to give him a happy childhood. One she didn’t have herself.
Madison forced a smile, even though a wave of sadness threatened to drown her. “He’ll be fine.” She would do anything in her power to make that happen.
Sherry searched her face for a long time before lowering her gaze. “I’m sorry if I overreacted.”
“It’s okay. I…I will try to stay out of his upbringing. It’s none of my business.”
“You can tell me when you think I’m making a mistake with him. Rita Mae does that too. But tell me when he’s not there to hear it.”
“Got it.” We’re almost behaving like a real couple. This thought made Madison pause. Shaking her head, she pressed the button for the elevator again.
Sherry touched her forearm. “Thank you.”
Madison answered her with a forced smile.
“Hey, Mad, what’s up?” Phil asked as soon as Madison had accepted the call.
Reminding him that she wanted to be called Madison probably wasn’t the best idea after she’d kicked him out last weekend. Relieved that he was still talking to her, she dropped onto the couch.
“Same old.” She looked around. Sherry was sitting with Jake at the table doing math homework while Rita Mae was preparing dinner in the kitchen. “How about you?”
“I’m great actually. Listen, you won’t believe it.” Phil clicked his tongue. “We got banned from the Contaminated. They told us not to come back. Ever!”
“How the he—” She peeked over to Jake, who was busy doing his homework. “Um, I mean, how did that happen?”
“It’s kind of all your fault.” Phil chuckled. “We went there after your party got…ah, canceled. Anyway, Liam was a total fuck up. He powdered his nose together with a guy he had picked up as if there wasn’t going to be another day. First they were just dancing like maniacs on our table. But then all of a sudden they started fucking like rabbits. On the table for all to see.” Phil barked a laugh. “Can you imagine? Everybody and their dogs got out their phones. It’s even on YouTube. I tell you, that was the first live porn of my life. If you wanna see it, search for ‘Contaminated’ and ‘gay porn.’ About half an hour ago it was still up.”
Madison’s jaw dropped. Had there ever been a time when she would have found this funny?
“Mad? You still there?”
“Yeah. And no, thanks. I’ll just take your word for it.”
“You okay? Still pissed because of the party or what?”
“I’m sorry, okay? But you really could have tried harder to be quiet.”
Silence.
Finally, Phil said in an unusually serious voice, “Really, Mad, are you okay?”
“Sure, why?”
“You’re so different. Is it because of your sugar pie, or is something else going on with you? Got a bad diagnosis at the doctor or something?”
“No bad diagnosis.” But Phil was right. She wasn’t herself anymore. All this pretending for the damn inheritance was totally messing her up. The lines between the person she was and the one she was pretending to be became blurrier every day.
“Mad?”
“I…I’m not sure how to answer.”
“All this family stuff is messing with you.” He took a deep breath. “It almost happened to me too a while back, you know?”
“What are you talking about?”
“Yeah, well, last year there was this guy. Divorced. He had a son. We dated for about two months. I really liked him, but…I’m just not the settling-down type and neither are you.”
“Last year? Why didn’t you say something to me or the guys?” Or at least to her. They were best friends, dammit.
“It wasn’t serious, so nothing to tell.” After a slight hesitation, he asked, “But it’s different with you, isn’t it?”
And how different. She hated lying to him, but he was the biggest chatterbox in the States.
Out of nowhere, Jake appeared behind the couch. “Madison?”
Madison turned. “Yeah?” Into the phone she said, “Give me a minute.”
“Mom told me not to draw you a picture.” He fidgeted. “But I thought if I ask you, you, um, would let me. I mean, the drawing is for you, not for Mom, so…” He looked up at her with a hopeful expression.
Sherry came from the hall, probably from a visit to the bathroom. “Baby, what are you and Madison talking about?”
Jake spun around. “Nothing.”
“Shall we talk another time?” Phil asked.
Madison suppressed a sigh. “Yeah. That might be better. I’ll call you later.” Their conversation wasn’t over yet, and she had to think about what to tell him when they spoke next time, but for now she had to talk to Jake.
They said their goodbyes, and Madison put down her cell on the coffee table.
“Don’t lie to me, Jake.” Sherry came closer. “You wanted to ask Madison if you could draw something for her, didn’t you?”
Jake nibbled his lower lip.
The gesture reminded Madison of Sherry. “Jake, I asked your mom to tell you not to draw something for me.”
An expression of hurt crossed Jake’s young face. “Oh.”
His sadness hit her in the chest. “But maybe a drawing wouldn’t be such a bad idea after all. I mean, um, we could hang it up somewhere.”
Like a switch had been turned on, Jake grinned at her.
And she had caused that. Oh my, she really was changing.
Chapter 20
Madison walked past Jake’s door just as Sherry sat down on the edge of his bed to read him a bedtime story. As if under a spell, Madison stopped to listen.
Sherry had just opened the book of fairytales when Jake asked, “Mom, why did Mrs. Burlinski act so weird today after you told her Madison is your partner?”
He’s picked up on that? Of course he had. Jake had been standing beside them. How could she have been so naïve to believe he wouldn’t have heard this exchange just because he was a kid? As a child, she’d also heard everything Grandmother Eileen said about her as if Madison hadn’t been standing right beside her.
Madison leaned closer to see and hear Sherry’s reply.
Sherry was pale. Instead of answering, she put the book of fairytales on the nightstand and gazed to the door, as if knowing that Madison was there and begging her for help.
Dammit! Guess you have to say something now. Hesitantly, she entered the room, closed the door, and sat down in front of Jake’s bed.
But before she could think of something to say, Sherry took a deep breath and said, “Tony’s mother doesn’t like that Madison and I get along so well.”
Jake tilted his head. “Why not?”
Sherry rubbed her forehead with one hand as if that would help her think of a good answer.
It wouldn’t do to tell Jake some kind of fairytale or lie. Even though Madison had told Sherry it would be fine, it was possible that he would be mobbed for being the supposed child of two lesbians.
Yes, it was a fake relationship, but telling anybody wasn’t an option. That left telling Jake about their relationship. Not that it was Madison’s job to do that. However, now that she was here anyway… “Jake, do you know what a lesb—”
“Madison!”
“What? Don’t you think he should—”
“Yes, but I’ll do it.”
For once, she wanted to help, and that’s what she got. Madison stood. “Have fun explaining it to him, then.”
Sherry grabbed her leg. “No. Wait.” Again she rubbed her forehead. Did she have a headache? “Stay, please.”
Would she finally be able to decide how to do this? Jake was observing their interaction, so Madison sat back down. He had to believe them so that he could tell everybody convincingly that they were a couple. At some point he would meet her grandmother, and if he didn’t convince her that she and Sherry were together, their whole plan was in danger.
Sherry smoothed a strand of hair out of Jake’s face. “Do you remember when I told you that Madison is our friend?”
Jake nodded.
“And you know that I sleep in Madison’s bedroom.”
“Because Rita Mae snores so badly.”
Madison chuckled, but a stern expression from Sherry cut her off. Jesus, she’s really pissed today.
“Because of that and because I… Because I like sleeping in Madison’s bed.” Sherry swallowed. “We’re a couple.”
Jake frowned. “A couple?”
“Yeah,” Sherry croaked. “Like, a man and a woman are a couple sometimes.”
“But Mom,” Jake said. “You’re both girls!”
“And that’s why Mrs. Burlinski reacted so strangely,” Madison said, and this time Sherry didn’t complain about her speaking up.
Jake sat up. “Does that mean Madison is like Bob?”
“Who’s Bob?” Madison asked.
“The stepfather of one of the girls in the trailer park,” Sherry supplied, and to Jake she said, “It’s complicated.”
Madison rubbed her neck. “Well, your mother and I are a couple, but—”
“Does that mean I can call you Mom too?”
Sherry stared at him as if he had just grown two heads.
She should have been happy about his question. Calling her Mom would have been perfect for their charade. But this was no game. Not for Jake. And it felt all wrong. Madison held a hand to her suddenly cramping stomach.
Sherry took a deep breath. It sounded shaky. “It’s not important what you call someone, baby. It’s much more important that this someone is always there for you. And I and Rita Mae are.”
“And Madison,” Jake added, grinning.
“A…and Madison,” Sherry croaked. She forced a smile and tapped his nose. “Do you remember when you wanted to call Rita Mae ‘Grandma’?”
“Yeah, but she said she was too young for that.”
“And do you love her any less because you call her Rita Mae instead of Grandma?”
He shook his head.
“And do you think she loves you any less because you don’t call her that?”
“No.”
“See? That doesn’t change anything.”
“Madison?” Jake looked at her with a vulnerable expression on his little face.
“Yeah, grasshopper?”
“Will you always stay with us?”
Madison felt sick to her stomach, and her eyes started burning. His guarded yet hopeful expression was too much for her. She had to leave. Now. She jumped up.
Jake followed her movements like a hawk.
“I…” She cleared her throat. “We will always be friends. No matter what,” she forced out and tried to smile.
After some endless seconds, he nodded as if deciding that was enough. “Okay.”
“Good night,” Madison mumbled. She stumbled out of the room as fast as her legs would allow. Standing in the hall, in front of the closed door, she felt as if all the air had been sucked out of her lungs. A few deep breaths and it would be better. It had to be.
Don’t think about it. How often did Grandmother Eileen promise something and later didn’t give a shit about it? But as much as she tried telling herself it had been a necessary lie, a quiet but insistent voice told her that she wasn’t anything like the witch. And maybe, just maybe, she could keep her promise to Jake somehow.
After she had talked to Jake and read him his favorite bedtime story, Sherry felt drained. Trying to pretend she was fine was exhausting.
As if the rest of the day hasn’t been tough enough. It was hard to believe that Jake’s first day at school had been today and not a week ago. Maybe Rita Mae felt the same, and that was why she had wished everybody a good night right after she’d cleaned the kitchen.
Not even a long, hot shower and putting on her favorite PJs managed to slow her racing thoughts. That strangely didn’t stop her from walking toward Madison, who was lounging on the couch in the dark living room, staring down at her lap. “May I?” Sherry pointed to the other end of the couch.
“Sure.”
She sat down and took in the lights of the city shining through the impressive floor-to-ceiling window. As tempting as it was, she couldn’t ignore their conversation with Jake. They had to talk about it. But words escaped her.
Maybe starting with something else entirely would help. Madison seemed to use this tactic often. “Were you talking with Phil when Jake interrupted you earlier?”
Instead of answering, Madison raised her head to also stare through the glass. She nodded.
“I’m sorry that he interrupted you. I thought I raised him better than to disturb other people’s phone calls.”
Madison waved her off. “It’s fine.”
“Did you call him back?”
“Yeah.”
When nothing more was forthcoming, Sherry suppressed a sigh. I should head to bed. Madison was clearly not in the mood to chat. But was it because of their conversation with Jake or her discussion with Phil? On her way to the shower, she’d heard Madison getting loud and then slamming something that sounded like her cell onto the coffee table.
Not sure what to do, Sherry shifted. Maybe she should just go to bed, even though sleep probably wouldn’t come for a long while.
No. She had promised herself years ago never to take the easy way out, and she wouldn’t start doing it tonight. “Did you have a fight?”
Madison shrugged and took a huge swallow out of a glass that seemed to come out of nowhere.
Was that Madison’s way of telling her that she didn’t want to talk about it, or didn’t she know how to start the conversation either?
In Sherry’s opinion, Phil wasn’t exactly a great friend to Madison. They had probably fought somehow over the party, even though their conversation in the early evening had sounded civil. If they had been fighting, it was only because Madison had looked out for Jake that evening.
I owe her. She moved closer to Madison. “Try again.”
Madison tore her gaze away from the skyline. “Try? What?” She drained her glass.
The smell of alcohol burned Sherry’s nostrils. God, how she hated that smell. It wasn’t easy, but she ignored her instinct to move away. “To answer,” she forced out. “Try to answer.”
Madison put the glass on the coffee table and leaned back so that her face was thrown into shadow again. She seemed to prefer the anonymity of the darkness. “Phil told me that I’ve changed and that he wouldn’t know what to do with me anymore.”
“Does he want to end your friendship?”
“Nah, he’s been my best friend for years.”
“Is that mutual?”
Madison’s head jerked toward Sherry. “What do you mean?”
She had to treat this carefully, or Madison would jump up and leave or become aggressive. “When two people are in a relationship, they help each other, and they mean a lot to each other.” And that’s what Jake thinks about Madison and me now. Sherry forced this thought aside.
“Aha. And?”
“That’s how it’s supposed to be, but not how it is. At least not always.” Sherry also leaned back. “When we love someone, we hope that he…or she loves us back. We need this someone and hope that they need us too.” After a short hesitation she added, “That’s what I thought when I met Jake’s dad.”
Madison caught up with her and grabbed her elbow. “You’re totally overreacting.”
Sherry broke free of her touch and pressed the button.
Had she missed something? Why was Sherry’s reaction so over the top? And why had Sherry suddenly lost all respect for her? First at the Archer and now this?
Okay, at the Archer she had kind of liked it, but now Sherry had gone too far. Madison was still paying her after all.
“Did you see how she looked at us?”
“Who?”
“Mrs. Burlinski.”
“The homophobic owl?” Madison rolled her eyes. “Who cares what she thinks?”
“She’s gonna tell all the parents. What if they don’t let their kids play with Jake anymore? That would break his heart.”
“That won’t happen,” Madison said, but now Sherry’s words had made her worry too. Shoving the feeling aside, she added, “Maybe we’ll get some stares at parent-teacher conferences or stuff like that, but I really don’t think Jake will have any problems.”
Sherry shifted her weight. “How can you be so sure?”
“Because Jake is the cutest little boy there is. And everybody will want to be his friend.” Madison’s mouth snapped shut. Where had that come from? And had she just implied she would accompany Sherry to parent-teacher conferences?
The elevator doors opened, but they ignored it.
“And if not? He didn’t really have the chance to play with other kids in the past. Either they picked on him or there weren’t any to play with.”
“Why was he picked on? Because he was such a good student?”
Sherry shuffled her feet as if she was embarrassed by the answer. “There was that. You know, it’s important to me that he’s articulate, that it’s not obvious where he comes from as soon as he opens his mouth. You know that I don’t have money. And God knows he deserves better than what he’s had up till now. All I want is that he’ll have a chance in life. I want him to have all the opportunities I didn’t have.” She swallowed. “I want to teach him the importance of education. This means as much to me as him having a happy childhood. Our arrangement has the potential to give him both.” She shook her head as tears began to form in her eyes. “I don’t want him to be an outcast. Can’t you understand that?”
Madison was speechless. She hadn’t thought about what all this meant for Jake. And then there was Sherry. Yes, she was a mother. But until now, Madison hadn’t seen how hard Sherry tried to be a good one. A woman living in a trailer park, barely getting by but wanting to create a better future for her son and to give him a happy childhood. One she didn’t have herself.
Madison forced a smile, even though a wave of sadness threatened to drown her. “He’ll be fine.” She would do anything in her power to make that happen.
Sherry searched her face for a long time before lowering her gaze. “I’m sorry if I overreacted.”
“It’s okay. I…I will try to stay out of his upbringing. It’s none of my business.”
“You can tell me when you think I’m making a mistake with him. Rita Mae does that too. But tell me when he’s not there to hear it.”
“Got it.” We’re almost behaving like a real couple. This thought made Madison pause. Shaking her head, she pressed the button for the elevator again.
Sherry touched her forearm. “Thank you.”
Madison answered her with a forced smile.
“Hey, Mad, what’s up?” Phil asked as soon as Madison had accepted the call.
Reminding him that she wanted to be called Madison probably wasn’t the best idea after she’d kicked him out last weekend. Relieved that he was still talking to her, she dropped onto the couch.
“Same old.” She looked around. Sherry was sitting with Jake at the table doing math homework while Rita Mae was preparing dinner in the kitchen. “How about you?”
“I’m great actually. Listen, you won’t believe it.” Phil clicked his tongue. “We got banned from the Contaminated. They told us not to come back. Ever!”
“How the he—” She peeked over to Jake, who was busy doing his homework. “Um, I mean, how did that happen?”
“It’s kind of all your fault.” Phil chuckled. “We went there after your party got…ah, canceled. Anyway, Liam was a total fuck up. He powdered his nose together with a guy he had picked up as if there wasn’t going to be another day. First they were just dancing like maniacs on our table. But then all of a sudden they started fucking like rabbits. On the table for all to see.” Phil barked a laugh. “Can you imagine? Everybody and their dogs got out their phones. It’s even on YouTube. I tell you, that was the first live porn of my life. If you wanna see it, search for ‘Contaminated’ and ‘gay porn.’ About half an hour ago it was still up.”
Madison’s jaw dropped. Had there ever been a time when she would have found this funny?
“Mad? You still there?”
“Yeah. And no, thanks. I’ll just take your word for it.”
“You okay? Still pissed because of the party or what?”
“I’m sorry, okay? But you really could have tried harder to be quiet.”
Silence.
Finally, Phil said in an unusually serious voice, “Really, Mad, are you okay?”
“Sure, why?”
“You’re so different. Is it because of your sugar pie, or is something else going on with you? Got a bad diagnosis at the doctor or something?”
“No bad diagnosis.” But Phil was right. She wasn’t herself anymore. All this pretending for the damn inheritance was totally messing her up. The lines between the person she was and the one she was pretending to be became blurrier every day.
“Mad?”
“I…I’m not sure how to answer.”
“All this family stuff is messing with you.” He took a deep breath. “It almost happened to me too a while back, you know?”
“What are you talking about?”
“Yeah, well, last year there was this guy. Divorced. He had a son. We dated for about two months. I really liked him, but…I’m just not the settling-down type and neither are you.”
“Last year? Why didn’t you say something to me or the guys?” Or at least to her. They were best friends, dammit.
“It wasn’t serious, so nothing to tell.” After a slight hesitation, he asked, “But it’s different with you, isn’t it?”
And how different. She hated lying to him, but he was the biggest chatterbox in the States.
Out of nowhere, Jake appeared behind the couch. “Madison?”
Madison turned. “Yeah?” Into the phone she said, “Give me a minute.”
“Mom told me not to draw you a picture.” He fidgeted. “But I thought if I ask you, you, um, would let me. I mean, the drawing is for you, not for Mom, so…” He looked up at her with a hopeful expression.
Sherry came from the hall, probably from a visit to the bathroom. “Baby, what are you and Madison talking about?”
Jake spun around. “Nothing.”
“Shall we talk another time?” Phil asked.
Madison suppressed a sigh. “Yeah. That might be better. I’ll call you later.” Their conversation wasn’t over yet, and she had to think about what to tell him when they spoke next time, but for now she had to talk to Jake.
They said their goodbyes, and Madison put down her cell on the coffee table.
“Don’t lie to me, Jake.” Sherry came closer. “You wanted to ask Madison if you could draw something for her, didn’t you?”
Jake nibbled his lower lip.
The gesture reminded Madison of Sherry. “Jake, I asked your mom to tell you not to draw something for me.”
An expression of hurt crossed Jake’s young face. “Oh.”
His sadness hit her in the chest. “But maybe a drawing wouldn’t be such a bad idea after all. I mean, um, we could hang it up somewhere.”
Like a switch had been turned on, Jake grinned at her.
And she had caused that. Oh my, she really was changing.
Chapter 20
Madison walked past Jake’s door just as Sherry sat down on the edge of his bed to read him a bedtime story. As if under a spell, Madison stopped to listen.
Sherry had just opened the book of fairytales when Jake asked, “Mom, why did Mrs. Burlinski act so weird today after you told her Madison is your partner?”
He’s picked up on that? Of course he had. Jake had been standing beside them. How could she have been so naïve to believe he wouldn’t have heard this exchange just because he was a kid? As a child, she’d also heard everything Grandmother Eileen said about her as if Madison hadn’t been standing right beside her.
Madison leaned closer to see and hear Sherry’s reply.
Sherry was pale. Instead of answering, she put the book of fairytales on the nightstand and gazed to the door, as if knowing that Madison was there and begging her for help.
Dammit! Guess you have to say something now. Hesitantly, she entered the room, closed the door, and sat down in front of Jake’s bed.
But before she could think of something to say, Sherry took a deep breath and said, “Tony’s mother doesn’t like that Madison and I get along so well.”
Jake tilted his head. “Why not?”
Sherry rubbed her forehead with one hand as if that would help her think of a good answer.
It wouldn’t do to tell Jake some kind of fairytale or lie. Even though Madison had told Sherry it would be fine, it was possible that he would be mobbed for being the supposed child of two lesbians.
Yes, it was a fake relationship, but telling anybody wasn’t an option. That left telling Jake about their relationship. Not that it was Madison’s job to do that. However, now that she was here anyway… “Jake, do you know what a lesb—”
“Madison!”
“What? Don’t you think he should—”
“Yes, but I’ll do it.”
For once, she wanted to help, and that’s what she got. Madison stood. “Have fun explaining it to him, then.”
Sherry grabbed her leg. “No. Wait.” Again she rubbed her forehead. Did she have a headache? “Stay, please.”
Would she finally be able to decide how to do this? Jake was observing their interaction, so Madison sat back down. He had to believe them so that he could tell everybody convincingly that they were a couple. At some point he would meet her grandmother, and if he didn’t convince her that she and Sherry were together, their whole plan was in danger.
Sherry smoothed a strand of hair out of Jake’s face. “Do you remember when I told you that Madison is our friend?”
Jake nodded.
“And you know that I sleep in Madison’s bedroom.”
“Because Rita Mae snores so badly.”
Madison chuckled, but a stern expression from Sherry cut her off. Jesus, she’s really pissed today.
“Because of that and because I… Because I like sleeping in Madison’s bed.” Sherry swallowed. “We’re a couple.”
Jake frowned. “A couple?”
“Yeah,” Sherry croaked. “Like, a man and a woman are a couple sometimes.”
“But Mom,” Jake said. “You’re both girls!”
“And that’s why Mrs. Burlinski reacted so strangely,” Madison said, and this time Sherry didn’t complain about her speaking up.
Jake sat up. “Does that mean Madison is like Bob?”
“Who’s Bob?” Madison asked.
“The stepfather of one of the girls in the trailer park,” Sherry supplied, and to Jake she said, “It’s complicated.”
Madison rubbed her neck. “Well, your mother and I are a couple, but—”
“Does that mean I can call you Mom too?”
Sherry stared at him as if he had just grown two heads.
She should have been happy about his question. Calling her Mom would have been perfect for their charade. But this was no game. Not for Jake. And it felt all wrong. Madison held a hand to her suddenly cramping stomach.
Sherry took a deep breath. It sounded shaky. “It’s not important what you call someone, baby. It’s much more important that this someone is always there for you. And I and Rita Mae are.”
“And Madison,” Jake added, grinning.
“A…and Madison,” Sherry croaked. She forced a smile and tapped his nose. “Do you remember when you wanted to call Rita Mae ‘Grandma’?”
“Yeah, but she said she was too young for that.”
“And do you love her any less because you call her Rita Mae instead of Grandma?”
He shook his head.
“And do you think she loves you any less because you don’t call her that?”
“No.”
“See? That doesn’t change anything.”
“Madison?” Jake looked at her with a vulnerable expression on his little face.
“Yeah, grasshopper?”
“Will you always stay with us?”
Madison felt sick to her stomach, and her eyes started burning. His guarded yet hopeful expression was too much for her. She had to leave. Now. She jumped up.
Jake followed her movements like a hawk.
“I…” She cleared her throat. “We will always be friends. No matter what,” she forced out and tried to smile.
After some endless seconds, he nodded as if deciding that was enough. “Okay.”
“Good night,” Madison mumbled. She stumbled out of the room as fast as her legs would allow. Standing in the hall, in front of the closed door, she felt as if all the air had been sucked out of her lungs. A few deep breaths and it would be better. It had to be.
Don’t think about it. How often did Grandmother Eileen promise something and later didn’t give a shit about it? But as much as she tried telling herself it had been a necessary lie, a quiet but insistent voice told her that she wasn’t anything like the witch. And maybe, just maybe, she could keep her promise to Jake somehow.
After she had talked to Jake and read him his favorite bedtime story, Sherry felt drained. Trying to pretend she was fine was exhausting.
As if the rest of the day hasn’t been tough enough. It was hard to believe that Jake’s first day at school had been today and not a week ago. Maybe Rita Mae felt the same, and that was why she had wished everybody a good night right after she’d cleaned the kitchen.
Not even a long, hot shower and putting on her favorite PJs managed to slow her racing thoughts. That strangely didn’t stop her from walking toward Madison, who was lounging on the couch in the dark living room, staring down at her lap. “May I?” Sherry pointed to the other end of the couch.
“Sure.”
She sat down and took in the lights of the city shining through the impressive floor-to-ceiling window. As tempting as it was, she couldn’t ignore their conversation with Jake. They had to talk about it. But words escaped her.
Maybe starting with something else entirely would help. Madison seemed to use this tactic often. “Were you talking with Phil when Jake interrupted you earlier?”
Instead of answering, Madison raised her head to also stare through the glass. She nodded.
“I’m sorry that he interrupted you. I thought I raised him better than to disturb other people’s phone calls.”
Madison waved her off. “It’s fine.”
“Did you call him back?”
“Yeah.”
When nothing more was forthcoming, Sherry suppressed a sigh. I should head to bed. Madison was clearly not in the mood to chat. But was it because of their conversation with Jake or her discussion with Phil? On her way to the shower, she’d heard Madison getting loud and then slamming something that sounded like her cell onto the coffee table.
Not sure what to do, Sherry shifted. Maybe she should just go to bed, even though sleep probably wouldn’t come for a long while.
No. She had promised herself years ago never to take the easy way out, and she wouldn’t start doing it tonight. “Did you have a fight?”
Madison shrugged and took a huge swallow out of a glass that seemed to come out of nowhere.
Was that Madison’s way of telling her that she didn’t want to talk about it, or didn’t she know how to start the conversation either?
In Sherry’s opinion, Phil wasn’t exactly a great friend to Madison. They had probably fought somehow over the party, even though their conversation in the early evening had sounded civil. If they had been fighting, it was only because Madison had looked out for Jake that evening.
I owe her. She moved closer to Madison. “Try again.”
Madison tore her gaze away from the skyline. “Try? What?” She drained her glass.
The smell of alcohol burned Sherry’s nostrils. God, how she hated that smell. It wasn’t easy, but she ignored her instinct to move away. “To answer,” she forced out. “Try to answer.”
Madison put the glass on the coffee table and leaned back so that her face was thrown into shadow again. She seemed to prefer the anonymity of the darkness. “Phil told me that I’ve changed and that he wouldn’t know what to do with me anymore.”
“Does he want to end your friendship?”
“Nah, he’s been my best friend for years.”
“Is that mutual?”
Madison’s head jerked toward Sherry. “What do you mean?”
She had to treat this carefully, or Madison would jump up and leave or become aggressive. “When two people are in a relationship, they help each other, and they mean a lot to each other.” And that’s what Jake thinks about Madison and me now. Sherry forced this thought aside.
“Aha. And?”
“That’s how it’s supposed to be, but not how it is. At least not always.” Sherry also leaned back. “When we love someone, we hope that he…or she loves us back. We need this someone and hope that they need us too.” After a short hesitation she added, “That’s what I thought when I met Jake’s dad.”
