Sherry sent her a sour look.

Madison stared back while biting the inside of her cheek so as not to crack up.

“And be nice and friendly to everyone,” Sherry said, refocusing on Jake.

“I will, Mom.”

“It’s time.” Sherry hugged him for the probably twentieth time. “Have fun and please don’t run. You still have to take it slow.”

“Yeah, Mom.” He let go of Sherry and smiled at Madison.

What now?

He extended his arms.

Oh. Well, why not? She bent down and opened her arms.

Without hesitation, Jake fell into them.

In an automatic gesture, Madison squeezed him. A whirlwind of emotions, too complex to name, flooded her senses. It reminded her of how he had cuddled up to her a two nights ago.

She let go of him. “See you later, grasshopper,” she said in a rough voice.

Jake’s eyes were shining at the nickname. “You’ll both pick me up, right?”

Madison nodded because her voice failed.

Enthusiastically, Jake took two stairs at a time toward the school’s entrance.

“Not so wild,” Sherry called.

On top of the stairs, he turned and waved.

Sherry waved back, and to her surprise, Madison realized that her hand had risen on its own.

When Jake had disappeared within the building, Sherry said, “You and Jake seem to be getting along well.”

Madison shrugged even though Sherry was still focused on the entrance and couldn’t see her response.

Sherry turned to look at her with a serious expression. “Please don’t hurt my baby.”

An unexpected pain hit Madison in the chest. “Why do you think I’d hurt Jake?”

Sherry sighed. “I’m thankful that you take care of us and that you try to be nice to Jake.” She took a deep breath, then a second, as if the following words were hard for her to say. “But when this is over, we’ll go our separate ways, and the more Jake bonds with you, the harder it’ll be for him when we leave.” Sherry spun around and strode to the car with Madison staring after her.

She’s right. For a moment, it had felt as if they were a real family, but now reality had showed its ugly face. They were pretending to be a family, nothing more. You’ve got into your role a little too much. Don’t forget who and what you are. Because if there was one thing she knew, it was that she wasn’t a family person.

Resting her chin on her hand, Madison watched Sherry balance empty glasses and plates on a tray with just one hand while walking toward the kitchen. Sherry had an elegance to her movements that belied the simple task. Her hips were swaying as she gave a friendly smile to the customers on her left and right. Her cheeks were slightly flushed, which only added to her natural beauty.