Even though she was sure Sherry hadn’t meant to hurt her, her words stung. “Do you think I would have left you, had it been me and not him?” Did Sherry think of her as irresponsible? She didn’t want to hear the answer to that, so she hastily said, “Forget I asked. Tell me instead, did you love him?”

Thankfully, Sherry let her first question go. “No. I wanted to be loved; that’s why I got involved with him. But what I truly wanted, what I needed, was a friend. Not a man getting me pregnant and taking off.”

How lonely must Sherry have been to start something with the first guy promising to be there for her? Good that she didn’t need love as much as Sherry obviously did.

They didn’t say anything for a while until Madison’s mouth started talking as if it had a life of its own. “What do you think it’s like to be in love?”

“I think you should ask Danielle about that.”

“I guess you’re right. On the other hand, it doesn’t really matter. Some people are just not made to fall in love.”

Sherry hummed in agreement.

“Sherry?”

“Yeah?”

“Are we okay?” It was a stupid question. Totally unnecessary. Sherry was working for her and that was it. But Madison still held her breath while waiting for an answer.

Sherry took Madison’s hand. “We’re good. Just don’t overdo it with your pretend affection, okay?”

Madison squeezed her hand then let go. “Okay. Good night.”

“Good night, Madison.” Sherry turned away from her.

Madison closed her eyes, hoping that sleep would come soon and that tomorrow would be less confusing than today had been.

Chapter 24

Chapter 24

“I really could get used to this,” Madison said, as she had almost every evening for the past weeks when they sat together at the dinner table. Humming, she shoved another forkful of vegetables into her mouth.

“Who cooked for you when you lived alone?” Rita Mae asked while passing the salad bowl around.

“Nobody. I got something delivered or heated something up in the microwave.”

“Always?” Jake asked.

Madison shrugged. “I don’t like to cook.”

“Madison?”

“Yes, grasshopper?”

“I can’t decide on what costume to wear for Halloween. Pirate or cowboy, what’s better?”

Was it okay for her to answer that? Don’t be ridiculous. This is about a costume, nothing else. And since their fight when Jake had started school almost two months ago, Sherry had not reprimanded her even once for voicing her opinion about something to Jake.

Sherry leaned over to her and whispered, “It’s his first real Halloween. I didn’t allow him to go from door to door asking for candy when we lived at the trailer park.”

A wise decision, without a doubt.

“What’s Tony’s costume?” she asked Jake.

“Darth Vader.”

“A classic,” Madison said with her mouth half full.