“Thank you, Richard,” Grandmother Eileen said. “I propose we move on to our next agenda item, which is—”

Whatever her grandmother said next was lost on her. Would Sherry be able to finish up in time today? If so, they might be able to watch a movie together tonight. When Sherry was tired, she sometimes leaned her head on Madison’s shoulder, and one time she had even fallen asleep after Madison had wrapped an arm around her.

Even though Madison still had a hard time grasping why she’d started to enjoy physical contact recently—at least with Sherry and Jake—she was beginning to understand why some people liked to cuddle.

Watching Jake and Sherry caused such a profound feeling in her, but she just couldn’t name it. Sadness? Jealousy? Or…longing? As if! I have to stop thinking like that. I never liked to cuddle, so why should that change suddenly?

“Thank you, gentlemen.” Grandmother Eileen stood and went to the door, clearly expecting Madison to follow.

Madison shoved her notebook and pen into her briefcase and scurried after her.

“To my office.” Grandmother Eileen sashayed ahead.

Dammit! She’s realized that I wasn’t listening most of the time. “Yes, Grandmother.”

Walking through a waiting room, where Grandmother Eileen’s assistant Tiffany was sitting behind a desk, they entered the huge corner office.

Tiffany ended the call she had been on and followed them swiftly. “Good morning, Mrs. Fielding.” Turning back to Madison, she winked.

Madison winked back. The one-night stand with her three or four years ago had been great. Tiffany had been approaching forty back then and had kept Madison up all night. It was probably true that women reached their sexual peak around forty.

Tiffany’s gaze lingered a moment longer on her, then she focused back on Grandmother Eileen. “Is there anything I can bring you, ma’am?”

“Scotch on the rocks.”

The assistant nodded as if it were the most normal thing in the world to have a drink at eleven in the morning. She looked at Madison next.

“Nothing for me, thanks.”

Tiffany smiled, but it seemed insecure when she left the office. Was she surprised that Madison had thanked her? She hadn’t been that impolite with people assisting or serving her in the past, had she?

When the door to the outer office had been closed, Grandmother Eileen sat down in her gigantic executive chair and pointed to the seat on the other side of the huge desk. “Sit.”

Madison did.

Grandmother Eileen leaned back in her chair and scrutinized Madison with a piercing stare.

God, how much she hated it when her grandmother did that. But experience had taught her to just wait until Grandmother Eileen felt she’d played this power game long enough and was finally ready to talk.

There was a knock at the door when Tiffany returned with a glass filled with ice cubes and scotch almost to the rim.