“It’s not what you think.” She pointed below her desk. “I had problems with the connecting cables of my computer. If we’d called the technician, it would have taken forever, and I have a meeting in an hour and need to prepare for it. So Olivia and I checked the connections ourselves. This way I also hoped to be done before you arrived, and then you were downstairs and…” Her shoulders slumped.

All her anger evaporated at seeing Madison so flustered. No way would Madison react like this if there had been something going on between her and her assistant. A smile curved Sherry’s lips. Who would have thought that a rambling Madison could be so cute? “It’s okay.”

Madison circled the desk to stand in front of her. “I would never cheat on you.” She cleared her throat. “Um, I mean—”

“I know what you mean.” A strange feeling swept over her. Relief? Maybe. But there was also something else she refused to take a closer look at.

“You promised to show me around, and here I am. And if I understood you correctly, you have less than an hour before you have to be at a meeting.”

Madison’s whole body relaxed. “Yeah. Of course.” She was still standing in front of Sherry, but as much as she wanted to show her around, the urge to hug her prevailed. Hesitantly, she opened her arms.

Sherry didn’t move but tilted her head.

Dumb, dumb, dumb. You’re behaving like a little kid.

Just when Madison let her arms sink again, Sherry stepped forward and wrapped her arms around Madison’s waist.

Madison held Sherry as if she or at least their connection could break at any moment. But what she really wanted to do was to hold her as tightly as she could and never let go.

They had barely seen each other over the past few weeks. Either Madison was working all day or Sherry had to work longer in the days leading up to Christmas.

“That feels good.” Sherry voiced what Madison never would have dared to. With a sigh, she snuggled her face between Madison’s shoulder and neck.

“Yeah,” Madison whispered. Her heart was racing. It was the first time they admitted enjoying each other’s closeness. Sherry had obviously missed her too.

They held each other for a while; neither seeming in a hurry to let go.

When Sherry finally took a step back, she was gazing at Madison with a serious expression on her beautiful face.

It was as if their eyes had a silent conversation, but as much as Madison tried, she couldn’t understand what was said.

Does she want to kiss me?

Rather than moving closer, Sherry turned to face the office’s floor-to-ceiling window. “What a view. But I still like the one at home better.”

At home. Did the apartment really feel like a home for Sherry?