Sherry folded her arms in front of her chest and pressed her lips together.

What the hell was her problem? Hopefully, she wouldn’t be this bitchy all the time. After paying and finally collecting the food, Madison drove to a parking spot where she shut off the engine.

She fished out Sherry’s burger and fries, and when Sherry hesitantly accepted it, Madison got out her salad and plastic fork. The cheap meal sitting on her lap stole what was left of her appetite. She hadn’t been very hungry to begin with.

Sherry, on the other hand, should have been starving, but she just eyed her food as if thinking about how to eat it.

Maybe she would start eating if Madison did. Against her better judgment, Madison opened her plastic-encased salad and speared one piece of fried chicken. It felt like rubber in her mouth. She swallowed after barely chewing it. “You need the calories.”

Sherry still didn’t move.

What the hell was her problem? “Eat.” Madison switched on the dome light and pointed toward the Coke between them. “And drink.” When Sherry still didn’t move, she added, “It’s impolite not to eat when someone else invites you.”

“I didn’t ask you to.” But despite her words, Sherry took the burger out of its wrapping. “Thanks.” She stared at the burger as if it were a fruit from the Garden of Eden.

“What are you waiting for?”

Sherry looked at her with a guarded expression. “Why are you doing this?”

Madison put the plastic fork down. Even though she couldn’t eat more of this, she said, “I’m hungry, and I thought you were too.”

“No, um, I mean, yeah.” Sherry sighed as if frustrated with herself. “I was talking about your offer.” When Madison took a moment to answer, she studied the burger and finally took a bite. Then a second.

About time. Madison leaned back in her seat. “Why I make this offer doesn’t concern you. It’s on the table.” She faced Sherry, who had already finished half the burger. “If you want to keep stumbling through life like this, go ahead. But if you don’t want to worry about money anymore and want to be sure that your kid is taken care of, you’d better accept my offer.”

Instead of answering, Sherry looked at her over the straw of the Coke she was sucking on.

Madison’s mouth went dry. Sherry might be a little too much on the skinny side for her taste, but she was still an attractive woman, and the vision of her mouth caressing the straw of her drink was doing unmentionable things to Madison’s stomach.

The straw popped out of her mouth. “What exactly would I have to do?”

“Convince people that you, I, and the boy are a happy family. You move into my apartment and—”