“Penguins have no wings.”

She heard the words but couldn’t process them.

“But the man…and then he said…birds.”

“Yeah, honey.” Had that been the right answer? Her mind was fuzzy, and all she could think of was sleep.

“But…swim so good?”

When Jake nudged her, she tore her eyes open. “I’m sorry, what was that?”

“Why can’t penguins fly but swim so good? I mean, they are birds, so…”

Sherry blinked. “Um, their wings are too small to fly. That’s why they use them to be good swimmers.”

“Oh, okay. It’s like Rita Mae says, right? Always make the best of what you have.”

Exhaustion threatened to overwhelm Sherry, but she struggled to stay awake for another moment. Lovingly, she caressed his soft hair and kissed his forehead. “Right. I love you, Jake.”

He gave her a sloppy kiss on the cheek. “I love you too, Mom.”

Holding him close, she finally allowed sleep to claim her.

Chapter 2

Chapter 2

The first thing Madison noticed when she woke up was her splitting headache. “God.”

“That’s exactly what you said last night,” a voice beside her whispered in her ear as a naked body pressed against her. “So, does that mean you want more?”

Groaning, Madison pushed the young woman away. “No.” She forced her eyes open. Thank God the shutters were down to protect her from the no doubt glaring sunlight. She fished a bottle of aspirin out of the drawer in the nightstand, popped a couple of pills into her mouth, and washed them down with the remains of a beer sitting there. “Ugh.”

“Can I have some too?” the woman behind her asked.

Madison dragged herself out of bed. “Be my guest.” She stood, tossed her the bottle, and trudged toward the bathroom. Halfway there, she stopped and looked over her shoulder. “Last night was nice. See you around.” Without waiting for a response, she stepped into the bathroom and closed the door. Hopefully, the woman would take the hint and be gone by the time Madison was out of the shower.

When Madison returned, dressed in a fluffy bathrobe, the woman—whatever her name was—had disappeared.

A noise from the living room made her groan. Damn! Shouldn’t have counted my chickens before they’d hatched. As she walked into the living room, she shielded her eyes with one hand against the light streaming in through the half-closed shutters. Finally, she could see the chaos surrounding her in all its glory. Bottles of beer, wine, champagne, and tequila, as well as empty bags of potato chips and pizza boxes, were lying everywhere.

Phil was sprawled out on the couch, and a half-naked blonde lay across the shag rug. She was holding an empty wine bottle between her huge fake boobs, which were barely hidden under a skimpy bikini top.