“Anyway, I just got your message,” Janice continued. “I’m really impressed that you found your waitress and got her to do it. Call me when you’re home to talk about the details of the contract. Ah, you know what? Don’t call me. Who knows how long you’ll be partying tonight.”

“If only you knew.” Madison peeled off her blouse and threw it onto the couch.

“Call me tomorrow or send me a message to talk about everything. Good night.”

There was another beep and a second message played.

“Hello, Mad.”

With half-opened pants, Madison froze and stared at the answering machine. Was that Danielle’s voice?

“I know it’s been a while, but…” That was Danielle’s voice all right. “Maybe, um, we could do something together. Don’t know…meet for a drink or just talk. Call me if you’d like that. My number hasn’t changed.” Another beep and everything went quiet.

Madison sank onto the couch. She and Danielle hadn’t spoken for four or maybe five years. Since you got totally smashed, told her that you love her, and tried to kiss her. Looking back, she couldn’t understand how she could have done that. Danielle was her cousin, for Christ’s sake! Okay, they were only second cousins, but still… It had been nothing more than a crush, and in the light of day—without too much alcohol to cloud her judgment—an entirely platonic one. God, she had been so messed up emotionally back then. At least nowadays she saw things more clearly. Not just about Danielle but about the fact that she wasn’t capable of falling in love with anybody. She knew that now. At least about this one thing, Grandmother Eileen had been right about her.

Madison threw her pants on top of her blouse. Whatever Danielle’s reason to call, Madison’s feelings for her had changed. She stood and strolled toward the bathroom. Socks, her panties, and bra were discarded along the way.

The water pattering down on her felt heavenly. Was Sherry sleeping right now? That thought made her pause. Who cared what Sherry did?

Shaking her head at herself, Madison decided to get up before noon tomorrow to start planning all the moving—or to be precise, to find someone who could take care of it. Perhaps Janice would know someone. After all, Madison was many things, but she was not a person who bothered with details.

Chapter 7

Chapter 7

The hands of the clock in the waiting room seemed to creep around in slow motion. Jake had been taken to the operating room about an hour and a half ago. For Sherry, the wait seemed an impossible task.

Her favorite book, a novel about an Irish immigrant searching for a better life in America in the 1930s, usually helped her to escape to another world. But today she just couldn’t concentrate on Frank McCourt and his story, so she put the book into her bag.

She stood, giving in to her nervousness, and marched up and down the almost empty waiting room.