When Madison, wrapped in a huge towel, stepped back into her bedroom a few minutes later, her tiredness vanished when she saw Sherry lying in her bed.

Sherry had pulled her covers up to her chin and gave Madison’s every step her full attention.

Madison strolled to her dresser to get boxer shorts and a T-shirt. For Sherry’s sake, she wouldn’t sleep naked tonight. After she found her sleepwear, she loosened the tie to let the towel fall to the floor.

“Jesus, Madison!”

Chuckling, Madison dressed, picked up the towel to throw it onto the dresser, and went to bed. “Yeah?”

“I don’t need to see you walking around naked, you know?”

“Do you now?” At Sherry’s stern expression, Madison sighed. “Then don’t look.” After slipping under the covers, she faced away from Sherry. “Seriously, what’s your problem with seeing me naked? You’re not into women, so…”

Sherry shifted, and when Madison mirrored her, they were facing each other.

“I just don’t feel comfortable with it. Isn’t that enough?”

Even though it was fun to tease Sherry, it wasn’t worth fighting over. “It is.” She shifted to lie on her back and stared up at the ceiling. “Shall I turn off the light?” When Sherry didn’t answer, she bent toward the light switch above her nightstand.

“No. Wait. Please.”

Madison let her head fall back onto the pillow. “Okay.” Did Sherry want to start talking now after saying nothing in the car?

“I thought we should talk, after you were quiet on our way back.”

“I was quiet?” She turned back to her. Their faces were now uncomfortably close, but Madison refused to back off first. “You were the one who didn’t say a word on our way home.”

“Because I thought that’s what you wanted.”

Madison grinned. “And I thought you did.”

Sherry’s lips twitched, but then her expression became serious. “Do you think your grandmother bought it?”

“Hell, after that kiss in the driveway, even I almost bought it.”

Sherry blushed.

Madison giggled. “Are you embarrassed?”

“No.” She focused on her hands. “After all you pay me well enough to be convincing.”

“Oh, trust me, you were.”

Sherry cleared her throat. “So you think she believes your story?”

“Yes.” Without Sherry’s intervention things, would have gone downhill pretty fast, but now everything was just perfect. “You saved my ass back there.”

Silence.

Then, “Good.” As if struggling with herself, Sherry started nibbling on her lower lip again.

Madison couldn’t help finding it kind of cute. “Anything else you want to say?”

The nibbling stopped. “Your grandmother drinks a lot, doesn’t she?”

Madison sat up, leaning against the headboard. “And you drink nothing at all. Why?”

Instead of answering, Sherry rolled onto her back. After a while, she said, “I don’t care for alcohol.”