Sherry withdrew her hand. “If there’s ever something you want to talk about, no matter what, you can, you know?”

She expected a sarcastic or maybe even aggressive retort. Instead, Madison said, “Could you tell Jake not to draw me a picture?” After a second, she added, “Please.”

“Um, okay.” Clueless as to what had prompted this request, Sherry took the ice cream container out of the freezer.

Chapter 16

Chapter 16

With the city in front of her, Madison took a sip of her Rum and Coke. The evening rush-hour traffic on the other side of the floor-to-ceiling window sluggishly fought its way through the tight streets. It all seemed so far away.

The honking of some cars barely filtered through to her, and the excitement of the falling night with all its promises was blocked out by the thick glass in front of her.

Observing all this hustle and bustle as if she were just an impassive bystander gave her a few minutes of peace before the guys showed up. Or so she tried to tell herself.

Phil’s text message yesterday, letting her know when they would show up tonight without asking how she’d been, had hurt. He didn’t seem to care that they hadn’t spoken all week.

Madison took a healthy swig from her glass, and the alcohol burned in her throat. It felt good, and she relaxed. Obviously, she had been tense. Nothing better than a drink to calm your nerves.

“Madison?”

She turned and almost lost the grip on her glass. At the last moment, she caught it with her second hand.

Sherry walked toward her in a tight black cocktail dress that accentuated her breasts, and the high heels she wore made her look taller. Her blonde hair had been put up in a bun and revealed her long, kissable neck. Sherry was still too thin for her liking, but she’d never been this breathtaking.

Only a few inches away from Madison, Sherry stopped, fidgeting with the hem of her dress as if wanting to make it longer.

Madison drained her glass.

Sherry blushed. The soft red on her cheeks made her more attractive than any makeup ever could. Besides some eye shadow, which brought out her intense green eyes, Sherry didn’t seem to be wearing any makeup at all. “Is this okay?”

“Um…” Madison’s mouth was dry, and she was sorry to have emptied her glass already. She had to get another drink, and soon.

“You’re stunning,” Rita Mae said from the buffet she was arranging on the dinner table. “You’ll blow Madison’s friends away.”

“Thanks, Rita Mae.”

Madison just nodded, too tongue-tied to say anything. What the hell was up with her? It’s not as if she’s the first hot women you’ve seen.

Sherry had turned heads at her grandmother’s too. Her outfit had been more conservative, yes, but she had still looked nice.