“Let’s not think that way. We have to be positive. You, of all people, should know this. Let’s say she beats this disease. She’s beautiful, at least when I last saw her she was; she’s kind, and we know her. I think she and Brent would make a perfect couple. Yes, we’ll have a few hurdles to jump, but promise me you’ll think about it.”

Lauren laughed. “I can do that, but first, we have to make sure she’s well. As in forever. I wouldn’t want”—she was going to say she didn’t want to strap Brent down with a dying woman, but that was too crude—“to pressure either one. But if she gets through this, I’ll do my part in steering Brent in her direction, or vice versa.”

“Tell me what you know about her illness,” Madison said, returning to the old sofa.

“Not much more than I told you yesterday. She has leukemia, that’s all I know. Oh, and her daughter, Charlotte, is a bone-marrow match. Lee needs a transplant, as in yesterday. She was going to be released last evening, and that’s why I asked James to step in, see if he could pull a few strings, keep her there a while longer. She’s doomed if she gets a cold, or any kind of infection. Frankly, that’s all I know about the disease. I probably have overstepped some boundary here, but she needed help.”

“And it’s genetically programmed in your DNA to help,” Madison said, though she was smiling. “Same as Brent’s.”

“Apparently,” Lauren agreed.

“Why do I feel like you’re not telling me everything? Remember, I know you.”

Madison knew her well. Lauren wanted to keep the financial end quiet, but if she was going to involve herself in Lee’s health, Madison was her best friend. Lauren wanted her to know what she’d committed to, even if it was only to herself.

“Yep, there’s more.”

“I’m listening.”

“This book contract is financially life-changing, though, of course, it depends on whether I can write it and it finds a home with a publisher.” She took a deep breath. “That aside, I was going to help fund Lee’s hospital bills.”

There. The cat was out of the bag.

Madison stared at her.

“Tell me if it’s not my business, but exactly how much is life-changing?”

They didn’t have secrets. Though they never discussed their financial situations in detail, Lauren knew Madison’s salary, knew Scott made a hefty wage, and Madison knew she was financially stable.

“Three-point-five million dollars’ worth.”

Madison’s lips formed a circle, but no sound came from her mouth.