A tingle of anticipation ran down Brooklyn’s spine as she thought about her date with Dax this evening. He’d been secretive about his plans, but assured her she would love it. And she was sure she would. Dax had a talent for sucking the marrow out of each day, taking pleasure in the simple things. She wondered if he’d been the same way before his accident, or if his appreciation for everyday things came afterwards. It didn’t matter. Dax was who he was, and she was grateful she was the recipient of what he’d become.

Her doorbell rang. She frowned. She was meeting Dax at his house. Maybe it was someone selling something. Daybreak was a hotbed for sales people. Brooklyn had considered putting up a “no soliciting” sign beside her door, but never got around to doing it. She almost didn’t answer the door, but thought she’d better check in case it was someone other than a sales person. Her heart started pounding when she looked through the peephole and saw who it was.

She drew in a breath and composed herself before opening it. “Madison. What’re you doing here?”

“May I come in?” she asked, a strained expression on her face.

She really didn’t have time for this. “Sure.” She stepped back and allowed Madison to enter.

Madison went straight to the couch and sat down, leaving Brooklyn no alternative but to follow.

Normally, Madison dressed to the nines, making sure her makeup and hair were perfect. But today, she was wearing jeans and a frumpy t-shirt. Her hair was stringy, there were dark circles under her eyes, mascara and eyeliner residue were her only makeup. Brooklyn’s brows drew together. “Are you okay?”

Madison attempted to smile, but her expression crumbled like a dry cookie, and she burst into tears.

The outburst took Brooklyn off guard, making her intensely uncomfortable. Brooklyn hated seeing anyone suffer. Her first instinct was to put her arms around Madison, but they’d never had that kind of relationship. Instead, she clasped her hands tightly in her lap, waiting for Madison’s tears to subside so she could express her feelings.

“I’m sorry,” Madison gulped, wiping at the tears. She drew in a ragged breath, trying to get control. She looked at Brooklyn, anguish twisting her features. “Justin’s having an affair.” Her voice broke. “I—It’s been going on for over a year.” She closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose. A moment later, when she opened her eyes, the hurt was replaced with a smoldering anger. “I just can’t believe he would do this to me.” She clenched her jaw. “I thought we had something real, you know?”

“So, did I,” Brooklyn said quietly.

Madison’s head shot up, and a for a moment, Brooklyn thought she would lash out, but then a look of understanding came over her. “Yes, you do know.”

Brooklyn rocked back, surprised. It was the first time Madison had so much as hinted at the pain she and Justin had caused her. “I know Justin was the one who kissed you.”

Relief flooded over Brooklyn. Then she jerked slightly. “Wait a minute. How do you know?”

Madison let out a harsh laugh. “I heard the two of you arguing after I ran back to my room.”

“But you slammed the door shut.”

“I reopened the door. I was upset, not stupid,” she snipped, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear.

Brooklyn couldn’t help but chuckle. That was the Madison she knew. Crafty to the nth degree. “I’m glad you know the truth.” Her next thought instantly rekindled her anger. “If you knew all along why did you tell Mom otherwise? She’s been breathing down my neck, thinks I’m a terrible person.”

Madison let out a long sigh. “I was angry, and I didn’t want to believe it. Mom just assumed … and I let her.”

“Of course you did,” Brooklyn said, leveling a glare that made Madison squirm. “You need to call Mom and set the record straight.”

“Oh, don’t worry,” she pouted. “I will.”

“Today,” Brooklyn said firmly.

“Okay, already.” She rolled her eyes.

Brooklyn’s jaw tightened. “This isn’t some game. Mom’s beside herself, worried about you.”

Fresh tears brimmed in Madison’s eyes as she nodded, then looked away.

Brooklyn felt herself soften. Even though Madison was petty and insensitive, she didn’t deserve to be cheated on. “For what it’s worth, I’m sorry you’re going through this. Justin’s a scumbag.”

Her lower lip trembled, and she bit down to make it stop. “I’m afraid it gets worse,” she said hoarsely.

Brooklyn stiffened. Was Madison pregnant? She braced herself, even as she voiced the questions. “Worse? How so?”

“Justin drained our bank account. Maxed out our credit cards.” She hesitated. “I thought he’d been paying the rent, but he hasn’t. We got an eviction notice.” A wild look came into her eyes. “I have no place to live and no money.” Her hands started shaking.

This was bad. Really bad. Surely Madison wasn’t suggesting that she live here. That would be a nightmare! “You could go live with Mom and Dad in California.”

Brooklyn gave her an incredulous look. “And leave my job? That’s the only thing I have going for me.”

“You’re a receptionist at a dental office. I don’t think it’ll be hard to find a similar position in California.” Not to sound mean, but she had to call it as it was. Otherwise, Madison would take advantage of her, like she always had.

Madison’s eyes sparked as she straightened in her seat. Her words came out clipped. “I’m the office manager, thank you very much. Ron depends on me to run his office.”

“Who’s Ron?”

“The dentist.”

A suspicion formed. “Please don’t tell me you’re involved with the dentist.”

“Ew! No, he’s sixty years old.” She gave Brooklyn a disgusted look. “Give me some credit.”

She spread her hands. “I’m just trying to get a handle on the situation. That’s all.”

Madison’s eyes met hers. “Can I stay with you? Long enough to get back on my feet?”

Please, no! It went through Brooklyn’s mind that Madison must be desperate to come to her. As much as she disliked her sister, she didn’t want her to end up homeless. Madison had become the proverbial stray she couldn’t turn away. Still, the two of them living in the same house? They could hardly co-exist in the same town. She shook her head. “I wanna help, I really do, but I just don’t think it would work. Don’t you have friends you could stay with?”

Desperation coated her voice. “All of my friends are married with families. I know you and I haven’t always gotten along, but we could make it work.”

Brooklyn had to fight the urge to laugh in her face. “You’ve always despised me.”

“That’s not true.”

“Is too.”

“Is not,” Madison insisted, her face reddening. “You’re the one who hates me, because I’m not goody, goody like you.”

Brooklyn’s mouth went slack. “You and I both know that’s not true.”

Madison scooted forward. “Is too.” Her voice cracked. “You’ve hated me ever since I married Justin.”

There was an element of truth to that. “If we’re speaking openly, then, no, I didn’t appreciate you stealing my boyfriend and marrying him.” She didn’t try to hide the resentment in her voice.

“You and Justin were over before I ever started seeing him.”

Brooklyn shook her head. “You know, Sis, you can’t just rewrite history to suit your fancy. You and I both know what happened.”

Madison’s eyes went round, and she had the look of a cornered deer. “It’s true. That’s what Justin told me.”

“Yes, and he also told you he loved you and would be faithful to only you.”

Tears rolled down Madison’s cheeks. “You’re right.”

“What?”

“I said you’re right. I never should’ve trusted him.” Remorse hung heavy in her voice. “He betrayed both of us.”

Brooklyn blew out a breath. She’d rather have a root canal rather than let Madison move in with her. Heck! She’d rather have ten root canals. But she didn’t have it in her to turn her away. Not when she was this low. Maybe Nicole was right. She was a bleeding heart, always trying to save the world—or at least her sister. Still, it irked her that she was being put in this situation. It was a fine line between helping Madison and letting Madison walk all over her. She clenched her jaw. “You certainly have a knack for bulldozing your way around to get what you want.”

Madison lifted an eyebrow. “You didn’t seem to mind when I took out Tommy Harris on the playground in the third grade when he called you a carrot head.”

Brooklyn’s eyes widened, then she chuckled. “Yes, you did. I’d forgotten about that.” She softened. Then she took in a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Okay, you can move in.” Even as she spoke the words, she knew she would regret it.

Madison’s face brightened.

Brooklyn held up a finger. “But only temporarily.”

Her lips formed a grateful smile. “You won’t regret it.”

I already do, she wanted to say, but instead gave her a tight smile. “I hope not.” She jumped up. Madison’s visit had zapped her time. She was supposed to be at Dax’s house ten minutes ago. “I have to go. I’m late for an appointment.”

Madison stood. “Oh, okay.”

“When do you want to move in?”

“Is tomorrow okay?”

Her jaw went slack. “Tomorrow? So soon?”

“Yeah, if that’s okay.” Madison’s eyes narrowed. “We have to move out by the end of the month, but I don’t want to spend another day with that creep.”

“You know Mom comes in tomorrow night, right?”

“Yeah.”

“It might be a little crowded with the three of us. Are you sure you can’t make it work at your place until the end of the month?”

Tears pooled in Madison’s eyes as she slowly shook her head. “I don’t think I can.”

“Fine. Mom will be in the guest bedroom. You can either make a pallet in my office or sleep on the couch.”

A smile broke over Madison’s face as she wiped away her tears with the palms of her hands. “That sounds great. Thank you so much,” she gushed. “I really appreciate this. You just don’t know how much it means.”

Brooklyn held up a hand. “I get it. You’re welcome,” she said tersely. Always the drama queen, Madison was laying on the praise a little thick.

Madison tilted her head. “So, where are you off to?”

“To spend time with a friend.” The less Madison knew about her love life the better.

A ghost of a smile stole over her lips. “A male friend?”

“Yes.”

“Ramsey? Mom’s been telling me great things about him.”

She wrinkled her nose. “No, not Ramsey.”

“Is it Dax?”

Brooklyn flinched, then she threw back her head, her lips forming a thin line. “Mom’s been blabbing my business.”

“Oh, she might’ve said a little. You know how Mom is.”

“Yes, I do,” she said icily. She made up her mind then and there that if Madison mentioned one word about going to the stupid Valentine’s dance with him, she was going to throw her out—sister or not. After all, her kindness could only extend so far.

“Well, have a good time. I’ll be back tomorrow. What time do you normally get off work?”

“The shop closes at six, and I usually get home around six thirty.”

“Great.” Her eyes locked with Brooklyn’s. “Thank you,” she said sincerely. “I really appreciate what you’re doing.”

“You’re welcome,” Brooklyn uttered and was surprised when Madison stepped up and gave her an awkward hug.

“See you tomorrow.”

“Okay.”