Sheridan laid her needlepoint on her lap and picked up the phone on the second ring. “Hello?”
“Did I wake you?” The rich timbre of Matthew’s baritone voice sent tingles down her spine.
She wiggled her toes in excitement. He actually called. “No. I couldn’t sleep.”
“You have a moment?”
“Yeah.” She picked up her needlepoint again, cradling the phone between her shoulder and ear.
“I’m working on a presentation, and I haven’t found my attention-getter.”
“What’s it about?”
“Employee turnover.”
“Start with the amount of money a company loses each time they have to train someone who doesn’t stay for more than ninety days.”
He chuckled. “That’s not really why I called.”
“I know. You’ve had your presentation done for weeks, but I’m glad you called, anyway.”
“Really?”
She swallowed hard. She hadn’t meant to admit she was glad to hear from him, but the words had already been said, and she wasn’t prepared to lie to him. “Yes.” She cleared her throat. “I’ve made my decision.”
“Okay.”
“I’ll do what you ask on one condition.”
“I’m listening.”
“Don’t ever ask me why I left.”
He remained silent for so long she pulled the phone from her ear and checked the display screen to make sure he hadn’t disconnected the call.
“But…” He fell silent again. “Fine. I’ll agree if you share the same bed with me. We’re not doing separate rooms and all that crap.”
She almost laughed. “What is this, quid pro quo?”
“I get what I want, and you get what you want. What’s the harm in that?”
At the moment, she couldn’t see any harm. All that mattered was he not ask her again why she left. “None, I guess. What time?”
“Does tomorrow afternoon work for you?”
“All right.”
“I’ll drop the keys off at the store before I go to work. What time will you be there?”
“Any time after six. I have inventory,” she responded.
“So early? And here I am keeping you awake. I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be.” She would’ve been up anyway, and she enjoyed talking to him, despite everything. “I’ll see you in the morning. Goodnight.”
“Goodnight. Oh, and Sheridan?”
“Yes?”
“Thanks.”
The line went dead. Sheridan slowly returned the phone to the cradle and turned the ringer off. The soft smile she wore moments ago faded. She was going back home. She clasped a hand over her pounding heart. What had she agreed to? Panic seized her and shook her hard. She and Matthew would be in the same bed. Had she lost her mind? She breathed deep.
The situation wasn’t permanent. She was merely helping Carolyn so she could get Sean back as quickly as possible. The thought steadied her. And speaking of Carolyn…
Music moves me, to laugh or sing or cry . . . is a line from a song I used to sing as a kid. This holds true today. I write by music and it varies depending on the mood I need to set. I’ve listened to Luther Vabdross’ If Only for One Night on repeat just to get the right sensual romantic setting for a scene in The Pick-Up Wife, or The mournful wail of a blues serenade to tug at the heartstrings in Seducing His Wife. 
