She waved me off weakly. "I do enough resting. Tell me more about work."
"Nothing to tell. Unless you want to hear about the new coffee machine in the break room. It makes these weird gurgling noises that sound like—"
"Madison Harper." Despite her condition, she managed to inject that special mom-tone that made me feel five years old again. "You're deflecting."
"I learned from the best." I gave her a pointed look.
She sank deeper into her pillows, her energy clearly flagging. "Just promise me you're taking care of yourself."
The guilt hit me like a punch to the gut. Here she was, worried about me, while I was considering becoming my boss's paid girlfriend to help her. Life had a sick sense of humor sometimes.
"I'm fine, Mom. Really." I squeezed her hand gently. "You focus on getting
