Yesterday's Scandal. Gina Wilkins

Jerry always had that slightly condescending tone when he talked about her work, or was she simply being oversensitive this evening? Whatever the cause, this conversation was beginning to annoy her as much as his criticism of the way she was watching out for her brother.

      “I’ll make sure he isn’t,” she said, and stood. “Who wants dessert? I baked a strawberry cake.”

      Brad and Jerry both eagerly accepted the offer.

      As Sharon stood alone in the kitchen slicing cake, she found herself thinking that maybe she shouldn’t see so much of Jerry for a while. She’d gotten into the habit of hanging out with him without really thinking about where the relationship was going. She hadn’t liked the note of possession in his voice when he’d quizzed her about working for Mac. Was he under the impression that they had an exclusive relationship?

      As far as she was concerned, she and Jerry were friends. They weren’t lovers. Jerry had broached the possibility a time or two, but Sharon had always put him off. She wasn’t ready to take that step, she’d told him. She didn’t think it set a good example for Brad. Both were legitimate excuses, but the truth was, she simply hadn’t wanted to become that intimately involved with Jerry. Something had always held her back.

      Maybe it was because he’d never taken her breath away just by looking into her eyes, a small voice whispered inside her head. He had never caused a jolt of electricity to go through her with a simple brush of his hand. She had never actually reacted to any man’s touch that way—until Mac.

      The cake server slipped from her hand, clattering against the tile floor. The noise roused her from her disturbing thoughts, clearing away the image of Mac’s gleaming dark eyes.

      “Are you okay in there?” Jerry called out from the other room.

      “I’m fine,” she answered, her tone sharper than she had intended. She immediately regretted it. It wasn’t Jerry she was angry with, it was herself. She was simply going to have to get herself under control when it came to Mac Cordero. And she was going to have to take charge of this situation with Jerry. It wasn’t fair of her to lead him on.

      Maybe it would be better if she simply concentrated on her brother and her business, at least for the next few weeks.