“Don’t worry, things’ll get better,” she cooed at me, as if she knew I was fighting this intense attraction to her, yet deliberately keeping some kind of mental tease and torture up.

“Really now?” I asked drily, repeating her question of a few minutes ago.

“A lawyer, a lawyer,” she answered with a teasing laugh, immediately understanding my implicit reference and then repeating our sequence of a few minutes ago. So she’d heard me mutter that. Wench. Of course, she had to have a wicked sense of humor.

Add that to the mix. As if she wasn’t irresistible enough already.

Sheryl was shaking her head, clearly lost in the quick give-and-take between Harley and me, but then brightened up, as if she’d just thought about something.

“Harley, why don’t you and Aerin go off together, and pick up the stuff from the garden store, like you’d offered, and then from there you and she can go to that appointment you had with your friends. In that Italian restaurant down by Venice Beach?!” she said excitedly.

My mouth dropped open.

No. No, no, no, no, no. Can’t you see, Sheryl? The plan is for me to stay away from Harley. Not spend more time with her!

Sheryl went on to explain things to me hurriedly, “Harley told me while you were in the rest room that the reason she’s not joining Jack (I couldn’t help my grimace, which I’m sure Harley had picked up) is that she’s supposed to meet up with her college friends. One of them is getting married, and …”

Harley interrupted her, “I’m sure Aerin is tired out from her long trip, Sheryl. I can get the garden stuff on my own, drop them off at your place, and then go join my friends. No big deal, really.”

“Nonsense, Harley,” Sheryl said tapping on Harley’s hand that rested on the table, and then smiled, at both of us in turn, “you see my ulterior motive here is for the two of you to get along so that Aerin will agree to allowing you to continue renting the house and then buying it, ultimately!”

How could I explain to her that I was willing to sign any paper right now that would guarantee that I’d no longer have to deal with Harley? Maybe I could ask Helena or someone to find me a lawyer who could draw up the papers, and handle that for me?