36

"Jake?" Cherry whispered as she approached the man chopping wood.

So, thinking about him conjured him up, huh? Her mind sure had a way of playing tricks on her.

Cherry inwardly scoffed at herself. My mind is quite something, she thought.

When Jerald turned around and looked at her, thinking she was Ixora, he said, "Oh, you're here, Ixora? I was starting to wonder if you were going to come toda...wait, what did you call me?" He hadn't heard the name clearly at first.

As he turned to face her properly, Cherry realized that it wasn't Jake. "Never mind, what were you saying?" she stammered.

She was momentarily speechless, staring at this man who turned out to be Jerald. No wonder her twin had a nervous breakdown in front of him; he looked like a Greek god, perfectly built and incredibly handsome.

Cherry waited for her usual excitement to kick in, the typical giddiness that overwhelmed her when she saw any of God's perfectly masculine creations. However, she felt nothing for this beautiful