“Horrors,” she teased.
Jordan shrugged easily. “I got over it. Not even a nick in the public image.”
“The carefully constructed persona stayed in place?”
“Fortunately for my sponsorship deals. Image is everything.”
Sera widened her eyes. “Wow, so I just put it all together...”
“What?”
“Doctors, nurses, therapists. They’re all uppermost in your subconscious.”
“Hold on, Dr. Freud.”
“You have a fixation with those in the health-care field because of your own sickly childhood.”
Jordan arched a brow. “So you’re saying that the reason I’m attracted to you is because you’re a physical therapist?”
“Bingo,” she concluded triumphantly, feeling a tingle of awareness at his admission that he wanted her.
&n
bsp; “How much psychology have you studied?”
“I took a few courses on the way to my PT degree, but that’s irrelevant.”
“Right,” he responded drily. “Here’s another theory for you. I like blondes. See? My theory even has the beauty of simplicity.”
Sera dropped her arms. “You’re not taking me seriously.”
Jordan tilted his head. “Don’t you want to argue that my attraction to blondes stems from the newborn period? You know, when I might have been placed next to babies with wisps of light hair in the hospital?”
Sera resisted rolling her eyes.
“Hey, you started this. Anyway, does it matter? You’re here, about to go on television—”
“Don’t remind me.”
“—and whether I like your physical-therapist scrubs or just women with cute blond ponytails is beside the point.”
Sera reluctantly admitted he had a point. Still, if she could pigeonhole and rationalize their—uh, his—attraction, it would be easier to manage. Aloud, she said, “Why do you like me? You shouldn’t, you know. We’re bad for each other. I come with strings attached as an in-law, and that’s contrary to your MO. And you’re the type of on-and-off the field player that I think should come with a warning label.”
“Maybe it’s the forbidden aspect that drives the attraction.”
“Maybe for you.” Damn it, he was right.
“Okay, for me,” he readily agreed and then checked his watch. “Ah, I’ve got to warn you before you go on—”
“What?” Sera’s sublimated nervousness kicked up a notch.
“My father will be in the audience, and he has delusions of getting on television.”
“He doesn’t know your mother’s show may get canceled?”
Jordan shook his head. “After his one guest appearance, he thinks he can make it better by becoming a staple on the program.”
“And why not?” Sera asked. “He’s about the only Serenghetti who hasn’t been on television regularly.”