Riding the Storm (43 page)

several
times
that
there
was
nothing
between
her
and

Storm
and
that
any
future
involvement
with
him
was
out
of
the
question.
They
each
had
a
different
agenda.
To

consider
a
possible
relationship
between
them
would
only
complicate
things.
What
they
had
shared
in
New
Orleans,
just
great
sex,
was
over.

Placing
her
purse
on
the
counter
that
separated
the
kitchen
from
her
dining
room,
she
started
sorting
through
the
mail
she
had
retrieved
from
her
mailbox
and
smiled
when
she

saw
a
letter
from
the
fertility
clinic.

Tearing
it
open,
she
quickly
scanned
the
contents
and
her
smile
widened.
It
was
a
letter
reminding
her
of
the
physical
that
was
scheduled
for
the
next
week
and
information
about
the
insemination
procedure.

Placing
the
letter
in
the
drawer,
she
laughed,
feeling
elated,
happy
beyond
words.
She
anxiously
awaited
that
day—

after
the
procedure
was
done—when
a
doctor
would

confirm
she
was
pregnant.
Although
Lisa
didn’t
totally

agreed
with
what
she
planned
to
do,
at
least
her
friend

would
be
there
to
support
her.
And,
of
course,
Lisa
had

agreed
to
be
her
child’s
godmother.

In
her
heart,
Jayla
believed
things
would
work
out.
She
had
a
good
friend
who
would
stand
by
her
and
she
had
a
good
job.
And
as
she
had
told
Lisa,
if
the
artificial
insemination
didn’t
work
the
first
time
around,
she
would
try
a
second

and,
if
need
be,
a
third
time.
She
would
repeat
the

procedure
as
many
times
as
it
took
to
get
pregnant

whatever
the
cost.
Thanks
to
the
trust
fund
her
father
had

left
for
her,
as
well
as
the
insurance
funds
that
had
been
left
after
all
the
burial
expenses
had
been
taken
care
of,
she

could
afford
making
her
dream
of
having
a
baby
come
true.

She
decided
to
take
a
shower
and
relax
before
fixing

dinner.
Later,
she
would
find
a
comfortable
spot
on
her
sofa
to
sit
and
prop
her
feet
up
on
her
coffee
table
and
enjoy
a
good
book.
She
tried
shaking
off
the
lonely
feeling
that
she
suddenly
felt.
Lisa
had
a
date
with
her
boyfriend
Andrew

tonight,
which
meant
she
wasn’t
available
for
a
chat.

She
tried
not
to
recall
that
this
time
nearly
a
week
and
a
half
ago,
she
had
been
in
New
Orleans
with
Storm.
Nor
did
she
want
to
think
about
how
much
she
had
enjoyed
his

company.
Of
course,
the
time
they
had
spent
in
bed
had

been
great,
but
there
had
been
more
than
that.
She
had

discovered
a
fun
side
to
Storm.
Before
New
Orleans,
she’d
always
assumed
that
he
was
a
really
serious
sort
of
guy.

She
had
enjoyed
laughing
with
him,
talking
to
him,
dancing
with
him,
sharing
food
with
him
and
going
sightseeing
with
him.
He
had
been
full
of
surprises
in
more
ways
than
one.
She
couldn’t
help
but
compare
him
to
the
last
guy
she
had
dated,
Erik
Turner.
Erik
had
turned
out
to
be
an
A-number-
one
bore
and
had
expected
they’d
go
straight
to
her

bedroom
when
he’d
brought
her
home
from
their
first
date.

He
had
actually
gotten
pissed
off
when
she’d
turned
him
down.

Frowning,
she
headed
for
her
bedroom
as
she

remembered
how
angry
she
had
gotten,
too,
that
night.

Angry
for
having
such
high
expectations
that
most
men

would
treat
a
woman
like
a
lady,
decently
respectable
and
not
assume
anything—especially
on
the
first
date.
Erik
had
been
included
in
a
long
line
of
disappointments
for
her,
but
he
had
definitely
been
the
last
straw
and
had
been
an
eye-
opener.
That
night
Jayla
realized
that
she
didn’t
want
to
be
one
of
those
women
who
were
in
such
a
frenzy
to
be

involved
in
a
relationship
that
they
failed
to
look
at
the
signs
that
said,
“This
may
not
be
the
best
person
for
me.”

Another
pitfall
she
had
avoided,
which
was
the
main
reason
she
had
remained
a
virgin
for
so
long,
was
the
mistake

some
women
made
of
equating
sex
with
love.
She’d

learned
from
listening
to
the
women
she
worked
with,
that
some
women
still
believed
that
if
a
man
slept
with
her,
it

meant
he
loved
her.
She
definitely
hadn’t
assumed
such
a
thing
with
her
and
Storm.
It
had
been
her
hormones
and
not
her
heart
that
had
been
raging
out
of
control.
Storm
didn’t
love
her
and
she
didn’t
love
him.
She
hadn’t
expected

anything
from
him
and
he
hadn’t
expected
anything
from

her.
They
had
communicated
well
both
in
and
out
of
bed,

and
the
one
thing
they
understood
and
agreed
upon
was

that
their
affair
would
be
one
that
led
nowhere.