Riding the Storm - Brenda Jackson [48]
Jayla had worked for the company since college and up until recently, the job had been the single most important thing in her life outside of her relationship with her father. After his death, she had moved her job up to the number one spot, which was why she had made a decision to have a baby. She had needed a life outside of work and someone to share that life with her. She smiled, thinking that she had only eight days to go before she went to the fertility clinic for her physical, the first step toward making her dream come true.
She glanced across the conference table and saw Lisa looking at her strangely. She lifted a brow and Lisa surreptitiously lifted one back. Jayla couldn’t help but smile. Evidently, Lisa had seen her blush a few times.
As soon as the meeting was over, Lisa pulled her back the moment she was about to walk out the room and whispered, “We need to talk.”
Playing dumb she smiled and asked, “What about?”
“Like the fact you sat through most of the meeting like you were zoned out. It’s a good thing Mr. McCray didn’t notice.”
Jayla sobered quickly as she came to her senses. Having erotic flashbacks on her time was one thing, but having them on her employer’s time was another. “Sorry.”
Lisa laughed. “Hey, girlfriend, don’t apologize. I’d trade places with you in a heartbeat. You’ve been with Storm Westmoreland again haven’t you?”
Wondering how Lisa could know such a thing, Jayla asked innocently, “What makes you think that?”
Lisa raised a dark brow. “It’s either that or you’re reliving some dynamite memories. My guess is that you’re reminiscing about the past twenty-four hours.”
Jayla sighed as she closed the door so that she and Lisa could have total privacy. She sat back down at the table and Lisa joined her. She met her best friend’s curious gaze. “Storm dropped by last night.”
Lisa leaned back in her chair and grinned. “That’s a first. I heard that once an affair was ended, Storm Westmoreland never looked back. Booty calls are not exactly his style.”
Jayla shot her a frown and Lisa held up her hand apologetically. “Sorry. I was just making an observation.”
Jayla let out a breath. That was one observation she didn’t need. “He wants to take me out tomorrow night. To dinner. At Anthony’s.”
Lisa smiled. “Real classy place, so what’s the problem?”
Jayla returned the smile. Lisa could be so good for her at times. “The problem is what you indicated earlier. Storm is not a man who looks up women from his past. I knew that in New Orleans and he knew that, and it was understood that when we returned to Atlanta we would have no reason to seek the other out.”
Lisa nodded. “And he’s seeking you out.”
“Yes, and I can’t let it happen.”
Lisa sat up and leaned in closer. “Is it okay for me to ask why?”
Jayla dragged a hand through her hair, and drew in a frustrating breath. “Because it’s lousy timing. My life is about to undergo some major changes, Lisa, for Pete’s sake. My physical is set for next Friday and soon after that, I plan to get inseminated. The last thing I need is Storm deciding, for whatever reason, that I’m a novelty to him.”
“Hey, Jayla, don’t sell yourself short. There might be another reason that Storm Westmoreland finds you interesting, other than you being a novelty. The guy might actually like you. I mean really, really like you. There’s a chance that you’ve blown him away.”
Lisa’s comments gave Jayla pause. She thought about that possibility all of two seconds and shook her head. “Impossible. Even if there was a remote chance that was true, Storm and I could never get serious about each other.”
Lisa lifted a brow. “Why?”
Jayla frowned. “He’s too much like my father. He would want to keep a tight rein on me. He actually believes a woman should be a stay-at-home mom. I guess he thinks the ideal woman is one he can keep barefoot and pregnant.”
Lisa smiled. “Hey, I could do barefoot and pregnant with a man like him,” she said, wiggling her eyebrows.
“Well, I can’t. I have my life mapped out just the way I want, thank you. I’m having a baby without the complications