Chapter 6 

"OMG Mom!" Lucy said over the phone as Jayda walked into her living from outside. She'd been talking to the sheriff over last night's encounter with the other neighbours and the police department have assured the residents that there will be two patrol vehicle stationed in the area for the time being. 

"It's been taken care of so I don't think they'll be coming back," Jayda said as she made for the couch. 

"But still, you need to move out of that house" Lucy suggested. 

"You know I can't" 

"Why? Because it's grandma's house?" 

"That and the fact that your schooling needs all the finance I can get" 

"Well mom you don't need to overthink your pretty head about that because Keira and I got a part-time job to model for some app and the pay is a mouthful" 

"No no mo" Jayda immediately opposed the idea. "I don't want you doing part-time jobs when you're supposed to be studying" 

"It doesn't conflict my studies at all Mum." Lucy faked a crying tone. 

"My answer is no. Besides, New York is still new to you. That place is so different from here and people aren't the same so I suggest you focus on what I sent you to do which is to study and not parade yourself in clothes that are not conservative all in the name of modelling" 

"I have to go, mum," Lucy said with the intent of halting the topic. 

"We are not done talking about this young lady and you take care," She said before Lucy hung up first. 

On another note, Lucy is just like her. Stubborn, and strong-willed like she was when she was much younger than her. Jayda went down memory lane and remembered when her granny used to warn her about Donnie and how she refused to listen because Donnie had already swept her off her feet. She was so reluctant to the idea of staying away from him because she was already madly in love with the charming boy from then. It was when she got pregnant with Lucy that the reality of what she had done dawned on her but she was ready to take up the responsibility and the day grandma threw her out was the day she became an adult. 

Since she dropped out of school, she'd not been able to go back unlike Donnie. While they were living together, he enrolled himself in university and broke up with Jayda after he was offered a mouth-watering offer in Beverly Hills. She never heard from him again since then. How a man can forget his daughter for years still surprise Jayda. 

************

A FEW DAYS LATER 

Jayda walked down the stairs to see who'd been knocking on her door and She was not surprised when she found the person to be none other than the sheriff. 

She's been used to having him come over every evening to check on her and the other residents as a follow-up from the last attack. 

"Hi" She smiled at the Forty-something-year-old man. 

"Hello Ms Jayda, how are you this evening?" He asked 

"I am fine and no, I didn't witness strange activity today" Jayda giggled after replying what she knew would come next. It's become a daily routine and she's used to it. 

"Point taken," He said, silencing his chuckle too. 

"No, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you feel that way" Jayda apologized. 

"Don't worry about that. I do understand what that meant" 

"Regardless, it came out the wrong way" 

"Trust me you're not the only person who's said it to me but at the end of the day, doing these rounds is part of my job to ensure the safety of the residents. Any strange observation would go a long way" 

"Do you want to come in for a drink or dinner?" Jayda said with a shy laugh at her way of making amends. 

"It's really not a problem. Besides I'm still on duty" He looked down at his uniform trouser. 

Jayda didn't know why she felt a sudden hit of disappointment. 

"But I can take you up on that offer tomorrow evening. What do you say?" The gentleman offered

"Yes, sure we can swing that Officer..." Jayda attempted to read the nametag on his uniform. "Shawn" 

Jayda closed the door and rested on it while trying to remember the last time she felt so uneasy with a man. She cringed when she remembered that time to be with Donnie.  Although a little bit of it happened with Brian but she was filled with anger than uneasiness at the teenager. 

Jayda had noticed Shawn during his third visit and had been told the forty-year-old gentleman is harmless, easy-going, dedicated to his job and most of all, single. 

 At this point in her life, she didn't want to feel lonely anymore and is fully ready to consider the officer.  She knows it's time to fill the spot her child can't fill. That spot belongs to a man that would caress, care, love and make love to her. 

She'd missed being made love to the most. She'd forgotten how it felt to have the length of a man in her, forgotten how her body felt when hugged by a man, how her lips melt in the moment of lip-locking, how her brain snapped when she's about to orgasm, how engorged her nipples rose when the tongue of a man travelled down the nape of her neck and most of all how secured, wanted, and loved she felt with a man. 

Donnie was the first and last man to make love to her. She couldn't remarry and have her little child share her love with a newfound man. She'd heard unhealthy stories about stepdads and their stepdaughters who don't get along and Jayda wouldn't bring herself to intentionally hurt her daughter whom she cares for the most in the world. 

But now that Lucy's grown, Jayda knows it's time for her to go back to that chapter of her life. She'd considered one night stands but, she's also not the kind of person to jump on a stranger and then have sex with him. She's a traditional person who believes sex and love align.