Love & Lies

Chapter Thirty-Six

Jessie continued her staring contest with her phone as the traffic from Heathrow was acting like a blocked artery due to what appeared to be a fender bender.  But there's no privacy in here, not that it matters after talking with Brendan in here, she thought to herself yet again.  

Her rumbling stomach made her eyes bulge in surprise.  How could I be hungry? she asked herself in amusement.  Didn't I just have Starbucks?

As Jessie paid attention to the time on her phone for the first time, she realized that she technically would have eaten lunch around now had she been at home.  As she thought back to what she had seen Brendan pack in her refrigerator while looking out the window of her ride, she was relieved to see they were so close to passing this accident.  

Once she determined French toast could hold her over until dinner, Jessie continued to peer out the window as she watched everybody merge into one lane before the company car was able to speed up in order to finally pass the scene of the accident.  "Are you certain you do not need me to stop anywhere like the grocer's shop?" the freckled driver politely asked.  "They have me booked with you for a couple of hours more."

Jessie knew John's apology was sincere, but this whole experience of being in this company car this afternoon made her realize that perhaps John truly did care for her as a person even outside her frightening outburst in his office earlier and not just the person who was going to produce him a hefty income.  "I really appreciate it, but -" Jessie began with her phone began to shrill.

Feeling like she had spoken to nearly everybody important since she got home yesterday, Jessie eagerly felt for her phone in her bag.  "But I'm fine," she finally completed her thought as she grabbed the familiar, cool rectangular feel.

Guilt smacked Jessie across the face the moment she saw the caller's name as she had not meant  to exclude this person from her "important" list.  "Lauren," she greeted into the receiver.  "How are you?"

"Good, thanks," Lauren's sweet, but exhausted voice replied.  "I have to head out to a business dinner, but just wanted to check in on you."

 "It's good to be home, but at the same time I really miss New York minus the insanity that led to my departure," she answered honestly.  

Lauren yawned into the receiver.  "My goodness, excuse me.  Anyway, I'm glad you are alright," she answered with relief.  "Did Jenny ever find out if Brendan is alright?"

Jessie didn't even bother giving the driver a second thought as he had witnessed her conversation with Brendan prior.  Taking in a deep breath, Jessie filled Lauren in as quickly as she could with Lauren's time constraints starting with her last talk with Jenny to dropping Brendan off to the airport.  "Although we are on good terms, who knows where this is all going to go?" Jessie finally concluded.  "He is going to try to seek full time employment at his friend's restaurant and with me hitting the studio come the new year, I really am not going to be able to travel to see him either."

On Lauren's end, Jessie was able to make out muffled talking in the distance and began to feel really bad about taking up so much of the little time she had.  "I did not mean to go off on a tangent," Jessie apologized once Lauren responded with a quick "No problem" to the unknown owner of the distant faint voice.

"Don't be silly," Lauren immediately answered reassuringly.  "My dad was just saying he was going to use the bathroom and then meet me in my office to head out, which translates to me having about ten minutes.  Anyway, have you asked Jenny what she thinks?"

"No.  After all she has done for me, especially on her own honeymoon, I am going to give her peace until she arrives back to New York," Jessie answered.  "Besides, there is nothing anybody can do to ensure that Brendan and I work out.  I've done the long distance bit before but the circumstances were very different being we were in the same line of work.  Brendan won't even allow me to help him financially with his bills."