A Masterpiece Gone

Chapter Fifteen

"Is there something you're not telling me?" Brendan called teasingly to Jessie towards the bathroom in the kitchen from the living room as Jessie pulled Jackson from the tub and wrapped him in a gray medium size towel like a baby.

Jessie groaned causing Jackson to growl lowly.  "If you didn't decide to try to impress your brother and roll around in the mud patch out back, Mummy would not have to be doing this," she scolded Jackson, who was trying to make himself more comfortable in her arms.  Before completely leaving the bathroom, Jessie poked her head out so Brendan could hear her better.  "Who called now?"

"Jenny," he replied neutrally, making Jessie's stomach pit.  As she had determined yesterday, she never called her like she said she would and she did realize that this was bringing this whole situation with her to a childish level on her part.  

Sighing, Jessie headed back into the bathroom to double check that she did not miss catching any water spots on the tile that may make anybody slip before putting the hypoallergenic dog shampoo back in the cabinet beneath the sink.  Being the water was long off, she was surprised that Brendan did not tell Jenny to hold on but whatever his reasoning was, she was thankful she could delay any conversation with her as temporary as it may be.

Content with the bathroom's appearance, Jessie flicked off the light and returned to the living room where Brendan was playing tug-of-war with Neil and his orange looped rope toy.  "So you started this morning with a small texting conversation back and forth with Clair, next your parents on speaker phone during breakfast, then Holly, a quick call from Rachel, and now Jenny," he declared with a profound smirk as if he were a game show host.  "Fifty pounds that Holly is the next to call based on a process of elimination.  Who's your bet?"

Playfully rolling her eyes, Jessie plopped on the couch with Jackson on her lap opposite Brendan.  "At least with these conversations we were able to finally tell people what your plans are for the next several months," she brought up as she began to vigorously move the towel around Jackson's body.  

Brendan surrendered the rope toy only for Neil to retreat with it to the kitchen.  "That's true.  Jenny was quite excited, but disappointed I won't be in New York," he told her as he leaned back into the cushion.

"She spoke to you when she called?" Jessie asked trying to mask her nerves and disbelief.

Brendan laughed.  "Hey, she was my friend first," he teased.  "When I told her you were giving Jackson a bath, she and I chatted for a few minutes about Jake's ruptured Achilles and your upcoming Bazaar article."

I royally and officially suck as a human being, she lamented.  The worst part was Brendan assumed she had spoken to Jenny yesterday after all so with him, Jenny was playing cool.  

As tempted as she was to ask how Jake was feeling and how in the hell he ruptured his Achilles tendon in the first place, she instead made contacting Jenny number one on her list after she hit the studio; she would shoot her a text that she was sorry and that she would give her a call over the next two days, which Jessie really meant to do this time.

"Paging Jessica Ellen Riccelli!" she heard her husband exclaim as he now was stretched over the couch waving a hand over her eyes.  

Jessie shook her head and let out a breathy laugh.  "I'm here.  I guess I'm spacing out because I cannot handle all this love," she joked with Brendan feigning hurt.

"In all seriousness, are you going to accept your parents' offer while I am gone?" he asked, resuming his normal comfortable position on the end of the couch.

"I know they are being nice, but I don't know," she dubiously replied.  "I'm in my thirties now, not a sixteen-year-old school girl."

Brendan nodded.  "I understand what you mean and I know you can very well take care of yourself," he agreed.