Love & Lies

Chapter Five

The aroma of oregano and basil filled the kitchen as Jessie continuously stirred the sauce in a stainless steel sauce pan three days later. She knew Jenny and Lauren wouldn't to be here for another few hours, but lasagna was a ridiculously long process when it came to layering everything. She covered the steaming pan filled with meatballs as she danced her way into her living room to increase the volume of the pop channel she discovered. She began to sing along to "Firework" as she reentered the kitchen, dance moves still in motion, to lay out the ingredients for the actual lasagna. The only thing she did not have before today was the actual lasagna noodles, but she ventured out with Brendan yesterday to an Italian market he recommended a few neighborhoods over that was heavily populated like a Manhattan block. While there, she even picked up some herb-infused olive oil and freshly baked bread conveniently wrapped to preserve its softness.

She barely heard the knock on the door as she belted out the chorus of the song. Double checking the sound was what she thought it was, she ran for the remote to mute the television.

"Who is it?" she called.

"It's Brendan!" the voice called back.

She quickly unlocked her door without consulting the peephole and swung it open. "Hey! What do you-" she began, but came to an abrupt stop as her eyes reached the floor.

She kept looking up between Brendan's grinning face and back to the floor unable to make any coherent sounds but quiet screeches.

"Is...is this what I think it is?" she exclaimed. She didn't even wait for Brendan to nod. "I-I-I d-don't even know what to say!"

Jessie's eyes brimmed with tears as she crouched to the airport tagged carrier on the floor meeting the familiar excited yelps from the other side of the metal-barred door. "Jackson!" she cried. She immediately opened his carrier catching him as he jumped into her arms.

Ever since the day Jenny forced her to see life outside her co-op after two weeks of moping, she remained upbeat. She still put her career out of her mind, but any thoughts she had about returning home were squashed for the time being. Having Jackson here, though, really was the icing on the cake.

"Is this my surprise?" she asked as she continued to snuggle Jackson, the tears continuously flowing.

Brendan nodded. "After she noticed you were feeling pretty dejected after a week, Jenny tracked down your parents' house and made arrangements with them so she could surprise you with Jackson," he revealed. "She said they were a bit hesitant with the idea of flying him in, but knew they could not hold back because he is your dog."

Smiling, Jessie stepped back into her living room with Jackson still licking her face between whimpers in her arms. Brendan followed her lead and brought in both Jackson's carrier and a suitcase filled with a few of his toys, a small bed, his bowls, his leash, and food.

Jessie sat on the couch placing Jackson on her lap. Now that she was a little calmer, she noticed Brendan had dark circles under his eyes and invited him to sit with her.

He sat on the cushion beside her with a still euphoric Jackson running back and forth to both of them, but favoring Jessie's side a little more. "You don't look well at all, Brendan," Jessie remarked with concern.

"I'm fine. There was just a lot of craziness in the airport," he explained. "I was there since early this morning because his arrival time was a little after 7 o'clock. However, due to bad weather back in Heathrow, I learned only when I arrived that the flight was severely delayed."

Although she was delighted to have Jackson and was going to hug the life out of Jenny when she saw her later, she really felt bad for Brendan. "I'm so sorry for all the trouble you went through just for my surprise," she told him softly. "You must be exhausted."