Chapter 19
The phone started to ring and with a sigh Jax pulled away from Brenda
“I better get that.”
“Okay.”
Jax kissed her forehead, before rising and answering the phone.
Brenda was surprised when he turned around and indicated that the call was for her.
She frowned in puzzlement as to who the caller could be. She hadn’t told anyone she
would be here, not even Lois. She took the receiver from Jax and muttered a greeting.
“My God, Brenda, you’ve really upset us,” a voice said in a harsh, accusing tone.
“Sonny?” A surprised Brenda asked.
“Yes, Brenda, its me?” Sonny’s voice sounded annoyed.
“What’s wrong? Is Julia okay?” she demanded, not quite taking in his words in her
anxiety over her sister.”
“Julia hasn’t had the baby yet, if that’s what your worried about. She is just upset that
you didn’t have the decency to let us know where you were and what you are doing.”
“What am I doing?” she repeated. “I don’t understand.”
“Do you have any idea at all as to what you have done?”
“Look, Sonny, just get to the point. If it isn’t Julia, why in the world *did* you call me
here?”
“Did you think we wouldn’t see that program you were interviewed on?”
Brenda frowned. “What on earth does that have to do with anything?”
“Brenda Barrett, Jasper Jacks new love interest...does that ring any bells? You might
have mentioned that you were moving to LA. You know how it upsets Julia when you hide
things from her.”
Brenda sighed, remembering Julia’s avid interest in her life. “I haven’t hidden anything
from Julia. I still live in San Francisco, model and work at L and B records. The only reason I’m in LA is because I’m working on a deal with Jax.”
“Jax.” Sonny’s said in a victorious voice.”
“Yeah, Jax. Is it a crime to call a business partner by his name?”
“No, but Julia feels very strongly that your up to something and, much as I hate to go
along with her unsubstantiated whims, this time I agree with her. After all, you *are*
staying at his house.”
“Yeah, so I’m staying at Jax’s house. What business is that of your? Or Julia’s?”
“It’s my business when you make her go to pieces like this. Especially now. She insists
on talking to you.”
“Brenda?” Julia’s sounded tearful and annoyed. Hearing her twin’s voice made her
forget the reason for the call.
“Oh, Julia, I’m so glad to be speaking to you. How are you? How is the baby?
When...?”
“I’m okay, I guess, no thanks to you. I can’t imagine why you had to be so secretive.
This affair with Jasper Jacks must have been going on before you visited here. I told
you I suspected you were hiding something then, and now I know you were. Just like
Lucie Coe said...a man. A house and a man. You’re living with him. In Los Angeles.
How long has this been going on?”
Brenda tried to wipe away the resentment that always came out when Julia pried into her
private life. If her sister needed to be humored, now was the time.
“I’m at his house, yes, but I’m not living with him. I just met the man.” Well, not exactly,
she admitted to herself, but somehow she couldn’t tell Julia about the time at the Cape.
“That’s not a bit like you, Brenda, not with someone you just met.”
“Since you think I need to have supervision would you believe a wife and two kids are in
the house with me?” Brenda tried not to show her irritation with lightness. “An aged
grandmother? Two aunts?”
“Not for a minute. Especially since Sonny found out that Jasper is divorced.”
Brenda’s control slipped. “My God, you’ve been conducting your own little investigation.”
“I forgave you with that scene with Sonny because I realized that you still had feelings
for him and just couldn’t help yourself.” Julia voice was unbelievably smug. “I’ve been
worried about you ever since, and now I find you’ve suddenly involved yourself with a
man you barely know.”
Brenda swallowed hard and counted to ten before she could get any words out. “Like
you I’m twenty-five years old,” she finally managed to get out in such an even tone that
she hardly recognized it as her own. “Wouldn’t you say that’s old enough to take care of
myself? As for Sonny...”
“But your such a baby around men.” Julia protested. “You always have been. It’s just
like you to try and deny how you feel by throwing everything away from someone who
isn’t worth it.”
“I still work with Lois at L and B, plus do my modeling. I’m only in LA because of some
business I have with Jax. Where I choose to stay while I’m here is nobody’s business
except mine. And for your information *and* Sonny’s, any feelings I ever carried for him
was over a long time ago.”
Julia’s sigh hissed through the phone line. “You never would face up to things,” she
observed sadly.
With great effort Brenda held back her angry words. No, Julia mustn't be upset. “I have
to go. Stay well. Good-bye.”
As she put the phone down she was startled by Jax’s voice. She thought he had left the
room while she was talking to Julia.
“I didn’t know you had a sister.”
Brenda nodded. “A twin sister, actually.
“A twin,” Jax laughed. “To my way of thinking one of you is more than enough.”
Brenda laughed. “Oh were not identical. Julia is a blond and tall, so you can see we
look nothing alike at all.”
“Any other siblings?”
Brenda shook her head, not quite ready to tell Jax about Ben.
Jax was silent for a minute before asking the one question he was dreading to ask. “You and
this husband of hers, Sonny, you were involved with him?”
“Yes, we dated before he married Julia.”
“So how did they track you down here?”
“They saw that interview from last night. The one at the restaurant. They were startled when
they heard we were involved and they were concerned about me.”
“Yeah, but how did they get this number, its unlisted,” he sounded annoyed.
Jax felt jealousy start to sweep over him as he imagined this man, this Sonny that had married
her twin, touching Brenda, holding her in his arms, making love to her. Jax knew he shouldn’t
feel that way. She was here in California with him and not in New York with Sonny.
“Sonny has numerous business contacts, so it wasn’t hard for him to track it down,” she
explained.
“Figures. You can never have too many business contacts. He probably even knows what kind
of underwear I wear.”
Brenda hid a smile as she wondered the same thing. Boxers or briefs. When they had made
love at Grandma Quartermaine’s house he had already been undressed. She sighed as she
remembered that night.
Jax watched the expressions on Brenda’s face. Obviously she was remembering something
pleasant. Probably something about Sonny.
Jax turned away to look out at the ocean as he felt the jealousy continue to roll over him.
“Julia thinks I’m making a mistake by being here with you.”
“Is it her business what you do?”
“She’s always thought so.”
Jax turned to face her. “And do you ask ‘how high’ when she says ‘jump’?”
Brenda shrugged her shoulders. “I lead my own life. Julia is almost ready to have a baby. I
don’t want to upset her any more than I already have.”
Jax told himself to relax and stay cool. Instead he heard himself saying, “Is that why you told
her any feelings you had for Sonny were over?”
“Your jumping to conclusions.”
“Am I?”
Brenda nodded.
“Okay, then I conclude that from the phone conversation that you don’t make too many decisions without first consulting your sister.”
“You don’t understand Julia. She likes to feel wanted.”
He shrugged. “That’s doesn’t sound very healthy to me. She is after all married. Doesn’t good
old Sonny want her?”
Brenda glared at him. “Obviously it was a mistake to come here. I’m going back to San
Francisco. You can call me there and give me you decision about the record company.” She
spun on her heel and headed down the hallway to her room.
Jax closed his eyes and hung his head in shame as he read himself the riot act. Why had he
attacked her like that? Why was he so jealous of Sonny? He hadn’t know her long enough to
fall in love with her. His eyes sprang open as he finally realized the reason. He *was* in love
with her.
Brenda walked into her room and grabbed her clothes, not caring as she just threw them into her suitcase as fast as she could. She had to get away from Jax before there was anymore pain. She finished packing. She picked up her purse and suitcase and headed back towards the living room.
Jax couldn’t believe it. He had fallen in love again. He was still recovering from what Miranda
had done to him. How could this be? He shook his head to clear his mind.
Brenda entered the living room and headed straight towards the door, not once glancing in Jax’s direction.
Jax watched as Brenda walked into the living room. She never glanced at him as she walked to
the door. His heart was pounding with pain. He couldn’t let her leave.
Brenda paused a minute before opening the door and stepping out of Jax’s life forever. Her
heart was breaking.
“Brenda,” Jax whispered as he grabbed her shoulders and spun her around to face him.
