Jessica (A Golden Christmas)

Jessica

Background

Jessica "Jessi" Wright is a Federal prosecutor in Oregon. Her son is Henry and her now dead husband was Carter. Her parents are Rod and Katherine, her sister is Anna and her brother-in-law is Mitch. In High School, Missy Hambler spilled Kool-Aid on her shirt right before a presentation and she went to prom with Chet. Jessica always wanted to be a veterinarian.

During the events of A Golden Christmas (2009) played by Kali Majors and Andrea Roth

Jessica and Henry drive to her childhood home and he asks her what she used to do all day.

She remembers back to a summer when she was nine years old and playing in the woods near her house. Jessica sees Michael playing in the woods with The Dog and they all start to play together. As the summer went on they gathered some pine cones and other things they had collected over the summer, placed them in a metal lunch box and buried it in the woods. Michael also carved the names Han and Leia into a tree. Eventually neither Michael or The Dog showed up again.

Jessica tells Henry not to tell Rod or Katherine that they are going to buy their house until Christmas day. They walk up to the house as Rod, Katherine, Anna and Mitch come out to greet them. Mitch hands Anna some money and they admit to Jessica that they had made a bet if she would even show up. Before bed, Henry tells Jessica that he is going to dream about his dead dad painting on the porch. Rod and Katherine tell Jessica that they sold the house which upsets Jessica. Anna sees that Jessica has removed some of the ornaments from the Christmas tree and asks her what is wrong. Jessica then admits to her that she wanted to buy the house and complains about Rod and Katherine selling her house. Anna calls her selfish and tells her that she can't stay away from family for years and then expect them to read her mind. Anna sees Jessica holding a certain ornament and Jessica tells her it is from the summer when she met Michael. As Jessica is sleeping on the couch she hears a scratching at the door, and when she opens the door she sees dog prints. She goes outside and when she goes back inside The Dog is sitting in the living room wearing a costume. Henry sees The Dog and thinks Santa brought it for him. Michael walks to the door and Rod introduces him to Jessica and Michael tells her that The Dog belongs to him and she showed up on his doorstop one day. Neither Jessica or Michael recognize each other and Michael reveals that he is the one buying the house and Jessica's attitude changes around him and she calls him irresponsible.

The next morning, Jessica tells Katherine and Rod that she wants the house, but Rod tells her that he has already signed a contract to sell it to Michael. Katherine mentions that the sale was contingent on Michael selling his house. Jessica walks into town and turns around and sees The Dog is following her. She follows The Dog to Michael's woodworking shop and tells Michael that bears live in the area of the house and Michael tells her he is excited, because now he has a reason to build a fence. Jessica tells him that the house belongs to her and she is going to buy it. They argue and Jessica leaves and while she is walking sees Chet. They reminisce and Chet tells her that he is the one who sold Rod and Katherine's house and is selling Michael's house. When Jessica gets home she finds Michael measuring the property and Michael tells Jessica that he just wants them to be friends. Jessica tells Anna that she isn't ready to start dating again after Anna tries to get her to go on a date. Chet is showing Jill Robington and Kevin, Michael's house when Jessica walks up. Jessica calls Michael's house a dump and convinces them to look at the Kirkwood house instead.

Jessica is walking around the property when she hears a dog barking. She follows the barking and comes across the tree in which Michael carved Han and Leia and gave her the ornament and whispered in her ear. She looks up and sees The Dog staring at her. Henry finds her and Jessica tells him that The Dog looks just like the one from that summer. Henry tells Jessica that he thinks she will see the boy from her ninth summer. In town, Chet confronts Jessica for what she said about Michael's house and Michael and Rod find out what she did. Jessica and Henry go to dig it up the lunchbox and find it gone. Michael overhears Jessica admit to Chet that she sabotaged the sale of his house and she apologizes to Michael. The Dog walks in between them with the lunch box and Jessica realizes that Michael is the boy from her youth.

Jessica admits to Katherine that she is a terrible person and she tells Katherine and Anna that Michael is the boy from the summer. Jessica helps Chet try to sell Michael's house and later, Michael goes to Rod and Katherine's party with Madeline and The Dog and he brings a present for Henry. Michael tells Jessica the story about the girl he met when he was nine. Henry and Madeline tell Jessica and Michael that The Dog seemed sick and ran away. Michael and Jessica go looking for The Dog and find her laying next to where they buried the lunchbox. Jessica realizes she is pregnant and Michael realizes Jessica is the girl from the summer. Jessica shows him the ornament he gave her and he realizes she is the one that bought his house and he whispers into her ear what he said to her when they were nine, no matter where you go, no matter what you do, you will always be my best friend. It starts to snow and Michael and Jessica kiss. Later, Jessica and Michael go outside and The Dog barks at them and walks back into the forest.