"Don't worry." Jisoo squeezed Roseanne's knee as she leaned against the side of her desk in her home office. "They're not going to freak out."
Roseanne raised her brow and crossed her arms.
A sly smirk tugged at Jisoo's mouth. "Okay, they'll freak a little. But not that much."
"I still don't know why I have to be here," Roseanne said.
"Moral support." Jisoo picked up the phone and dialed. "I've had to deal with them by myself for five years. It's time you started pulling your weight again."
Jisoo swiveled away and began speaking into the phone.
Roseanne glanced at Lisa, who was leaning against the doorframe. She wanted to be outside with Jennie and the kids, not locked up in here with Lisa and Jisoo. "Is she always this pushy?"
"Pretty much," Lisa said, crossing her arms over her chest.
"Did I use to like it?"
One side of Lisa's lips quirked up in a winsome smile. The first inkling of a smile she'd seen on her face. "Not a bit. You pushed right back. Just like you did with me in the kitchen."
She turned away from the way Lisa held her gaze, looked back to Jisoo and tried to tamp down the thrill Lisa's words sent through her body. Jisoo was doing her best to explain the situation to their mother. A frown tugged at Roseanne's mouth. "It doesn't sound like it's going well."
"Mom," Jisoo said into the receiver, "I'm putting you on speaker."
Roseanne's eyes grew wide, and she nudged her with her knee and shook her head, but it didn't stop her.
"Okay, Mom," Jisoo said, "we're all here."
The line was quiet. Then Claire Park's voice chirped through. "Is Lisa there?"
"I'm here, Claire," Lisa said, stepping into the room.
"Lisa, is she telling the truth? or is this one of her typical jokes? Because if she's kidding on this one, she's definitely out of the will. You got that, Jisoo?"
Lisa glanced at Roseanne. "No, Claire. Jisoo's not kidding. She's real."
There was silence again. "Is...is she there?"
Roseanne glared at Jisoo. Oh, she was in so much trouble for this. "I'm here, too. She's not lying."
The line seemed to go dead. Then they heard sobbing. Followed by Mason's voice. Jisoo picked up the handset, turned off the speakerphone, and patted Roseanne's knee. She went through the story with their father a second time.
When Jisoo hung up, she let out a deep breath. "They're flying tomorrow. I managed to convince them to give you a day instead of jumping on the first plane"
"Fabulous," Roseanne muttered. "That was really sweet of you, by the way, throwing me under the bus like that. Remind me to return the favor."
"You'll feel better once you have some food. You always were a grump when your blood sugars dropped." Jisoo pushed out of her chair and headed toward the kitchen.
Roseanne knew Lisa was still behind her. How, she wasn't sure. She just sensed her. "How do you think they're going to react to all of this when they get here?"
"They'll be fine," Lisa said. "They're good people. I'd be sure Miles's with you tomorrow when you see them, though. That'll give you a buffer."
"Good idea." She looked her way. "Will you be there?"
