"Mother, please," Roseanne said as she grabbed the bridge of her nose. "You can't force her."
"Well, can you imagine what everyone will say?"
Roseanne looked over at Vivianne, who was lying on the sofa in their parents' suite, one arm thrown across her face dramatically. "So ask Holly to be in the wedding instead."
Vivianne rolled her head toward her. "Who?"
"Our cousin. Holly. We saw her yesterday," she reminded her.
"Holly? Are you serious?" her mother asked. "How would that look?"
Roseanne threw up her hands. "I don't care. I'm through discussing it. Lisa in a tux or get someone else. That seems to be your choice." She stood up and headed for the door.
"Where are you going?" Vivianne asked. "I need you here."
"I can't take all this drama," she said. "This was supposed to be a two-week celebration, not two weeks of hell."
"Roseanne Park," her mother said loudly. "This is your sister's wedding."
"I know, Mother. It's all we've talked about for the last year. And it's your thing and it's her thing. It's not my thing. So, I'm going to the bar. See you at dinner."
She slammed the door on her mother's protest and hurried to the elevator. Couldn't have a Saturday wedding like normal people, no. Had to have two damn weeks of it. Who did that?
She wasn't surprised to find Lisa in the bar. She wondered if she had a drinking problem. She smiled to herself as she sat down beside her. Of course, what did that say about her? It was two in the afternoon and she was craving a gin and tonic.
"You look stressed," Lisa said.
"If you only knew," she murmured. Eric came over immediately, eyebrows raised. She shook her head. Too early for gin. "I'll have a beer too."
"I hope it's not still because of me and the bridesmaid thing," Lisa said.
"Afraid so. The world is apparently going to come to an end." She turned to her. "I suggested they replace you with our cousin, Holly. That didn't go over too well."
"Why not?"
"We're not exactly close. My mother came from a normal, middle-class family. And she married into a very wealthy family. And, sadly, she enjoys reminding her sisters of that any chance she gets. For example, having a two-week wedding celebration and inviting them all to stay here for free during that time."
"I see. And they all took her up on the offer?"
"Most are only coming next week, but I did see Holly yesterday." She took a drink of her beer. "Maybe I could set her up with Mark."
Lisa laughed. "No. I think it'll be much more fun watching him try to get into your bed."
"It is definitely turning into hell week," she said.
"The two-week thing...that was your mother's idea?"
"Yes. Vivianne simply wanted a Christmas wedding. It morphed into all this." She took another drink of the cold beer. "I wanted a July wedding," she added.
Lisa nodded. "And all the events that are planned? My invitation had something listed almost every day, I think."
"My mother is...crazy," she said with a smile. "And organized. Well, with the help of her staff."
"And your father?"
"He was smart enough to fly back to Denver. He's not coming back until the weekend," she said. His excuse was a problem at the Aspen hotel needed his attention. She knew very well that the manager there could handle any "problem" that came up. And if he couldn't, he would have called her and not her father.
