"Okay, so you're in a mood."
Roseanne rolled her eyes. "Just because I don't like the kitchen design, I'm in a mood?"
"I told you, there is limited space to work with."
"I know that."
Vivianne threw up her hands. "You want me to cram twelve hundred square feet into a space that is seven hundred. Make up your mind already."
"Now who's in a mood?"
"Look, let's just take the room next to your suite and be done with it."
"I don't need anything that big," she said.
"If you're going to live there full-time, why be cramped? That way you can have a full-sized kitchen and an extra-large bathroom. And a dedicated office."
Roseanne sighed and sank down in her office chair. At first, she'd been excited about redoing her suite. Vivianne's enthusiasm over getting to design it had been infectious. But she'd balked at tearing down the wall between her suite and the next room, even if it did make sense. Her father had said to do whatever she wanted. But somewhere in the last few weeks she'd lost her drive. Maybe it was the stress over the whole thing. Even though her mother knew nothing of the plan to dissolve the corporate office here in Denver, she did know of the impending divorce. That, as expected, had been a disaster. She had been distraught and inconsolable. And then she got angry. When she realized he had no intention of backing down, she resorted to acting like a lovesick teenager trying to make him stay. It was pathetic to watch. Had she not known that her parents hadn't shared a bedroom in years, she might have felt sorry for her mother. As it was, it was simply pitiful to see her act that way.
"Well?"
She glanced over at Vivianne, who was watching her. Even though Vivianne had shouldered the brunt of their mother's angst, she still had that newlywed glow about her. She smiled quickly.
"Okay. Take the wall out."
Vivianne did a fist pump. "Yes!"
"But remember...my taste and your taste are not the same," she said.
"Oh, I know. You're boring. I'll tone it down for you," she teased.
"And I want the island in the kitchen."
"I know, I know. But if I were you, I'd take advantage of the restaurant and do room service every night."
"Cooking relaxes me," she said.
"Speaking of that...you've been a little testy lately. What's going on?"
"Testy? Oh, gee, I don't know. Our parents are getting a divorce and I'm moving to Estes Park."
"I still can't believe it," Vivianne said.
"The divorce? Or my move?"
"Both. I'm going to miss seeing you every day."
"I know. It'll be a change."
"For us too. But I'm happy that Dad is trusting me to find new office space here," Vivianne said as she sat down across from her. "I'm still shocked about Dad's mistress."
"Why? We both suspected he was having an affair. And he did tell me they weren't sleeping together."
"And she's sixty-two?" Vivianne shook her head. "I would have thought he'd go for a younger woman," Vivianne said.
"I had visions of her being in her twenties," she said with a laugh. But her smile faded. "Does Mother know about her yet?"
"She hasn't said anything to me. But Roseanne, I really feel sorry for her. She's devastated."
