Rose kissed her.
Lizanne pulled back slightly, looking past her through the window. Out by the pool house, Quinn and Kayla were outside at the pool. Their body language told the whole story: tight shoulders, sharp hand gestures. The spat from earlier had apparently been reignited now the cameras were done for the day.
“Well,” Lizanne muttered. “That didn’t last long.”
“Quinn is a nightmare to argue with,” Rose said, watching the window. “He uses his ‘reasonable’ voice when he’s being a total idiot. She’ll figure him out. They’ll be fine.”
“You’re very confident.”
“He’s been my brother for twenty-five years. She’s been my best friend for ten. They’ll work it out.”
Quinn gestured at the counter. Kayla crossed her arms. Then she said something that made his shoulders drop. He reached for her hand, and the tension broke.
“See?” Rose said. “Anyway. What do you want for Christmas? The actual day. Not the one for the show.”
Lizanne looked back at the window. “I’ve never really done the whole production. My father didn’t believe in it. My mother had given up by the time I was born. We usually just ate Chinese food. Maybe there was a gift, maybe not.”
“That sounds lonely.”
“It was just a day in December. I didn’t have a frame of reference for it being anything else. And Trina didn’t really do Christmas either. New Year’s was her thing.”
Rose kissed her cheek. “It’s different this year.”
“I know. I’m still adjusting to that.”
“My dad made Christmas,” Rose said. Her voice softened. “The tree went up the first week of December. Same music, same ornaments in the same spots. Every year. After he died, it felt hollow. My mother tried, but the spark was gone. When Daisycame along, I started doing everything exactly the way he did. I want her to have those memories. Especially since it was just us.”
Lizanne watched her.
“Maybe we can just do something small. Us. Quinn, Kayla. Mom. Pat…Maybe Craig and Peter?”
“I’d like that. And speaking of Pat,” Lizanne said and raised the buzzing phone.
“Hey Pat. You’re on speaker. Rose is here.”
Pat jumped right in without so much as a hello. “We’re number one on the platform. We’ve bypassed everything else.”
“Good.” This wasn’t exactly news. They had been number one for the last two weeks.
“The network wants two more seasons ofGilden Duchess. The reality show has boosted that to the top again too. They want to meet with you next week to talk about a possible spin-off.Gilden Duchess in the New World.”
“To go alongside the current show?”
“Who knows. I’m sure they’ll tell you. Tuesday at 11. Also – Rose, the CEO of Prime Esque wants you to plan his daughter’s wedding. Someone from his office will be in touch.”
She hung up before anything else could be said. Rose blinked. “The CEO? That… that’ll be a lot of coverage.”
Lizanne smiled. “They love you. You’ve seen the headlines. When they aren’t talking about how handsome Quinn is, they’re talking about you. Social media is full of adoration for the Delaney siblings.”
Rose stepped forward and wrapped her arms around her waist. “A few weeks ago, I was lying about a fiancé named Derek, and now people stop me in the street asking for autographs.”
“That is life when married to a celebrity. I should have warned you.”
“Well, I had a hunch, when I was told there’s a reality show involved.”
Lizanne leaned forward and kissed her when her phone buzzed again. She stepped back and sighed. Then, her lips parted.
I got your new number from Peter. Can we talk? Trina.
