“Well, the client loved it so much, they want her to create boxes for four more locations and send out to hundreds more media and celebrities for the holidays. She was in a minor panic two weeks ago when we went dress shopping and the project was in the pitch stage. And now it’s a major panic because it’s a go. First, her assistant quit, and then the new assistant quit. Apparently, talking on the phone was too stressful for Gen Z. They didn’t want to call suppliers and fulfillment companies. Or call the hotels to set the fam trips up,” Alexa explained, using the travel business lingo that she and Penny knew so well. “Fam” equaled familiarization, and hotels or tourism bureaus often invited top agents to experience their hotels or cities for free in hopes that they would recommend them to clients. “Penny is working all weekend to set everything up for the next two weeks. On Monday, she goes to Charleston, New Orleans, Magnolia Springs, and somewhere in Arkansas. I can’t recall exactly where, but she’s not coming here. Ricky’s picking up Chase’s mother and sister at LAX.”

Ricky was a regular driver for the Merry Widows, taking them to Los Angeles International Airport two hours up the road so they could avoid flying out of the small, underserved Santa Barbara Airport, which always meant a connection in Salt Lake City or Denver. When her trip fell apart, Penny arranged for Ricky to do the pickup because she wouldn’t wish the rental car lot at LAX on her worst enemy. And certainly not on her future mother-in-law. He charged a premium for late notice, even though the patronage of Odyssey Vacations had probably put both his kids through college.

“So thoughtful of Penny to arrange a car for them,” Ming said, as if booking a driver were complicated. Because Ming did so few of her own quotidian tasks, she had no idea how little effort it took to open an app on your phone and get a car. Or food. Or turn on the lights of your home before you arrived. The woman who had advised millionaires about their money marveled at the mundane.

In the meantime, the enormity of what Alexa had promised her daughter dawned on her: a mile-long to-do list and two soon-to-be in-laws arriving with attitudes. “What am I going to do with the two of them all weekend?”

Ming laughed. “You’re a tour guide with a wedding to plan. I’m sure you’ll be able to keep them busy for three days.”

Chapter 16
The Appalling Call

The Mother of the Groom