by Claire Adams
The rest of the meal went off without a hitch. I ordered the most expensive bottle of champagne and we polished it off before our entrees came: a filet mignon for me and a house salad for her. We didn’t have dessert; Rachel didn’t care for sweets, and I was so nervous I wanted to get the proposal out of the way so I could spend the rest of the evening with my new fiancée.
After paying the check, I excused myself to go to “the bathroom” and asked Rachel to meet me downstairs at the entrance.
“I can wait here,” she said. “I don’t want to stand there like a moron waiting for you.”
I glanced at our server. “I think they need to clear the table for the next people.”
“They can wait,” she said, pouting her red lips.
I didn’t want to push the issue since it might alert her to something going on. So I left the table, went downstairs to retrieve the flowers, then came back up and handed the bouquet to her.
“Oh!” she said and smiled. “Flowers for me?”
I opened my hand to her. “Let’s take a walk out on the pier.”
The sun was setting over the horizon, and the lights looked perfect. Rachel admired her roses and cradled them in her arms like a baby.
“Were these lights always here?” she asked. “I don’t remember seeing them before.”
“No,” I said. “I put them up.”
“You did?”
“Yes. I wanted to make this moment romantic and special for you since you deserve the perfect memory.”
“Memory of what?”
I dug my hand into my pocket and retrieved the ring box that contained a five-carat diamond ring. I dropped down to one knee and held out the box to Rachel.
Her mouth opened in a wide ‘O,’ and she quickly covered it with her free hand.
“Rachel, I know it’s only been a year, but I can’t stand another minute of not being engaged to you. I’ve known from the first time I saw you that I wanted you to be my wife. Will you marry me?”
She grabbed the ring box and then squealed with delight. “Oh my god! Yes!”
I stood up and helped her with the ring, slipping it on her finger. She held her hand out in front of her. “It’s perfect.”
I kissed her long and hard, and she didn’t protest about her lipstick this time. Relief spread through me. I knew it was what she wanted, and I loved seeing her so happy.
I held her in my arms, and she leaned her head against my chest. “This is so perfect. I can’t believe you did this.”
“Sienna helped me,” I admitted. I hoped Sienna and Rachel could somehow fix the issues they had with each other, and maybe Rachel being married to me would help.
“Did she also help you pick out these flowers?”
I tilted my head. “Yes, why?”
Rachel sighed. “I was wondering why you picked white flowers instead of red.”
Chapter Four
Sienna
I wasn’t the first to arrive at Sunny Daes that Monday morning. The outline of Tony’s motorcycle leaning against the building indicated his arrival. I parked alongside it and turned off the engine.
A small circle of orange caught my attention.
“Seriously?” I mumbled and got out of the car. “I thought you said you stopped?” I said to him.
Tony blew a puff of smoke through his lips. “Yeah, yeah.”
I stormed over to him and placed my hands on my hips. “No yeah; my uncle died from those cancer sticks. You said you were going to stop. Now put it out before I do it for you.”
He stood up and towered over me, but I didn’t move from my spot. He had muscle and weight on his side, but my determination to save my friend from dying an early and unnecessary death would overpower him. And I knew he would never hurt me. I think his intimidation techniques worked with some people, but not me.
He took one last drag and threw the cigarette the ground, smashing it with the toe of his shoe. “Happy?”
I pushed past him and dug my key into the back door’s lock. “I’ll be happy when you quit for good.”
He reached down and picked up the butt and flicked it into the garbage bin.
I held the door open for him. “You know, if I wanted a girlfriend to nag me all the time, I would get one.”
I chucked him in the arm. “Until then, you have me.”
He went inside and I followed, closing the door behind me. “I might have to call Parker and get him to come by so you can annoy him instead of me.”
The lights flicked on and I squinted at the harsh light. Tony was across the kitchen and into the dining room before I could see clearly.
“I only ‘annoy’ you because I care,” I said.
“Have you heard anything from him lately? Usually, he comes in at least once a week. I don’t think I’ve seen him since the day before the proposal.”
Ugh, don’t remind me.
“He’s busy, I guess,” I said, lifting an apron from the hangers on the wall.
“You haven’t heard from him since the proposal? I thought you helped him prepare everything?”
“I got a quick text that night saying she said yes.”
“And that’s the last you heard?”
“How many ways do I need to say it, Tony?” I said sharply.
Tony lifted his hands in surrender. “I’ll drop it. But I think he’s being a dick if he drops you after getting together with that chick.”
“He’s not dropping me,” I said defensively. “He’s probably in some post-proposal high. Maybe she’s changed after getting what she wanted.” It made me sick to think they were having sex, but at least Parker would deserve it after waiting an entire year. He was a man, after all. A man in love with a whore. I stifled a smirk at the thought.
“Maybe, but it’s still a dick move on his part. Especially after you helped him.”
It did suck that Parker hadn’t been in contact with me for two weeks. This was the longest we gone without talking in all the years we’d known each other. Even with his string of girlfriends in the past, he’d always made time for me. I wasn’t about to tell Tony how much I missed Parker. I had a feeling he knew, though, so saying it out loud would only make it true, and I wasn’t ready to do that just yet.
My mind was distracted by the influx of customers that morning. It was school break, and there were a lot of tourists in the area looking for a normal place to have breakfast. A few of the customers told me that this was the first place they saw in several different apps when looking for restaurants in the area. Even though Parker wasn’t talking to me, I wondered if he had gone through with his promise to help me out using his connections.
Other than that, I tried to push him out of my mind as I cooked for a full restaurant.
“Hey-yo!” Tony said from the dining area.
I glanced through the pass-through and saw Harriet and Kenneth Lamonte slowly making their way across the room to their regular table. It was the only one empty and Tony had been good about guarding it for our best customers.
When I cleared the grill, I went out there and greeted them.
Harriet fluffed her white poof of hair after taking off her giant straw hat while Kenneth groaned his way into a seated position in the booth.
“Morning, guys.” I looked down and let out a whoop. “Harriet, girl, those are some nice nails.”
She waggled her wrinkly fingers at me. “Do you like the color? The woman said it was called Three Alarm Fire.”
“It’s hot, woman.” I turned to Kenneth. “You better watch out for this one.”
He chuckled and then proceeded to cough into his handkerchief. He sputtered a few times before speaking. “I’ve been watching out for this woman since I met her. It was a good thing I scooped her up and married her before she could get away.”
“Well, I wanted to look good for Ken since it's our fortieth wedding anniversary today,” Harriet said and took Kenneth’s hands across the table.
“Wow! Forty years. That’s quite an accomplishment. Congrats! Are y
ou going out to dinner somewhere special?”
“No, no, dear. This is our special meal.”
I pressed my hand against my chest, feeling the warmth inside. “You wanted to spend your anniversary here? That’s so sweet.”
“We love coming in here,” Ken said. “And the food is better than all of those fancy places that the tourists go to.”
I smiled. “Well, today I’ll make you anything you want; just name it.”
They ordered the same special they did every single time they came in, even after I tried convincing them to try something new. It was obvious that whatever they were doing was the right thing. Forty years! I couldn’t believe it. “Coming right up.”
The morning rush had died down a little bit, so I was able to take my time making their meals. I added a few extra spices and a lot of love. I brought them out the dishes myself.
“Here you go,” I said, sliding the plates in front of them. “Enjoy.”
Harriet touched my hand; hers were freezing. “Thank you, dear.”
“You’re welcome. And I wanted to let you know they are on the house.”
“Oh, no—” Kenneth started to protest.
“I won’t hear a word from you, mister. This is my anniversary gift to you. I only hope that one day I can say I’ve been with someone for forty years.”
“It’s not easy,” Harriet said honestly. “But I wouldn’t want to be with anyone else.”
“Me neither,” Kenneth said and winked at his wife.
The bell on the door rang and I turned to see Parker standing there.
I couldn’t help but smile. My heart bloomed seeing him there.
“Excuse me,” I said to the Lamontes.
Tony cleared his throat across the way and caught my attention. His look said, “Don’t be too eager,” and I flipped him the bird behind my back. I wasn’t eager. I was happy to see my best friend.
“Hey, long time no talk,” I said.
Parker scratched the back of his neck. “I know, I’m sorry. Can I talk to you about something?”
I looked around. We were still busy enough that I needed to be cooking instead of talking. “Are you staying for breakfast?”
“Not today; I have to get back to Rachel.”
Of course he did. Mentioning Rachel was a surefire way to put a damper on my mood.
“Well, follow me to the back; I have orders to prepare.”
Parker followed me into the kitchen and stood in the corner. He knew not to get in my way, and he probably didn’t want egg or other food particles all over his expensive clothes.
“What’s up?” I asked, grabbing a ticket from the pass through.
“I wanted to talk to you about the wedding.”
“Okay,” I said, fuming on the inside. “Go ahead; shoot.”
“We’re planning a small wedding, close friends and family only. And it’s going to be at the end of next month.”
I froze in my spot. “Wait, what?”
He sighed. “I know it's soon, but we don’t see why there’s a reason to wait.”
“We or she?”
He gave me a look, and I cracked a few eggs on the grill before he said anything. “Rachel suggested it, but I agree. Anyway, that’s not the whole thing.”
What else had she done?
“I want you to be my best man.”
I couldn’t help but laugh. “What?”
“I’m serious. You’re my best friend. There’s no reason that gender should be an issue.”
I shook my head and headed over to the other counter to and threw some bread in the toaster before pressing the lever down. “What did Rachel say about this?” I was sure she would have something to say.
“She gets a quick wedding; I get my best friend as my best man.”
Had they compromised over me? Interesting….
“So, what do you say?” he asked.
“Okay, fine,” I said, scooping the sunny side up eggs onto a plate. “I’ll be your best man.”
Parker came up behind me and lifted me off my feet. I let out a yelp. “Put me down.”
He hugged me tight against him. His scent filled my nose, and I sagged against him as he placed me back on my feet. I was momentarily lost in his light blue eyes. His smile was infectious, and I felt one spreading over my own lips. My best friend was positively giddy with the prospect of marrying Rachel. I should have been supportive of and happy for him. I mean, I would have been if he were marrying anyone else but her.
He took my hands in his and kissed me on the cheek. “Thank you. I wouldn’t want anyone else by my side on my wedding day.”
I caught the double meaning in his words, but it was obvious that he hadn’t intended to say I was the one he wanted by his side as his wife. Only as second best.
Chapter Five
Parker
Tuesday morning, I woke up later than normal. Since proposing to Rachel, our relationship had been different. Even though she’d claimed that she would have sex with me once we were engaged, she extended the deadline to our wedding night.
“We’ve already gone this far,” she’d said to me.
And as much as I wanted to have sex with her, she was right. What were two more months when we were going to be together the rest of our lives? I put my needs aside and focused on her. Marriage would be filled with compromises, and this was the first one.
Another thing that changed was my sleeping habits. I was able to sleep through until six, and sometimes seven in the morning. I felt more refreshed than I ever had in my life, and I had Rachel to thank for that.
When I woke that morning, Rachel was looking at me. I smiled over at her. “Good morning.”
“You were snoring,” she said and turned over.
I propped myself up and kissed her on the cheek. “How about we do some wedding planning today?”
She tugged the blankets closer to her. “I have plans with my mom today. But you should get your tux fitted.”
Along with the positive things about being engaged, I found Rachel to be just as standoffish as before, at least at times. We hadn’t done any of the wedding planning together. And even though planning events wasn’t my thing, I was being supportive and encouraged us to do some of the planning together, but she always had something else to do. Maybe she was stressed and not showing it. I hoped everything would be better once we were married.
“Okay,” I said. “I’ll do that. Maybe later this week we can do some cake tasting.”
“Yeah, sure,” she said with a yawn. “Let me know which day so I can schedule my trainer ahead of time. I don’t want to look like a cow in my dress.”
I didn’t want to disturb Rachel anymore, so I decided to head over to Sunny Daes. I needed another opinion on my tux, and I hoped that Sienna would come shopping with me.
When I arrived at the back door of the diner, I heard a scream. I rushed inside to find Sienna and Tony laughing together. Tony lobbed a piece of toast at Sienna and it stuck to her hair.
Tony laughed and saw me at the door. He came over to shake my hand while Sienna untangled the bread from her hair.
“Gross! Now I have butter in my hair! I’m going to get you back for that!”
Tony ducked just as a hard-boiled egg left Sienna’s hand. I didn’t have time to move. Thankfully it didn't have a shell on it, but when it hit me, the force was hard enough for the egg to make a slapping sound against my cheek.
Sienna gasped and covered her mouth, giggling through her fingers.
“All right!” Tony said. “Truce.”
“Truce?” I asked. “I wasn’t even playing.”
Tony clapped a hand on my shoulder. “Thanks for taking one for the team, man.”
He left Sienna and me alone in the kitchen.
I picked up the larger pieces of egg from the floor. “You still have a strong arm in your old age,” I teased.
“If we hadn’t called a truce, I’d throw another one at you for that remark.”
I helped he
r clean up the mess. “I guess you’re not too busy today?”
“No, the weekdays won’t pick up again until after school ends. We had Harriet and Kenneth in this morning. I didn’t tell you that they were here for their fortieth anniversary the other day.”
“Forty years?” I said, dropping the egg pieces into the garbage can. “That’s something to live up to.”
“I know, right? But I don’t think it would be possible for me.”
“Why not?”
“Even if I met someone tomorrow, date, and married him, we’d be into our seventies before it was forty years. And since most marriages end in divorce, I’m not sure if it's in the cards for me.”
“Don’t be so negative.”
“I’m being realistic. I feel like when they got together, it was a better time and people took vows and promises a lot more seriously than people do now.”
“That’s true.”
She met my eyes and it looked like she wanted to say something but changed her mind. “Anyway. Is there a reason you decided to come by today?”
“Do I need an excuse to see my best friend?”
“Lately it seems like you do,” she said under her breath.
I didn’t want to argue with her so I pretended not to hear what she said. “Do you have any plans this afternoon?”
She glanced out into the dining area where Tony was cleaning tables. There wasn’t one customer in the place. “No, why?”
“I need to go tux shopping.”
“Shouldn’t that be something you and Rachel do together?”
“No. It’s something that a best man would do with the groom.”
“You want me to wear a tux?”
“Only if you want to. But I was hoping to try out some options for my own tux.”
She considered this, then yelled for Tony. “You good with closing early today?”
“Yeah, I think we’ve reached our par for the day.”
Sienna untied her apron. “Give me a second to get cleaned up.”
We had to travel almost forty-five minutes to get to the tuxedo shop. I hoped I wouldn’t need to come back too many times to get fitted. But this place had the best reputation and the largest selection. I’d been to many events, but I rarely had I ever worn a tux. When you made a certain amount of money, you didn’t need to wear flashy clothes to make a statement. I was more like Sienna in that I preferred to be comfortable in my clothes. Suits and tuxes tended to be quite stiff, even though I never scrimped on spending top dollar for the most expensive fabrics and tailoring.