by Claire Adams
Parker stood there, his eyes darkened and I knew I was going to cross a line if I told him how I really felt about Rachel.
I wasn’t going to be “that girl,” so I just shook my head and dropped it.
“What were you going to say?” he persisted.
“Nothing, forget it.”
“No, Sienna, talk to me. Do you know something?”
“I crossed a line. I’m sorry.”
He sighed. “I mean, sure, we haven’t had sex yet, but a lot of couples do that, right?”
Was he asking me if this was normal? I’d only heard of abstinence with religious couples, and from what I knew, neither Rachel nor Parker were.
“And sometimes she can be a bit prickly, but deep down, she’s really great.”
It was the first time I heard the uncertainty in his voice about his relationship with Rachel. Maybe the stress of the wedding and living with that girl for the rest of his life were giving him cold feet. There was nothing I wanted more than for them to stop dating, but Parker had trusted me to be the most important person in the wedding—other than the bride. I owed it to him to at least be supportive of his choice. I wasn’t going to be the person who made him regret anything.
“As long as you feel that way.”
His jaw worked for a few seconds before he spoke. “We’re going to go through with it. It’s the right thing to do.”
There were many things that would warrant a “right things to do” scenario. Marrying someone wasn’t, unless he’d knocked her up, and for me, even that was a stretch. But they’d also have to be having sex for that to happen.
His uncertainty was plain, and I wondered would he change his mind if I pushed him a little more….
For the moment, I decided to drop it. Maybe this conversation would make him rethink his decision. And I was once again straddling that line of going too far. I didn’t want him to resent me or think I didn’t support him in his choices. We’d done so much to keep our friendship intact over the years that an argument over this might be a tipping point in the wrong direction.
“What was it that you needed my help with?” I asked him.
He snapped out of his daze and did one more swipe of the table with his rag. “I double checked with the venue that we wanted for the wedding, but it’s booked solid for two years. So I wanted you to come with me to find another place.”
“Oh, okay,” I glanced at the clock. It was pretty late.
“It’s too late now, though,” Parker said.
“I’m sorry.”
He shook his head. “It’s fine.”
I didn’t know why I felt so bad. Maybe because I was feeling guilty over how I felt about Rachel when he clearly wanted to go through with this. “I have tomorrow off. I can help you then.”
“Are you sure?”
“Absolutely.” There was nothing I wanted more than spending an entire day with my best friend, especially after I’d offended him. I would try harder to be a good sport, but it would take everything I had to do so.
Chapter Nine
Parker
The conversation with Sienna played on my mind the entire night. Even though we’d ended the night on good terms, I wondered what was going on in her head that had been left unsaid.
I showed up at her house the next morning, at a more reasonable hour and with coffee in hand. When she answered the door she was wrapped in a blanket and she muttered a “good morning” and scooted off toward the couch.
She flopped onto the couch and adjusted the blanket so it was over her head like a hood and wrapped around the rest of her body like a coiled snake.
“Did you sleep on the couch last night?”
“Yeah. I fell asleep watching television.”
I cocked my head. Sienna rarely watched television before bed. She was a strict believer in no technology for at least an hour before going to sleep. With her early hours, she needed as much uninterrupted rest as possible. I wondered if she’d had as much trouble sleeping last night as I did.
“My neck is killing me,” she said, stretching it out.
I handed her a cup of coffee and sat on the other end of the couch.
She sipped on it and we sat in silence for a moment.
“You know,” I said, “you don’t have to come with me today. I know I’ve been taking up a lot of your days off lately.”
Her eyebrows drew together with a look of “yeah, right.” “It’s fine. I just need to finish my coffee. Thanks for this, by the way.”
“You’re welcome,” I said with a smile. Sienna was always good to me. Probably more than I deserved, but I was happy to have her in my life.
“What are some places you are considering?” she asked.
I whipped my phone out of my pocket. “I have a list of three that have availability on the date we chose. They are literally the only ones in the area, so I’m hoping one of them will suit our needs.”
“You have a good shot at finding something.”
I nodded. I liked all three of the places, but Rachel had really wanted the one we’d chosen previously. When I told her we could wait the two years, Rachel acted like I was insane for even suggesting it.
“This wedding business is no joke,” I said. “The venues seemed rather appalled that I wanted to plan something within two months.”
“Well, a lot of people like to have a drawn-out process to get everything in place before the date. But it’s not necessary,” she quickly added. “Everyone is different.”
I regarded her as she sipped her coffee. She seemed more agreeable than she had the night before. I didn’t want to start the day off on a bad note, so I tried to avoid talking about Rachel.
“Well, there also isn’t a budget for this, so I’ll pay whoever whatever they want to make it happen.”
Sienna nodded. “I’m sure that will help you get the place you want.”
We sipped our coffee as I went over the places we were going to see. Sienna listened and reacted appropriately, but I could tell something was on her mind. Or maybe she didn’t get enough sleep the night before. Lying on the couch wasn’t going to help her mood if she didn’t get moving.
“How about we get going? We can stop for lunch after the first two.”
Sienna chugged the rest of her coffee and handed me the cup. She gathered the blankets around her and stood up, scooting off to her bedroom. “I’ll be out in a minute.”
Sienna was ready in ten minutes. Getting ready quickly was one of the traits that I loved in her. I usually had to give Rachel an extra hour to get ready for anything.
She’d put on a pair of short shorts and a black tank top and had her hair pulled back. In all the years I knew Sienna, she’d never changed her style.
“Let’s go,” she said and led the way out of the house.
The first venue we looked at was very formal and required a large head count. The ballroom was a little too big for our needs, so I had to pass. Even if I had spent the money to cover the cost of the room, there was way too much space. Our party would look ridiculous in a room that big. If the wedding planner had been put out, she didn’t show it. She’d given Sienna a look of disgust when we entered the place, which rubbed me the wrong way.
Sienna didn’t appear to notice and was kind to the woman. My instinct to protect her was overwhelming. I had to leave so that I wouldn’t say something to the woman I’d regret.
When we got to the car, I texted Rachel and let her know that option was out. I waited for a few seconds for her response, knowing how close she was with her phone.
“I hope Rachel isn’t too disappointed,” Sienna said.
I shoved the phone in my pocket. “I’m sure the next place will be better.”
Rachel still hadn’t contacted me at all, even though I’d called and left voice mails and text messages. The only way I knew she was doing okay was from her pictures on Instagram. The combination of her leaving me to do all the planning myself and not answering my calls annoyed me to no end.
I spent most of the ride to the next venue thinking of what I’d say to her if she ever contacted me while she was away.
“I wish that place had a smaller ballroom,” Sienna noted.
Her voice broke through my thoughts. “It was nice, but I think this is the place with the overlook.” We drove up a steep, winding hill toward the next place. I didn’t want anyone to kill themselves on this hill, so I made a mental note to hire a private shuttle from the hotel to the reception.
Sienna turned in her seat to look down at the ocean below us. “This already looks cool.”
I smiled and had a feeling this was going to be it.
We met with the venue wedding planner, an older gentleman named Jacob. I already liked him better than the other woman from the last venue. He was kind and answered all of my questions without caring how my best friend looked.
There were two rooms for the reception we could choose from. The first was nice and had a view of the landscaped courtyard. “The cocktail hour will take place outside in the courtyard, and then dinner will be in here. Depending on the weather, all of these windows can be removed so that your guests can filter between inside and outside.”
“This is great,” Sienna said.
“Let me show you the other option.”
We walked down a long hallway to the back of the building. This room was a little smaller. And the windows had already been removed to show the bright blue sky and view of the ocean in the distance.
“Wow,” Sienna said.
Jacob smiled. “We get that reaction a lot.”
We walked through the space and outside. “We can have your ceremony out here, overlooking the ocean.”
The view was even more breathtaking than the photos on the website. This was the place I wanted to have my wedding. And I knew Rachel would agree.
“Over here we can seat up to two hundred people,” Jacob said, indicating the space in front of us. “Then over there would be your cocktail hour.” There was a long bar on the backside of the reception room. “We usually put out high top tables and a tent, so your guests stay cool.”
I nodded and looked back over to where the ceremony would take place. Sienna had wandered to the edge of the overlook. When Jacob was done with his spiel, I walked over to her.
“What do you think?” I asked her.
She took a deep breath. “It’s perfect.”
Jacob came up behind us. “If you both stand over here and face each other, then you can imagine how it will be on your wedding day.”
Sienna flinched and turned to Jacob. “It’s not our wedding day.” Her tone was hard, as if she couldn’t even imagine marrying me. My throat tightened. I didn’t understand why I felt so upset by her comment, but for some reason, it upset me more than I wanted it to. My earlier feelings from before were squashed. Sienna had no feelings for me other than friendship. Her dislike for Rachel had spurred that conversation from the night before, and that was all. At least my cold feet had finally thawed.
“Oh,” Jacob said, “I’m sorry. I just assumed.”
“I’m the best man,” she said, smirking at me.
“You won’t be the first female best man we’ve had,” Jacob said.
I bumped Sienna’s arm with mine. “See, it’s not that weird.”
“So, what do you think?” Jacob asked. “Do you have any more questions?”
“Are both rooms available for the day I discussed with you on the phone?”
“At this moment, yes.”
“Good, I want to buy the whole place for that day,” I said.
Jacob cocked his head. “How large is your group?”
“Not that big, but we want privacy. I’ll pay whatever you want.”
Jacob blinked a few times. “If you insist. Let me put together some numbers for you. I’ll be back in a jiffy.” He left us alone to wander the property.
“I really like that courtyard,” Sienna said. “And if you’re buying the place out, I think it should be used.”
“I thought you would say something about my careless spending of my money.”
She rolled her eyes. “If you’re going to spend money, you might as well spend it on a fabulous party.”
“I’m glad you agree.”
“Do you have to check in with Rachel about it?”
“No,” I said quickly. If Rachel was going to leave me to make this decision and not have the decency to call me, I was going to make the final decision. Besides, with a view like that, I doubted even the pickiest of brides would refuse.
“Glad you’re taking the initiative,” she said. “This place is really nice.”
“What do you think: band or DJ?”
“How about both? I went to a wedding years ago where the band also DJ’d. It was interesting and a really cool idea. And maybe for that extra room, you can do a photo booth or something fun like that.”
“You’re really getting into this.”
“With a place like this, it’s hard not to get into the wedding spirit.”
“I agree.”
We walked to the edge of the overlook again and silently stood side by side, listening to the crashing waves. I closed my eyes and imagined what my wedding day would look like. I could almost hear a string quartet in the background as Rachel came up the aisle.
“Okay, Mr. Liston,” Jacob said from behind me.
My eyes fluttered opened and I turned to him. “I’m all ears.”
After booking the venue and taking Sienna to a long lunch at a nearby seafood joint, I brought her back home. It was almost six by the time I walked her to the front door.
“How am I still stuffed?” Sienna said, rubbing her stomach.
“Well, you did eat a whole entree plus half of mine.”
“Uhh,” she groaned. “Let me know if you go back to that restaurant; I definitely want to try the lobster rolls next time.”
I laughed. “Will do.”
“Oh!” she said with a devilish grin. “I have a surprise for you on Monday. So, take the day off or turn off your phone or whatever you need to do to. You’re all mine.”
“I take it this is a surprise?”
“Oh, yeah. It’s time for me to get you back for all the surprise visits.”
I wasn’t going to give her the satisfaction of begging her for details. “I’ll take off work on Monday if you help me with decorations tomorrow.”
She took a backward step toward her door. “Fine. But I’m not picking out flowers this time. Apparently, I can’t choose the right color scheme.” She winked at me then opened her door.
“Good night, Sienna,” I said. “I’ll come by around ten.”
She waved. “Night, Parker.”
Chapter Ten
Sienna
It was just after eight when I woke up on my own. I stretched my arms over my head and yawned. I had plenty of time to get ready for Parker’s arrival. But that wasn’t happening until I got some caffeine in me.
While sitting at the breakfast bar, waiting for my coffee to cool down, I flipped through my phone to get to the weather. It was going to be close to seventy-five today.
After my shower, I picked out a pair of khaki shorts and a cream-colored tank-top. I wasn’t sure if we were going to be outside a lot, but I wanted to be cool. I had a tendency to run hot in the spring and summer months.
I had just finished putting makeup on when my doorbell rang. I glanced over my shoulder and my hair glided over my skin. I wasn’t used to wearing it down during the day. I wasn’t sure how long it would last either. I slipped a hair elastic around my wrist just in case.
I jogged over to the front door, my bare feet slapping against the cool tile floor. I opened the door for Parker.
“Morning,” I said.
His eyebrows rose. “You seem chipper this morning.” He made a point of smelling the air between us. “And you showered. What’s the occasion?”
“You know I could slam this door in your face,” I said with a bright smile.
&n
bsp; He chuckled and came inside.
“Can I get you some coffee? I just brewed a pot.”
“Sure,” he said.
I poured him a mug and refilled my own. “Let’s sit out on the porch; there’s a nice breeze this morning.”
Outside, I sat on one of the lounge chairs and Parker plopped down on another.
I sat back and dropped my sunglasses over my eyes. The mid-morning sun was already making me sweat. Thankfully, the breeze from the ocean was strong enough to keep me cool. I could have easily made iced coffee, but I never liked the taste of it.
It was one of the main selling points of the house for me. I was close enough to the beach to have an unobstructed view, but it was about a five-minute walk down the path to get to it. During the warmer months, the beaches swarmed with people. I loved the ocean view, but needed my privacy.
I took a deep breath, inhaling the salty scent in the air. “Remember when we were kids and wouldn’t come out of the water for hours?”
Parker laughed. “Yeah.”
“Now I barely want to get my toes wet.”
“Why did you get a place by the ocean, then?”
“I love the view. Just not the sand in every crevice of my body.”
Even though Parker had sunglasses on, his gaze lingered on me a little too long. I would have done anything to know what he was thinking. Those penetrating blue eyes had a way of pulling you right in. And sometimes, even I wasn’t unaffected by them.
He turned his gaze back to the water, and I let out a breath I hadn’t realized I’d been holding. “That was a good way of culling our circle of friends.”
“Hey, if they can’t cut it on a normal day with me and you on the beach, then they weren’t worthy of our friendship.”
“Speaking of school,” he said. “You know we have our fifteenth reunion coming up in a couple of years.”
I groaned. “Don’t remind me.” Even though high school brought me closer to Parker, sealing our friendship, I hated it. Parker grew into his looks senior year while it took me until college to finally feel good about my body. I wasn’t sure of the etiquette on high school reunions, but I hoped that we wouldn’t have one ever, never mind a few years from now. “Well, you’ve made a name for yourself and will probably have children by then,” I said, even though it made me sick to imagine Parker and Rachel’s children. She didn’t seem to have a motherly bone in her body.