by Claire Adams
“It’s nice to meet you in person, Gary,” I said. I strode over and shook his hand.
He was older than I thought, with more skin than hair on his head. But he had a kind smile, even though a few particles of food were stuck in his teeth. I saw they had started eating before I arrived.
“This is Michael and Jonathan,” Gary said, indicating the other two men.
I shook their hands then sat down.
“I want to start off by saying, I’m sorry for your loss.”
“Thank you,” I said, thinking of Kenneth. I wondered if Harriet had come into the diner today. I’d ask Sienna how she was doing later on at dinner.
“I take it you read through the agreement?” Gary asked.
“I did.”’
“Do you have any questions?”
Gary had laid out a very detailed contract for me. Another reason I felt confident about handing over the company to him. “Actually, no. I am ready and prepared to sign the contracts as is.”
Gary clapped his hands together and let out a chortling laugh. “That’s my boy! I knew you were a smart man from the moment I first spoke with you.”
He called for the waitress and ordered a bottle of prosecco for the table. Two other waiters came through a back door with trays of food.
“I took the liberty of ordering a sampling of the menu,” Gary said. “The food down here is so fresh. I can’t get enough.”
“I’m glad you’re having a good time on your trip. When do you return home?”
“This afternoon, unfortunately,” he said. “But since we’d already scheduled our trip for yesterday, we had some time to sightsee.”
Gary took over the floor and regaled me with their trip to the beach the day before. After we ate, I signed the contracts and bid Gary—and my company—goodbye.
On the way to my car, I pulled out my phone to call Sienna. But before I could, her face lit up my screen. I smiled and picked it up. “Hey—”
“Parker,” Sienna said in a frantic tone.
“Are you okay?” I asked.
“No. I’m not. You need to come to the diner right away.”
“I’ll be there as soon as possible.”
Chapter Thirty-Two
Sienna
If there was ever a day I was happy to be late for work, it was this morning.
Tony called me on my way to work after his motorcycle broke down on the highway. The tow truck from the mechanic that Tony used took over an hour to get to us. I hoped that Harriet hadn’t chosen this morning to come by on the earlier side. I would feel so guilty if we arrived and she was sitting there, waiting for us.
Tony cursed and moaned the whole time about it taking them that long. “I’m not paying for the tow. Leonard can kiss my ass.”
“It will be fine,” I said.
“Why don’t you go ahead to work and I’ll have the tow truck driver drop me off at the diner?” he suggested.
“Don’t worry about it; I don’t mind waiting,” I said.
“Are you sure?”
“Yes, Tony,” I said, starting to get annoyed. “Now, stop asking. Let’s talk about something else.” Talking about anything else would distract me from checking the time. I debated on calling Harriet until Tony did as I asked.
“So, what happened with Parker?” Tony asked.
“He didn’t get married.”
Tony opened his hands, palms up. “Is that all?”
“We went to dinner,” I said evasively.
“And that was it?”
I smirked. “No….”
“No?”
I avoided his eyes and he let out a low whistle.
“Wow,” Tony said. “It’s about time you got some.”
I punched him in the arm. “What do you mean? He was with Rachel for a year not getting any.”
“That has nothing to do with you! You were abstaining for way longer than Parker was. And he had no choice.”
“Whatever,” I said. He was right, though; I hadn’t been intimate with anyone for a long time. With my business and my hidden love for my best friend, I’d never made it a priority. But that was going to change significantly with Parker. We both had a lot of time to make up for. And I appreciated him so much more than Rachel had. I wanted him to feel wanted.
The tow truck’s flashing lights appeared in the distance.
“Finally,” Tony said and waved his hands in the air to signal our location to the driver.
Once the motorcycle was safely secured to the bed of the truck, Tony and I got into my car.
I glanced at the clock. We were only an hour later than our normal start time. At least there were two of us to pick up the slack until we were back on track again.
We were nearly there when something caught my eye in the distance.
“Look at that,” I said, pointing to the sky where a big cloud of black smoke was billowing ahead of us.
“Holy, shit. Something is on fire.” He paused. “Something big.”
The hairs on my arms stood on end, but I wasn’t sure why.
As we neared the diner, my stomach dropped. We were also getting closer to the blaze. I could see the tips of red and orange flames flickering in the black cloud.
I thought of the buildings in that area. All of them were locally owned small businesses. Including my own.
“Tony,” I said breathlessly.
“It’s not the diner,” he said. And even he didn’t sound convinced.
His words echoed in my brain, and I used whatever mental power I had to repeat the phrase over and over in my head.
It’s not the diner. Dear God, please don’t let it be the diner.
I pressed on the gas pedal and propelled my little car as quickly as I could toward the diner.
When we turned the corner, I gasped. I had to blink a few times so that I was able to see something other than the flames shooting out of the windows of my second home. Tony had been wrong. Sunny’s was already destroyed. I choked on a sob.
“Sienna,” Tony said. “Pull over here. We don’t want to get too close.”
My brain went on auto-pilot and I turned the wheel. I bumped over the curb and shifted the car into park. I opened my door and got out, unable to take my eyes off my diner, which was now fully engulfed in flames.
“I’d like to report a fire,” Tony said.
I tore my eyes away from the diner. Tony had his phone to his ear. He was also staring at the building.
Were we the first to get here? It was early, but someone else had to have seen it. Though, if that were true, then we’d probably have heard fire engines by now.
After Tony had given all the information to the dispatcher, he hung up and ran over to me. “Sienna, I’m so sorry.”
My head dropped into his shoulder and I closed my eyes. If I didn’t hear the snapping and crackling of the fire, I might have thought I was dreaming. But when the sirens alarmed in the distance, I knew it was a real-life fucking nightmare.
I wiped a few stray tears from my face. “What the hell happened?”
“You know,” Tony said. “I don’t remember if I turned off the oven.”
I gave him a look.
He smirked. “Too soon?”
“You might want to wait until the place isn’t on fire before making jokes,” I said, wiping at my face.
“I’m just trying to lighten the mood.”
“I know, and I appreciate that,” I said, patting his shoulder. “But I was the one to check everything before we left. This wasn’t an accident.”
He turned to me. “What do you mean?”
“I have a feeling I know who did this.”
“You think someone did this on purpose?” Tony said. “Who?”
“Rachel came by Parker’s place this morning. She was pretty pissed off. She threatened to ‘get us back’ for getting together after their failed wedding attempt.” Rachel’s harsh warning rang in my ears. She had the motive to do this. She was pissed at Parker, and this was how she
repaid him. She had been impulsive and fucking insane. I was going to get her for this.
He sighed and rubbed the back of his neck.
“What?”
“I know you don’t like her, but do you think she has the capability to do this?”
Why wasn’t he on my side? Granted, I knew it was a big accusation, but he didn’t see her face. “Haven’t I mentioned what a crazy bitch she is?”
Tony shrugged.
“Besides, she was livid when we saw her this morning. I mean, she looked like she’d slept in a dumpster for the past two nights. I’ve never seen her so disheveled.”
“Doesn’t she know you come to work earlier than this?” Tony asked. “Did she want you to be inside when she did this?”
“She saw me at Parker’s this morning; she could have done this thinking that I was still there.” Would she have gone so far as to want me to be inside when it happened? I hoped not. But it was obvious she was hurting and would do anything to lash out at Parker and me. Money did strange things to people, and now she had none. She was desperate. And desperate people did wacky things. I had a strange sixth sense about that girl, and I knew I wasn’t wrong this time, either.
“I should call Parker,” I said, reaching into the car to get my phone.
“Are you going to say something about Rachel?” Tony asked.
I shook my head, but I wasn’t sure. If I was going to accuse her, I needed him to be with me first. It was easy enough to diffuse the situation over the phone, but he needed to see the damage she’d caused, plus if I were being honest, then I knew that we wouldn’t have to press charges against her. The insurance company would do that for me.
When Parker picked up, hearing his voice made my emotions let loose. There were so many memories in that place and now it was going to be reduced to nothing.
“Parker,” I said, my voice cracking.
“Are you okay?” he asked.
I took a deep breath and tried to choke back the sob that threatened to let loose. “No. I’m not. You need to come to the diner right away.”
“I’ll be there as soon as possible.”
“Okay, bye,” I said and hung up.
I took a breath and pulled my hair away from my face. What had started off as an amazing day turned into a shit-show the second Rachel came back into our lives. She was going to pay for this. How would she react to wearing an orange jumpsuit every day? I had a feeling she wouldn’t be happy with how the color complemented her fake tan.
Two fire trucks pulled up to the diner, then a large white truck came up behind it. The lettering on the side of the truck read: SUPERVISOR. A man came out of it and walked over to us.
“Stay back, folks. We’re going to knock this down soon.”
I nodded, unable to speak as the other firemen pulled long hoses out from the trucks and hooked them up to the hydrant. It all happened quickly, but in my mind, it felt like hours. When that was done, then they started spraying water over the flames.
Tony pulled me close to him as we watched them work. The whole ordeal was incredibly surreal. My life’s work was reduced to ashes in a short matter of time. I knew even with the building’s insurance, I wouldn’t be able to bring the diner back to its original form. Since I’d been tight on money, I’d opted for a higher deductible so I could bring down my monthly payment. Though I never expected someone to set fire to the place.
Parker’s car turned around the corner and I broke away from Tony, waving Parker over. He skidded to a stop by the curb and jumped out of his car, which was still running.
“Sienna, are you okay? Were you in there?” Parker held me at arm's length, checking my body from head to toe. “What happened?”
“We’re fine. Tony’s cycle stalled and we were late.”
“Thank God,” Parker said. “Do they know what caused it?”
Tony and I shared a look.
“What am I missing?” Parker asked.
“Sienna has a theory,” Tony prompted.
Suddenly my mouth dried up. I was used to holding my tongue about Rachel, but now I didn’t have to anymore. “It had to be Rachel.”
“Rachel?” Parker said. “Did you see her do this?”
“No,” I said, and I was pretty sure I lost all credibility at that point. So I scrambled to throw my theory out there and see if any of it stuck. “But all of the electric and gas utilities were serviced and I double-checked everything before I left yesterday. This wasn’t an accident. And from the way she threatened us this morning, who else would want to see my business go up in flames?”
Parker rubbed his hands over his eyes. “I’m not sure she would stoop this low. I mean, this is arson. She could have major jail time for this.”
I clenched my jaw. If no one was going to believe me, I’d have to prove it somehow.
Parker took my hands in his. “Sienna, don’t worry about Rachel. I’ll take care of it.”
Like hell did I want Rachel anywhere near him again. I’d have to wait until they figured out the cause first before I did anything. “Parker, don’t worry about it. I’m just a little rattled by all of this. And she really pissed me off this morning.”
“Sienna, I understand completely. She’s never going to bother us again. I’ll make sure of that.”
Even if Rachel did this as some act of revenge, I’d won the real war. I had my best friend on my side, and as a team, we were unstoppable.
“Ma’am,” one of the fireman walked up. The badge on his chest showed that he was the captain. I’d have guessed it either way with his aged face and kind eyes. “Any clue what happened here?”
“Not really.” I gave a shrug and glanced back at Parker.
“Well, the fire inspector will be on his way shortly once we put this thing out. He’ll have to interview you.”
“We understand.” Parker stepped up beside me, taking the conversation away from me, thankfully. Rachel would get hers, and I wouldn’t have to do a damn thing. Karma or the fire marshal—one would make sure of it.
Parker finished up talking with the fire chief and walked back toward me, cupping my face and pulling me close to him. He dropped his lips to mine and my insides exploded. This was all I needed right now. I was happy that no one got hurt in the fire, and as long as we were together, everything would work itself out.
I stared up at Parker as the flickering flames behind me moved in his eyes, and we kissed.
Chapter Thirty-Three
Parker
One week later
My finger hovered over the trigger of the gun. This one only needed a light touch to fire, so I was careful not to put any pressure on it too soon. I needed to have the perfect aim before shooting her. I stepped forward, first with my heel, then my toes, so I didn’t make a sound. I didn’t need to get caught before I got the job done.
“Do you have a location on her?” Tony hissed from a few feet away.
I shook my head once. “I’ll give you the signal first. You give some cover fire as a distraction and I will take her down.” I had to do this myself. I’d take her down once and for all. Then she’d finally be off our backs for good.
I narrowed my eyes and I thought I saw movement in the distance. I held up two fingers and signaled for Tony to go to the right. With him over there, I’d take her left side. She didn’t stand a chance.
Tony nodded as he honed in on the same position I was seeing.
Just as I brought down my signal for him to shoot, a sharp pain ripped through my leg. I stumbled and fell forward. Tony turned too late, and red spots dotted his chest.
“No!” I called out. How had she done it again?
“I’m the best!” Sienna screamed out. She held her paintball gun high in the air and pumped it toward the tops of the trees around us. “And you two are looooosers,” she sang while skipping and dancing around us. Leaves and other forest fauna kicked up around her feet.
“How did you get around us?” Tony asked, wiping red paint from his chin. “We though
t you were in that direction.”
“I’m stealthier than you,” she said. “And overall, a better shot than the both of you combined. Which is why I’ve been winning every single game.”
“All right,” I said, standing up. “You won. I say we get some lunch. I’m feeling a little lightheaded.”
“Don’t think that’s an excuse, big boy!” Sienna said starting up her dancing again. “I won, fair and square.”
I knew if I continued to bait her she’d keep firing back at me. So instead, I didn’t give in to her. Something I knew would annoy her even more.
I smirked and dropped my arm over her shoulder. “You’re the best, babe,” I said, kissing her cheek.
She pouted up at me. I knew she wanted to continue to gloat, but I’d won that round.
“Parker’s paying!” Tony said then took off toward the main building of the paintball arena.
“Does he think if he gets there last, something will happen?” I asked.
“No, I think he’s politely leaving us alone.”
“Oh, that’s nice of him,” I said, squeezing her ass.
“Hey!” she swatted at me and I jumped away before she could hit me.
Tony was far ahead of us, now a moving dot among the trees. “Should we try and catch up to him?”
“Nah,” Sienna said. “He’ll be out of breath and dragging before we get there.”
“I’m still paying, though?”
“Yes, you are.”
I kissed the top of her head. “This is quite unfair, you know. You two shouldn’t assume I’ll pay for everything.” I tried to sound upset about it, but it was hard. How did chicks do that all the time?
“You’re the one who invited us,” Sienna said in a reasonable tone. “So, we’re all technically on a date with you, so it would only be polite to pay.”
“True.”
“And the fact that you could buy three of these places….”
“That’s an even better point.”
Sienna slung her gun over her shoulder and took my hand in hers as we followed the path out of the woods. I couldn’t help but ask about Rachel, though I knew she wouldn’t want me bringing it up. She’d been so closed up about the whole situation, which worried me a little.