by Claire Adams
I typed a quick response to Sienna, telling her I’d be there in a minute. I stood up from the bed and put on a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt. I sneaked out of the room and closed the door behind me. I let out the breath I’d been holding.
Rachel hadn’t moved during the entire exchange. I supposed with her sleep schedule, she was probably thrown off by our “late” night. Funny how I remembered her being fine with late nights unless I was around. Weird.
I opened the front door for Sienna and she barged in the second I gave her an opening.
“Parker, I need to talk to you.”
I yawned and stretched my hands over my head. “Good morning to you, too.”
She waved a dismissive hand at me. “This is important.”
Her mouth was pinched and her eyes were filled with worry.
Something serious had happened.
“Are you okay?” I asked, leading her into the kitchen. I offered her a seat.
“I can’t sit right now,” she said. “And yes, I’m fine.”
A breath of air whooshed out of me. “Okay, well let me at least get a pot of coffee started.”
I went into the cabinet and pulled out the filters and a can of coffee.
She stood next to me, with her hand on her hip. “I heard something yesterday,” she started, lifting her hazel eyes to mine. “And I’ve been up all night trying to figure out how to tell you.”
“Slow down,” I said. I’d never seen her so rattled before. “Just start from the beginning.”
“At the diner yesterday—” she stopped talking and her eyes wandered to a spot behind me.
I turned to see Rachel there, wearing a silky purple robe. Her eyes were narrowed at Sienna.
“H-hey, Rachel,” Sienna said and then brushed passed me. “I didn’t realize you stayed over last night. I’m sorry, Parker, I should have called.”
I followed Sienna, who bee-lined for the front door. “What was it you wanted to tell me?”
Sienna’s eyes flicked to Rachel then back to me. She let out a forced laugh. “Oh, it’s not that important. It’s, um, about my dress. The store called and there’s a problem with it.”
“Couldn’t you have called me about that?” I asked.
“Yeah, you’re right. I just wanted to see if you were able to come with me to take a look. When you get a chance. No rush.” She let out another laugh and waved. “Okay, I’ll talk to guys later, then.”
“Bye,” I said, thoroughly confused.
Sienna left and I glanced out the window to see her shuffling toward her car. I knew Sienna better than that. There was something going on with her, and I wanted to find out what it was. Maybe Rachel would have something to do today and I could stop by the diner to see Sienna.
“That was weird,” I said, scratching my chin. I turned to Rachel. “I hope we didn’t wake you.”
“You did,” Rachel said. Her gaze lingered on the front door; her eyebrows were lowered in thought.
“Sorry.”
Then she snapped out of it, almost violently. “I think we should move the wedding to this Saturday.”
I cocked my head to the side. “This Saturday?”
Rachel came up to me and wrapped her arms around my waist, pulling me closer to her. She peered up at me. “Why not?”
“Why not?” I repeated. “We can’t make this work with all the vendors.”
She shrugged one shoulder. “As long as we have the venue, we can find people who are available.”
“What about the guests?” I asked. “We haven’t finalized the list yet, and we still have to send out invites.”
“We can do email invitations.” She gave me a funny look. “Why are you questioning all of this, dummy?”
I smiled, unable to help myself. It was my only means of keeping her engaged in a conversation without her seeing my intent—to keep her talking to me. Helping me. “You want to email people the wedding invitations?”
She lifted a shoulder and dropped it, looking up at me through her long eyelashes. The resignation on her face said she was catching on. “Picking out invitations will be crossed off the list. And we can send it all in one fell swoop.”
I stepped back, needing space from her and the situation she just created. “I’m not sure about this. It feels very rushed.”
Rachel groaned. “Come on, Parker. Don’t you want to start our lives together sooner rather than later?”
She rested her hands on my shoulders. One of her hands started to play with my hair while the other trailed down my side and rested on the waistband of my sweatpants. “I’m really looking forward to breaking the final barrier between us.”
I swallowed, knowing exactly what she meant. My body responded to her touch as she moved closer to me. Her pillowy lips were so close to kissing, and I imagined them trailing over other parts of my body.
I took a steadying breath and just when I was about to kiss her she pulled back. She smiled and said, “Okay. Saturday it is.”
She winked at me and moved her hands over my waist. “You won’t regret this.”
“I should go and see Sienna about her dress.” It was a flimsy excuse since I knew something else had to be going on with Sienna. She looked too worried to have it be about a dress.
“No,” Rachel said quickly. “I’m sure she can handle it. I want to go with you to check out other vendors today. We don’t have any more time to waste.”
Even though I really wanted to talk to Sienna, Rachel was right: we had a lot to do and barely any time to do it. Even though it hadn’t been my decision, Sienna could wait.
Rachel left the room and I stood in the foyer, trying to calm myself down. This abstinence thing was getting harder and harder to deal with. At least with the wedding happening on Saturday, two days from now, I had a definite countdown clock ticking down in my brain.
Rachel popped her head back into the room. “Come on, Parker.”
I snapped back to the present and headed for the bathroom to shower. A cold one.
My stress level intensified throughout the day as we checked out vendors. Thankfully, the venue was still available this Saturday. They had a wedding on Friday night and Sunday afternoon, so I was forced to pay for the overtime that the staff would need to turn over the wedding from Friday into Saturday then tear it all down for Sunday.
I was never careless with my money, since each dollar had been earned with hard work on my part. But Rachel deserved the best for her wedding. Besides, we’d only do this once; might as well go all out.
We were able to secure a catering company by approaching a reputable one and paying double the price. And I had to overpay for flowers, as well, since Rachel insisted on having specialty ones shipped overnight from all around the world.
By the end of the day, I was spent, both physically and financially. By spending so much money, I started to think about the offer to sell my company. It was more than enough to cover the expenses plus a honeymoon while giving our future kids a bright and prosperous life. I still had yet to bring it up to Rachel, and I still wasn’t sure why I continued to hesitate about that decision. At the end of the day, it was my choice, and it was possible that I was holding back because I didn’t want her influence. I knew which way she would automatically go. This was ultimately my choice since the company was mine, and had been since its inception.
My mind was in overdrive and I wanted to flop on the couch with a beer and relax.
With the wedding taken care of, my mind wandered to Sienna and her strange actions that morning. And as much as I hated to sneak around and lie to Rachel, I had to see Sienna to make sure she was okay. She never cared about anything material before, so the more I thought about it, the more I was convinced that she was going through something. And what kind of friend would I be if I didn’t support her the way she always supported me?
When we got home, I suggested we head out for dinner. Maybe then I could stop over at Sienna’s on the way and make sure she was okay. I knew Rachel
and her’s history was a little stilted, so I was sure Rachel wouldn’t mind waiting in the car.
“No,” Rachel said. “Order something in. I’m tired and want to relax.”
I ordered from my favorite Italian place. By the time it arrived, it was already five-thirty. I started to get anxious about Sienna since she hadn’t called or texted all day.
By six, Rachel was yawning and complaining about being exhausted. I suggested we head to bed early since tomorrow would be our final day of being fiancés. She thought it was a good idea. I hated pretending I was tired but I thought I’d be able to sneak out when she went to bed. She thwarted my plan by insisting I come to bed with her. I started to suspect that she wanted to keep me away from Sienna. Was she jealous of our friendship? I couldn’t believe that. Rachel was so confident in herself. It was also possible that she was overwhelmed with wedding activities just as I was.
It was a good thing Rachel wasn’t a cuddler. She settled into her sleep with her back to me and I watched the slow rise and fall of her breathing through the sheets. I stared at the ceiling, waiting for over a half-hour before it slowed even more and she was asleep.
I slowly moved off the bed, turning back at Rachel with each step out of the bedroom. I compiled a few excuses for her, but if she approached me about sneaking out, I decided to be honest with her. I didn’t want to start off this marriage with lies. Especially when I wasn’t doing anything particularly wrong. I’d tell her I was worried about Sienna. Since she was my best friend, there was a code that went with that, and I wanted to be there for her if she was going through something.
If it was really serious, Sienna would have pushed harder, so I knew she was probably in a tough spot and needed my help or some advice. It was simple. I’d go over there and help with the problem and be back before Rachel realized I was gone.
When I got to Sienna’s house, her car was in the driveway. I’d come over unannounced and only regretted that decision as I came up the walkway. Maybe she’d already gotten over her issue and that’s why she didn’t call or text me all day. Had this trip been a waste?
I inhaled the thick night air and stood in front of her door. I raised my hand to knock and then the door swung open.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Sienna
I spent the entire day at the diner, working in a state of anxiety and panic. Seeing Rachel at Parker’s house this morning was a total surprise. I knew they were getting married soon, but she rarely stayed at his place.
Did she have any idea what I wanted to tell him? Did she know her friend had spilled the beans about her cheating within earshot yesterday? Was that why I hadn’t heard from him the whole day? I wanted to text him, but I was afraid she would intercept it. This was something I had to say in person. I had my reservations about her that I was willing to cover up because of his feelings, but this was unacceptable. I hated to hurt him, but I would be an even worse friend if I didn’t tell Parker what I knew.
If I were in his shoes, I’d want someone to tell me.
Yesterday, I’d told Tony what Rachel had done, and he was in full agreement that I should tell Parker. All last night, I’d gone back and forth about what to say to him. He knew I didn’t like her, but this was something I’d never get past. We were on thin ice as friends after our last blowout, and I had to do this perfectly. Especially if he was going to end their relationship over this revelation.
When I’d come into work that morning, Tony wanted the scoop on what happened with Parker, but I didn’t have much to tell him.
“She was there,” I’d said. “And I had a feeling she knew what I wanted to tell him. I should have gone there last night.”
“Didn’t I tell you to do that?” Tony said.
I swatted at him. “Our relationship is delicate right now. I wanted to figure out how to tell him once I got over the initial shock.” All the way to work, I regretted not telling him the night before. I was a fool to wait so long. Now, who knows how much longer I’d have to wait until I saw him again. If Rachel suspected I knew something, she’d find a way to dig her claws into him.
“Well you better tell him soon,” Tony had said. “The longer you stretch this out, the worse it’s going to be.”
“I know.”
Even the regular visit from the Lamontes wasn’t enough to boost my spirits. I counted down the minutes to the end of the day. Each second dragged, but when it was closing time, I’d figured out exactly how to tell him.
After locking up, I got into my car, fully prepared to try Parker’s house again. But I didn’t want her to be there. I didn’t want to be around him when he confronted her. That was something between them. I gripped the wheel and rested my forehead against the surface. I had to wait for him to reach out to me. No matter how painful it was to hold in this secret.
I managed to hold on to that decision until I got to my house. While showering off the smell of grease, that anxiety crept along my spine and I shivered, even though I was under a heavy stream of hot water. I scrubbed my face, hoping that with the sheer force of the movement a better idea would pop out of my brain. Instead, I went back to square one and needing to talk to Parker.
When I got out of the shower, I dressed and quickly grabbed my keys and bag. I was going to go to Parker’s house and demand he talk with me. This time, I wouldn’t care if Rachel was there. In fact, I’d love to hear her excuse about what I heard. The decision filled me with relief and knew this was the right decision.
I opened my front door and smacked into a hard chest. I stumbled back and two large hands gripped my arms.
“Whoa, there,” Parker said.
I rubbed at a spot on my forehead that I’d bashed into Parker’s chest.
“What are you doing here?” I asked him.
He looked disheveled, as if he’d just woken up. I had a sick feeling in my stomach that Rachel had offered herself to him as a pre-wedding present. I shoved down the building nausea inside of me.
He chuckled and scratched his chin with the back of his hand. “I actually sneaked out after Rachel went to bed.”
“Oh,” I said. “How come?”
He walked into my house and closed the door behind him. “I wanted to see what was up with you. You left in a hurry this morning. Was everything okay with the dress?”
“The dress is fine,” I said. “It was sort of a bad excuse.”
“I had a feeling. Were you going somewhere?” he asked, pointing at my keys and bag still in my hands.
“Actually, I was coming to see you.”
“About the ‘dress’?” he put the last word in finger quotes.
I tossed my bag and keys on the small table by the front door. “We should sit down for this.”
“Okay?” he said warily.
I wrung my hands together, unsure of where to start this conversation. He sat on one end of the couch while I perched on the arm of the other side. My mouth went dry just like it had when I heard what Rachel’s friend said.
“I’m just going to start at the beginning,” I said.
“All right,” he said, resting his arm on the back of the couch.
He looked so casual and was totally unprepared for the bomb I was about to drop. “Don’t interrupt me until I get this all out.”
He smirked. “Okay, Sienna, just tell me.”
“Yesterday afternoon, Rachel and her friend came into Sunny’s.”
Parker’s eyebrows rose in surprise.
I nodded. “I was surprised, too. So, apparently Rachel wanted me to take their order for some reason.”
“Probably because you’re her fiancé’s best friend,” Parker interjected. “She was trying to be nice, I’m sure.”
“Shh,” I corrected.
He mimed zipping up his mouth and throwing away an invisible key.
Here I was, about the wipe the smile off his face. “So, after I took their order and was leaving, Rachel’s friend said something to Rachel about Tony. She said he looked like the second guy t
hat Rachel slept with on her vacation.”
Parker ran his fingers through his hair, but said nothing.
Not the reaction I was expecting. “Did you hear me? She slept with at least two guys on her vacation.”
He stood up from the couch and shoved his hands into his pockets. “I heard you. I think you might have misinterpreted. She probably meant the second guy that Ophelia slept with.”
“No, it was Ophelia who said it to Rachel. I know what I heard.” Why was he questioning me on this?
“I don’t think you do. Rachel is a virgin.”
“Oh, come on, Parker, get your head out of your ass. She’s using you for your money. That’s all. Haven’t you wondered why she’s been holding back sex from you? She’s not interested in you or your needs at all.”
He barked out a laugh. “Sienna, I know you don’t like Rachel, but this is no way to act.”
“Excuse me? This is the truth, Parker. I came to you as a concerned friend. She’s a gold-digger. I’ve always known it, but I never said anything.”
“This is ridiculous, Sienna. I’m sorry you think you heard what you did, but I’ve been with Rachel for a year and know her a lot better than you do—”
“Are you sure you’re not blinded by her looks?” I interrupted. “She doesn’t have a job, she’s always using your money for her nails and hair, and she went on a vacation during your wedding planning. Does that sound like someone who is invested in a relationship for the right reasons?”
“If you bothered to get to know her, then you might know that’s not true at all.”
“Isn’t it?” I asked. How had this turned into a fight between us? This wasn’t my intention, and now I was losing him again. “And that works both ways. She hates me for some reason. Probably because I’m the intelligent one in our friendship. She knows if she spent two minutes with me then I’d call her out on all her bullshit.”