by Claire Adams
“Way more than getting another bike?”
He whistled through his teeth. “It’s going to be close.”
That totally sucked. Tony loved his bike. It would be a hard decision for him to make. “Well, if you need to keep it at the shop until you get the money together, I can give you a ride.”
“Are you sure you can?” he asked.
“Why wouldn’t I be able to?”
“Well, you and Parker are always off gallivanting around the place doing wedding stuff.”
I rolled my eyes. “I can give you a ride.”
“Speaking of Parker, how was paintballing? Did you kick his ass?”
“You know it. It was so much fun. I have like a million bruises, but it was worth it. Oh! And I wanted to plan a big bachelor party for him. Are you in? I’ll need a man’s touch for this one.”
“Yeah, of course. I’m always down to party.”
I clapped my hands together. “Awesome. I was thinking of doing it here. Is that weird? Maybe if we move all the tables in a different formation, it might look more like an appropriate restaurant. I don’t have a ton of money, and I refuse to ask Parker to give me any for his party—”
Tony’s hands rested on my shoulder. “Sienna, breathe. It will be fine.”
I took a breath and hadn’t realized I was prattling on. “I just want this to be fun for him.”
“Parker may be a billionaire, but he has fun with you. So, whatever you think would be fun, I’m sure he’ll love it.”
“You think?”
“Definitely,” he said, smiling. “And to bump it up a notch, I can get a stripper.”
“A stripper?” I asked. I knew a lot of bachelor parties had strippers, but I couldn’t imagine some chick taking her clothes off here. I would have to sanitize a lot if things got crazy. But I was sure I could make this really special for Parker. I thought he’d get a kick out of having a stripper.
“You can’t have a bachelor party without a stripper, Sienna.”
“I know, yeah, let’s do that. Call whatever pimp you know and let’s get that going,” I teased.
“I don’t know a pimp. It’s called a service.”
“Yeah, okay.”
“Cool, I’ll get to work on that today.”
The Lamontes were our first customers for the day. We all exchanged pleasantries, and I started preparing their meal before they even sat down.
When I brought the food out to them, a stream of customers came in through the door. Outside there were two vans parked in the lot and I knew we were going to be busy for a little while. The thought brought a smile to my face. We’d been picking up lately, and I knew we were getting close to the busy season, but I had an inkling that Parker’s promotion had helped as well.
“Sienna, dear,” Harriet said, touching my arm. “Ken and I were talking about you the other day.”
“I hope all good things?”
Kenneth coughed into his handkerchief. I’d know that cough anywhere; he’d been doing it a lot lately. “Always,” he squeaked out.
“We were curious why you wanted to open a diner.”
I glanced over my shoulder at the other customers filtering in. Four tables worth.
“If you’re busy, we can talk later,” Harriet said.
I slid into the booth next to Kenneth. “I’m never too busy for my best customers.”
Harriet nodded and leaned closer to the table. “I’d love to know how you got here. Such a strong woman. You’re a great influence for other girls.”
“I don’t know about all that,” I started, “but I’ve always loved to cook, even when I was a little girl. We didn’t grow up with much money, so I had to make food with whatever we had. It was sort of like a fun game for me. And while there have been some disasters in the kitchen, it helped me understand cooking and opened my mind a bit. I think of recipes as a jumping-off point more than a blueprint. And I’ve always wanted to open up a place for myself, never really wanting to have a boss.”
“That’s lovely,” Harriet said.
“And I get to meet wonderful people like you.”
“Is business good?” Kenneth asked.
I shrugged. “It’s not as profitable as I wanted, but I live in a beautiful home and am able to pay the bills each month. So, I’d say it was worth it.”
Harriet looked at the other group who was starting to get loud. “We appreciate you sitting with us. But you should probably get back to work. We’ll talk later.”
“Enjoy your meal,” I said, sliding out of the booth.
Tony was already in the kitchen starting on the orders for the larger group.
“Sorry,” I said, grabbing the next ticket. “Harriet had a question and I rattled on too much.”
“Don’t worry about it. These people think this is a fast food restaurant. They can wait. Harriet and Ken are more important.”
I knew Tony would understand. We were almost the same person in a lot of ways.
“If I didn’t have this place, I would have never met them. That’s wild, right? I can’t even imagine it,” I said.
“They are pretty amazing. Did you know Kenneth was a Marine? That’s a tough job, man.”
I glanced out at the dining area; I could imagine Kenneth when he was a young man. Under the wrinkles and constant coughing, I could see him kicking ass as a Marine. I wished I had more time for them today. But I’d make up for it another day. They weren’t going anywhere.
We carried on with preparing the food. A few times, I glanced over at the Lamontes. Harriet was chattering away about something while I saw the back of Kenneth’s head bob as if he were in rhythm with a tune. They were adorable, and I hoped they’d keep coming back for a long time.
After the Lamontes and the van-crowd left, we had a steady stream of customers throughout the rest of the day. Tony covered for me while I ate my lunch. I made myself a grilled cheese and thought of Parker while I ate it.
“So, what should I prepare for food for the bachelor party?” I asked. “Maybe mini grilled cheeses. Oh! Sliders, too. Maybe more finger food-type things? Unless you think we should do a sit-down dinner? Not sure that would go with the stripper theme, though.”
Tony turned around. “It’s not a stripper theme; there will be a stripper at some point. Maybe two. Usually after we eat. And appetizers sound fine.”
“Good, I’ll make up a menu.”
“You’re really getting into this,” he said.
“Into what?”
“This whole planning thing.”
“How else would you expect me to plan a party?”
“I mean, you’re really into it. Like more than I’ve ever seen you.”
“Well, I am the best man,” I said.
He gave me a look that said, “Yeah, okay.”
“What?”
“Nothing. Forget I said anything.”
I couldn’t forget it, but I also couldn’t explain why I wanted everything to be perfect. I wanted this party to reflect me in some way. It was almost a last hurrah for me and Parker. And I wanted it to be a night he always remembered. And if I was honest with myself, I wanted him to remember it even more than his wedding day.
Chapter Thirteen
Parker
I laid in bed for almost an hour after waking, and worked on my phone answering emails and texts. For some reason, I had no motivation to do anything about getting ready for the day. This is why I loved technology and my job. I could be lying on the beach and no one would know or care. I supposed Rachel assuming that I could do most of the wedding planning made sense. She knew I worked from anywhere. I set up the company so that it practically ran itself, and now I only had to put in a few hours each day to keep the money rolling.
It was almost seven when Rachel’s face lit up the screen. I had been in the middle of typing something and accidentally hit the green button to answer the call. I fumbled with the phone for a second before answering.
She said “hello” a few times before I
answered.
“Hi, Rachel,” I said into the phone. I pressed the speaker button and her voice filled my bedroom.
“Hey, Parker. I can’t believe I’m up this early; we had such a crazy night last night.”
I adjusted my body until I was in a sitting position. My back cracked; I hadn’t realized I was in a stiff position for so long. “What did you guys do?”
“Well, Holly and Trisha met us here, and we went out on the town. So many guys bought us shots. I only had a few because those things are loaded with empty calories, but Holly got so wasted. We had to drag her away from this creeper; it was hilarious.”
“Sounds fun,” I said.
“You had to be there, I guess,” she said in a dour tone.
“What else have you been doing?”
“Mostly going out at night and sleeping all day.”
It sounded exactly like what she did when she was home. Not sure she needed to go away to do all that.
Someone said something in the background and I struggled to hear what they said.
Rachel broke out in a fit of giggles, and it was so loud I had to move the phone away from my ear.
“It sounds like you’re having a good time.”
“The BEST!” she screeched.
Someone “wooed” in the background.
“You know it!” she called out. I could picture Rachel being more preoccupied with them than me. That had been obvious by her lack of contact since she’d left for her mini-vacation.
“How’s the wedding planning going?” she asked.
I didn’t know if she was getting my texts since she refused to take my phone calls, so I had to recap everything for her. “We changed the venue to this really spectacular place overlooking the ocean. I rented out the entire space so we can add other things. Sienna was thinking a photo booth—”
“Sounds good,” Rachel said, interrupting me. “Listen, I want to move the wedding up if you can get the plans done before I get back.”
I stared at the phone, stunned that she would even ask that. I had enough trouble securing vendors for the original date. “I don’t think that will work, Rachel. Unless you want to do something at the courthouse.” I wasn’t opposed to a quick wedding, but I didn’t think a big wedding was possible in the timeline that she wanted.
“I’m not wearing my ten thousand dollar dress at a courthouse. Just make it happen. Throw whatever money you can at this.”
She’d been callous before, but only when we were alone. I didn’t like how she spoke about my money in front of her friends. It was a personal thing to me, and she was treating my life’s work like Monopoly money.
“I don’t think you understand how this works, Rachel.” I couldn’t help feeling annoyed.
“We’re going to the pool, Rachel,” Ophelia said in the background.
“Rachel,” I said, “I think we need to discuss this.”
“Later, Parker. Just make it work.”
“I’ll try,” I said, resigning myself to the fact that I’d probably have to redo the entire wedding, and now in a shorter amount of time.
“’Kay, great, bye.”
“I love—” the phone line went dead, “—you.”
I tossed my phone onto the bed and dug my palms into my eyes. I really wished I hadn’t picked up the phone for her. She was asking way too much of me while being away. I needed her here to help me. Maybe it was a good time to hire a wedding planner. At least they could take care of everything, and then Rachel could blame them if something went wrong. Stress built up in my chest and a rush of energy flooded my body. I sat up and pushed off the bed. I needed to do something.
Sienna’s face flashed in my mind. She’d know what to do.
By the time I reached the diner, my mouth was watering for some nearly burnt bacon. I’d shoved the conversation with Rachel to the back of my mind. I’d talk to her later when she wasn’t so distracted and see if we could work something out. If not, I’d hire someone to help out. I had to. I didn’t have time for this. Maybe Rachel would pick up her phone for a wedding planner even if she didn’t for me.
The lot was full, and I had to park around back where there was space. I went into the kitchen. I grabbed an apron and put it in front of me as a shield.
Tony turned when I came in. “What are you doing, man?”
Sienna turned around and smiled at me. She had a bit of jelly on her cheek, which added to her charm.
“I don’t need to be assaulted by more eggs. I’m protecting myself.”
“We’re too busy for food fights today,” Sienna said.
“That’s good. I think my advertising has paid off.”
“Do you want a medal?” she said, smiling.
“No, but I could use some food.”
“Give us about ten minutes to catch up,” Tony said. “Then she’ll make you whatever you want.”
“Thanks for speaking for me,” Sienna said to Tony and bumped him with her elbow.
He brandished a spatula at her and she erupted with laughter. “No spatula fights today, Tony.”
My mood improved almost immediately. I went out to the front and poured myself a cup of coffee then came back and sat, watching them cook.
Tony and Sienna were talking about his motorcycle that was in the shop.
“Do you need to borrow a car?” I asked him.
“Nah, I don’t want to put you out.”
Sienna snorted. “He has five of them.”
Tony’s eyes widened.
“Actually six,” I said. “But who’s counting?”
“Really?” Tony asked tentatively, almost as if I was going to pull the rug out from under him.
“Yeah, it’s not like I use them all at the same time. I’d be happy to help out until you get your bike back.”
“Awesome, man,” Tony came over and shook my hand.
“I’ll take you to my place tonight and you can pick one out.”
“That sounds so romantic,” Sienna teased. “Too bad you can’t let your best friend borrow one.”
“I did that once, remember?”
Tony looked at Sienna.
She curled her lip. “It was only a small dent.”
I chuckled. “A small dent that cost me three thousand dollars.”
Tony whistled his disbelief.
“God, you’re never going to let me live that down, are you?” Sienna said. She grabbed two plates and headed out into the dining area.
Tony looked through the pass-through. “Man, we’re cookin’ today! Literally.”
“How is everything going here?” I asked him. I knew Sienna would always be positive about the place, but Tony was a straight-shooter.
“It’s not the busiest I’ve ever seen, but we’re steady. Much more now since you put out that advertising.”
It wasn’t where I’d like to see the business, though. Tony couldn’t even afford to get his motorcycle fixed. I wished Sienna would let me help her out. I had plenty of money to go around. But she was adorably stubborn in that way.
Sienna came back into the kitchen. “Harriet and Kenneth are here. Do you mind making their order? I have to finish up table five.”
“No problem.”
I watched them work for a few minutes before I headed out into the dining room for more coffee. I caught Harriet’s eye and she waved me over.
“Good morning,” I said to them.
“Oh, Parker. It’s lovely to see you again. You should sit with us.”
I looked at the kitchen where Sienna and Tony were working hard. I didn’t want to disturb them any more than I had. “All right.”
I shook Kenneth’s hand. “How are you, sir?”
“I’m still kickin’,” he said.
“Sienna said that you two celebrated a fortieth anniversary,” I said. “That’s quite an accomplishment.”
“Well, thank you for thinking of us. You’re well on your way to that. Tell me about your upcoming wedding.”
I told them about th
e venue and how excited I was to get married there.
“Sienna told us about the place. It sounds lovely.”
I scratched the back of my neck. “It is, but to be honest, I don’t know if it's going to work out.”
“How come?”
There was something about Harriet that made me want to open up to her. “Rachel wants to move the wedding up sooner.”
“Oh, dear,” Harriet said. “Have you called the venue?”
“I called this morning, but I’m waiting to hear back.”
“Well, I’m sure it will all work out. Weddings are lovely, but they really are for only one day. It’s the rest of your life together that matters.”
I flipped the conversation to them, not wanting to talk about my own wedding anymore, uncomfortable with the feeling of resentment I had toward Rachel at the moment.
“Tell me your secret to a lasting marriage,” I said. At this point, I needed all the advice I could get.
“Well, there’s no secret to it, really. When you’re married for a while, things start to shift in your relationship. Sometimes the passion fizzles out for a little while when you have children, but as long as you are a team and work together to be the glue holding the relationship together, then you will wake up each morning with the person you’re meant to be with.”
“That’s really nice,” I said.
“Are you planning on having children?” she asked.
“I’d like to,” I said.
“Children are a blessing, but be sure to enjoy yourselves for a little while first.”
“And pick your battles,” Kenneth chimed in. “The silly things can break you. Respect your wife, too.”
I took a breath. If only Rachel respected me, maybe I wouldn’t be feeling this way. Though she was distracted with her friends. Maybe when she came home, she’d feel differently about all of this. One thing about her was that she tended to camouflage herself with whatever company she was with. I needed to get her away from her single friends so that she could invest more in this relationship.
“You know,” Harriet said. “Ken and I knew each other from childhood. He was the boy next door. But it took us a while to figure out that we were the best thing for each other. We could appreciate each other’s quirks, and we genuinely felt better when we were around each other.”
