by Claire Adams
“We’re closing after these customers, okay?” I told Tony.
“No problem. I’ll start grabbing their plates as soon as the last bite is eaten,” he said.
I smirked and shook my head. I grabbed a piece of tape and left the kitchen.
Once we were officially closed, Tony and I went home and changed into appropriate funeral attire. Then we convened at my house and went together to pick up the flowers that Harriet requested. We also ordered a grave blanket to be delivered to the site after the burial. Harriet told us she wanted to do the part at the cemetery alone and I totally understood. But I wanted her to know that even when she was standing alone, she wasn’t. Tony and I would be there with her in spirit.
Harriet planned a small service at the funeral home. We arrived there around two-thirty. Harriet was in the main space alone with the pastor and Kenneth’s coffin.
I took Tony’s hand. “This isn’t real.”
He squeezed back. “Just take a deep breath.”
I did as he said and we walked into the room together.
We sat with Harriet in the front row. The funeral home had only set up two rows of chairs, probably with a request from Harriet since she knew not to expect a large turnout.
“How are you holding up?” I asked.
“Better now,” she said, looking from me to Tony.
We sat together reminiscing about all the good times we had with Kenneth at the diner. And Harriet even added a few other memories that we hadn’t heard before about their younger days.
I couldn’t help but feel the striking resemblance to the friendship that Parker and I had. Even though I didn’t know the couple well outside of their older years, her stories of the adventures they had together sounded remarkably similar to how Parker and I were when we were together.
The pastor started the service at three on the dot.
“I’d like to welcome you all here today to celebrate the life of Kenneth Lamonte—”
He stopped speaking, and his attention moved to the door.
We turned around and saw Parker standing at the back of the room.
My mouth fell open. How the hell did he know about the funeral? I threw a look at Tony and he shrugged and shook his head. I didn’t want to turn around again, but I didn’t have to. Parker sat in the chair next to me and leaned over.
“Harriet, so sorry I’m late.”
“It’s no problem, dear, I’m glad to see you.” She then indicated for the pastor to continue with his speech.
My shoulders were nearly at my ears and it took all of me not to look at Parker.
But as the pastor spoke about Kenneth’s life, my mind drifted away from Parker and returned to the reason we were there.
I glanced at Harriet, who was holding herself together so well. I wished I could be as strong as she was. Though I wondered how much of that was inherent and how much simply came from living through as many years as she had. She’d had a loving husband for forty years; that was bound to make someone a fucking superhero.
I took her hand and she patted the top of mine with her free hand. We sat like that for the remainder of the service.
After finishing up with the final prayer, the pastor ended the service. We all stood up, and I knew it was time to face Parker.
“Thank you so much for coming, Parker,” Harriet said, shaking his hand in both of hers.
“In the short time I knew him, Kenneth really put his mark on me. I was glad to know him,” Parker said.
Then the pastor pulled her aside. “Excuse me; I’ll be right back.”
I narrowed my eyes at him.
He noticed and said, “I saw the sign at the diner. Then I did some research.”
“I thought you’d be on your honeymoon,” I said.
His jaw clenched. “That’s what I wanted to tell you—”
“If we weren’t at a funeral, I’d kick your ass,” Tony interjected in a quiet and threatening voice.
Then Harriet came back over and Tony turned off his protective big brother routine.
“It means so much that you all came here for Kenneth. He was fond of all of you.”
“We were fond of him, as well,” I said.
Harriet looked at Parker and me. “I know I’m just an old sentimental woman, but I want to tell you something that I’ve learned over the years.”
“What’s that?” I asked.
“In all the people I’ve met and couples I’ve witnessed get married, I rarely see the love that you two share. It doesn’t come around but once in a lifetime, and you should hold onto that.”
“He’s marr—” I started, but Parker interrupted me by saying, “That’s what I wanted to talk to Sienna about.”
His eyes met mine, and I found it hard to breathe.
“Well, don’t let me disturb you,” Harriet said and walked away. She stopped in front of the casket and put her hand on the top.
Tony gave me a look that said, “You got this?”
I nodded and he stepped away, going to Harriet’s side in front of the casket.
I turned to Parker, silently asking him to explain himself.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Parker
“Can we talk somewhere a little more private?” I asked her.
Sienna licked her lips. “Sure.”
I took her hand and she stiffened. I ignored her reaction. For all she knew, I was married. And throughout our friendship, we had never been the touchy-feely type. But I wanted nothing more than to touch more than just her hand.
I found a little alcove off the main hallway and pulled Sienna inside with me. I positioned myself in front of the entrance. I wasn’t forcing myself on her, but I needed her to listen and not run like she always did.
“I couldn’t marry Rachel,” I said, getting it all out on the table.
“What?” she asked, shaking her head.
I barked out a hysterical laugh. “You were right.” It felt good to see the smile on Sienna’s face again. I knew I had a lot of work to do to get her back to the place she was in when she confessed her love for me, but this was a good start.
She crossed her arms. “You need to explain a lot more than that.”
“I should have believed you when you told me about that guy on her vacation. Like a dumbass, I waited until our wedding day to ask her. Your voice was in the back of my mind for two days. And when I finally did, she never gave me a straight answer.”
“Parker,” she said. “It wasn’t my intention to hurt you.”
“I know. And that’s the thing. I’m not hurt. At all, really. I feel a little foolish, but I actually feel free without her.”
“Good for you,” she said with a tight-lipped smile.
I really wasn’t explaining myself well enough. “I only feel this way because of you, Sienna. I spent so many years thinking that me and you could never be together. Whether it was because I didn’t want to risk our friendship or I was afraid of taking that leap of faith. But in the back of my mind, it was always you that I imagined spending the rest of my life with. And you brought that part of me out when you told me how you felt. With your honesty, I could express my own. And when Rachel started walking down the aisle toward me, all I saw was you in that white dress, and I was complete. I’m so sorry for waiting this long to tell you. Let me try and make this up to you. I want to take you to dinner tonight, on a proper date, and spend the rest of tonight and the rest of my life making up for the mistakes I’ve made.”
Her sparkling eyes danced across my face. “Okay.”
I took her hand and brought it up to my lips. I brushed her knuckles over my mouth. There was a lightness in my limbs that I hadn’t felt before. I held onto her hand and we went back into the hallway.
She didn’t say much as we reentered the small room where Kenneth’s service had taken place.
Sienna didn’t let go of my hand the entire time we said goodbye to Harriet and Tony. Harriet beamed at us with bleary eyes. “Thank you so much for being here
for Kenneth.”
I caught Tony giving Sienna a look after seeing our entwined hands, but he said nothing about it in front of Harriet. At that moment, it was about Kenneth, not our fledgling relationship.
“We’ll see you this week at the diner?” Sienna asked Harriet.
“Yes,” Harriet said.
Sienna kissed the older woman’s cheek, and she, Tony, and I left the room. Harriet was on her way to the cemetery next, and I had a date to get ready for.
“So, I’m assuming you two worked out your problems?” Tony asked, indicating our hands when we exited the building.
Sienna looked up at me. “We’re working them out.”
I nodded. I wasn’t a fool. I knew she wouldn’t forgive me that easily. I had to work for it. And I intended to.
I picked Sienna up for our dinner later that night. I wore slacks and a nice jacket, indicating my seriousness about the date. And even though I’d known Sienna forever, I found my palms were sweating when I arrived at her home.
I went up to her front walk, but before I could open the door, it opened for me.
I stepped back and took in my date.
Sienna wore tight black leather pants with a long, flowing white shirt. The white shirt made her tanned skin look richer. Her hair was down in soft waves. I had the urge to push her back inside the house and do very naughty things with her. I imagined grabbing her soft hair and making her mine.
When she spoke, I snapped out of my own head. “Where are we headed?”
I smiled and offered her my arm. “That’s a surprise.”
When we arrived at Valencia’s, Sienna’s face broke out into a smile. “I’ve been dying to eat here again.”
“I had a feeling,” I said.
I opened her door for her and a sense of déjà vu washed over me. As we walked into the restaurant, I couldn’t take my eyes off Sienna. She radiated pure bliss, and I’d been the one to do that for her. Granted, I’d also made her feel like shit at times, but I intended to never do that to her again.
Once we were seated, I ordered champagne for the table and two appetizer platters. That would keep the waitress away for some time. I wasn’t in a rush to order our entrees since I wanted to draw out the dinner. We had so much to catch up on.
But when it came down to it, Sienna didn’t say much. I started the conversation off. “Do you want to know anything about the wedding?”
Sienna picked apart a piece of bread. “Not really. I think for now we can skip that whole thing. At least for a little while.”
I smiled. “Okay.”
She inhaled sharply. “I do want to know more about you coming to Kenneth’s funeral. That was really good of you. Harriet really appreciated it.”
“I was glad to be there for her. She’s really a sweet woman.”
“She is.” Sienna looked at me, anticipating my response.
“I tried to get a hold of you this weekend, but you were gone. So when I came to the diner this morning and saw your sign, I went online to see if anyone we knew was hurt, or heaven forbid, had died. There was a small obituary that just came online this morning for Kenneth. I’ll have you know I did call Harriet to offer my condolences. And she invited me to the services.”
“She invited you?”
“She did. And she also mentioned you would be there so I should dress ‘sharply.’ Her word, not mine.”
Sienna laughed, almost as if she were releasing some pent up emotions. We both had a lot of those. “That woman is ever the matchmaker.”
“Considering that wasn’t the reason I’d called her, I’d say it was an added bonus.”
Sienna sighed and nodded her head slowly, her eyes piercing mine. “I’d say.”
The waitress brought our antipasto plates out. I knew Sienna wanted her own, and I had barely eaten in two days since the wedding. Now that I was getting my personal life back on track, I was starving.
“It’s a good thing your schedule was free to come to the funeral,” Sienna said, piercing an artichoke with her fork.
“It wasn’t free,” I said.
Sienna glanced up at me. “It wasn’t?”
“I actually had a meeting about selling the company today. I had to postpone it.”
“And they were okay with that?”
“They’re motivated to buy soon. I said I had a death in the family.”
“You really didn’t have to do that,” she said, putting her fork down.
“Of course I did. I consider Harriet a part of my extended family, through you. You’ve always been my family, Sienna.”
Her shoulders relaxed, and she picked up her fork again. “So, tell me about the deal. You said your grandkids wouldn’t have to work?”
I smiled. “Well, my kids and grandkids will learn the value of a dollar, but they will have enough to be comfortable. In fact, they even upped the price if I agree to the terms this week.”
“Are you going to agree to them?” she asked.
“Yes,” I said. Finally saying it aloud created a sense of relief to move through me. This project had been my baby for years, and now I was letting it go. It wasn’t all about the money; it was the chance to free myself up for something new. And I knew that Gary’s company was going to do right by the site.
“Parker, that’s fantastic,” she said. “I’m so proud of you.”
“Thank you.” I never compared Rachel to Sienna before, but the differences were stark. I couldn’t believe I almost married Rachel. Sienna was supportive and a keen sounding board for all the big decisions in my life. I’d been such a coward all these years. How did I ever think that Sienna and I weren’t a good match? I should have taken that risk years ago. Maybe we’d even be married by now. The thought made me feel utterly complete.
“Well, you better make that meeting tomorrow. You don’t want to risk this deal, not if it will truly make you happy.”
I shook my head. “It’s not the deal that will make me happy,” I said. “I’m already happy, right here, right now, with you.”
The corners of her lips quirked.
The waitress interrupted our moment by asking to take our order for entrees. Sienna gave her order and I ordered the same.
When the waitress took our menus and left, Sienna leaned closer to the table. “I’ve been dying to try that eggplant rollatini since the last time we were here.”
The rest of the dinner went well. I was so used to not ordering dessert with Rachel that I almost waved the waitress away when she offered. Sienna and I split a slice of cheesecake. And then we ordered another one because it definitely wasn’t enough for two people with monster appetites.
On the way home, I reached over to take Sienna’s hand in mine. Her hand fit mine perfectly, as if they were made for each other. Taking this next step with Sienna was as easy as breathing.
“Do you want to come over for a nightcap?” I asked.
“Sure,” she said, without looking at me. With the passing streetlights, I could see the intense expression in her eyes.
I stifled a smile. She was as nervous as me. Somehow, that made me feel better about what I had planned.
Once we were at my house, I poured us both a glass of wine. We went out to the back patio. The night air was warm enough to be comfortable, and the sky was clear. It was a perfect night.
When Sienna wasn’t looking, I watch her sip from her wine. My gaze trailed over the line of her jaw down to her neck. How I wanted to press my lips against her skin. The urge was overwhelming.
What the hell was I waiting for?
I placed my glass down and offered to take hers.
Her eyebrows furrowed in question then smoothed out just as quickly.
I stood in front of her and took her hands in mine. “I had a really good time tonight,” I said.
“Me too.” Her fingers tightened around mine.
We stood there for a moment, hovering in a strange reality for us. We could go either way at that point. We could take a step back and remain fri
ends. Or move toward each other and into an uncertain future.
I made the choice to move forward.
I pulled her closer to me and pressed my lips against hers. A little moan escaped her lips. Kissing Sienna was like fitting my mouth to a mold just made for me. My tongue darted in her mouth and touched hers. The lingering taste of wine was sweet and tangy against my taste buds.
“God, Sienna,” I said.
She smiled against my lips. Her hands moved up my chest and rested on my shoulders. I leaned down and grabbed her ass, lifting her on top of the patio table.
She let out a little squeak, and I silenced it with my lips. Her kisses were feverish and quick, and I had the urge to rip her clothes off right then and there.
But there was something important I wanted to say first. Something that had hovered on the tip of my tongue for forever, but I was too afraid to say it.
“Sienna,” I said, taking a step back.
Her eyes were half-lidded. “Parker, don’t stop.”
“I want to tell you something first.”
“What is it?”
“I love you. Sienna, I’ve always loved you. I’ve been too stupid to realize it.”
She took my hands and wrapped them around her waist. “I love you, too. Now let’s go inside.”
Chapter Thirty
Sienna
I slipped off the table and pulled Parker inside the house with me. As much as I wanted to fuck him right then and there, I wasn’t about to give his neighbors a show.
We barely made it inside before Parker tugged at my arm and brought me to his lips again. I traced his stubbly jawline with my fingers then raked my hands through his hair. His locks were so incredibly soft. My hands ached to touch more of him.
Parker removed his lips from mine then rained kisses onto my neck, and I sighed with happiness.
He tugged at the hem of my shirt and lifted it over my head. I took that as an invitation and started undoing the buttons of his shirt. I shoved the fabric away and smoothed my hands over his chest.
“Why do you have to be so fucking sexy?” I asked with a mock-pout.
“Sienna, you’re the sexy one,” he said, lifting me off the ground. I straddled his hips and kissed him hard. His lips were so soft. We kissed all the way to his bedroom. He laid me down on the bed and popped open the button of my pants.
