by Claire Adams
Someone moved outside of the changing rooms, which distracted me enough to look away from my best friend who was butt naked only a few feet in front of me.
I fought against my instincts and stared at the floor. My eyes started to water as I strained to focus on not looking up. I rotated between looking at my shoes to one stain on the floor.
The door to her dressing room opened. “I feel like I’m not going to be able to eat anything in this dress.”
I looked up and my jaw slackened. She looked incredible. The dress hugged her tight waist, creating an hourglass shape for her body. The tops of her breasts were visible across the neckline. She turned around to look in the full-length mirror next to her. The back had see-through intricate detailing that showcased the muscles in her back.
“You look amazing,” I said, unable to hold back any longer. She needed to have more confidence in her body. And it was an excuse for me to stare at her some more. I pretended to scrutinize the dress as my eyes drank in the sight of her.
She turned around; her eyebrows were lowered. She hesitated but then a wide smile spread across her face.
“You like it?”
“It’s perfect for my best man.”
“Are you sure?” she asked. “This is only the first one.”
“I don’t think we need to see any more.” I didn’t think the others we picked out would compare to this one.
She turned back to the mirror and checked herself out again. “Good, let’s get it and get the fuck out of here.”
Chapter Eight
Sienna
My alarm went off at four that morning, and my eyes sprung open wide awake. I thought of the fun times I’d had with Parker the day before. Granted, the goal of the day was to get a dress, and we accomplished that, but being with him felt like it had before he got engaged to Rachel. He was more carefree and fun, like he used to be. I hoped I’d be able to show him how to have fun again so maybe he would start to see a difference in how his life was with and without Rachel.
And the dress we picked out was breathtaking. I loved how I looked in it, and I loved how much Parker liked it. I needed that boost in confidence from him. I trusted his opinion, and he was always honest with me. The silky fabric of the dress was incredible, and I’d be happy to spend the entire day of his wedding in it. I never felt more beautiful than I had in his eyes.
At the diner, I found Tony smoking again. Annoyance flourished inside of me as I got out of the car.
Tony had the sense to put out the cigarette before I got to him. I wondered how bad his life needed to get before he figured out that I was right.
“You’re going to die, you know,” I said moving past him to the door.
“Everyone dies, Sienna.”
“The whole black lungs and cancer can be avoided, you know.”
“How was dress shopping?” he asked.
“It was fine.”
“Did you find something?”
“Yes,” I said, opening the door and holding it for him.
“Is it pink?”
I coughed a laugh. “Do you know me at all?”
He shrugged. “I wasn’t sure if Rachel wanted to torture you.”
“Well, it's a good thing I’m not on her side of the party. Parker let me pick the color and style.”
“Let me guess: black and covers everything.”
“The first part is right. The back is covered with lace. And there's a little bit of cleavage.”
Tony’s mouth popped open. “Cleavage? You slut.”
I laughed. “It’s classy cleavage.”
“I didn’t know there was such a thing.”
“Well, Parker liked it.”
“I’m sure he did.”
“What does that mean?”
“Well, he has a super-hot best man. I’m sure he’d want to show you off.”
I wrinkled my nose at him. I had issues when guys called me hot. I knew I wasn’t ugly, but I didn’t think I was in the same category as Rachel. I almost didn’t want to be, either.
Tony and I went to work on prepping the opening of the diner. With my mind on autopilot, I thought again about my day with Parker. I hadn’t realized how much I missed him.
Our first customers of the day were the Lamontes. Tony seated them at their table and didn’t bother with the menus since they ordered their usual. I brought their food out and greeted them.
“We missed you yesterday,” Harriet said as I refilled her coffee.
“Oh, I had the day off. I’m sorry I missed you, too. I went shopping for a dress for my best friend’s wedding.”
Harriet’s face lit up. “Are you a bridesmaid? I bet you’ll make a lovely one.”
“Oh, no,” I said. “Actually I’m the best man.”
“Pardon?” Harriet said. “You mean the maid of honor?”
I smiled awkwardly. “No, actually my best friend is the groom, and I’m his best man.”
“How positively wonderful and very modern,” Harriet said. “Don’t you think so, Kenneth?”
He looked up from his plate. “What’s that now?”
Harriet waved him off and glanced up at me. “I’m happy for your best friend. I’m sure you’ll be the best best woman he’s ever had.”
I didn’t know about that. I still think he should have used a guy for the job, but I wouldn’t do anything to ruin this day for him. Even though I didn’t agree with any of it, to begin with.
I left the Lamontes to their meal, mostly to get a break from the questions about the wedding. I didn’t want to think about it anymore.
But life doesn’t usually work out that way. Just before I got to the kitchen, Parker walked in the front door.
“Sienna, dear,” Harriet called over.
I tore my gaze from Parker who was already crossing the room toward me. I hoped he didn’t have another errand to run for the wedding.
“If I could get another fork? I dropped mine on the ground.”
“Sure thing,” I said.
I turned, and Parker was right there. “One second.”
I got the extra fork from the serving station and came back to the table to see Harriet beaming at Parker.
I put the fork next to her plate, and she barely noticed.
“Sienna, you know this handsome man?” Harriet asked.
Parker reached out his hand. “I’m Sienna’s good friend.”
“The one getting married?” Harriet asked with one eyebrow raised.
“That’s the one,” I said, cutting in. “This is Parker. Parker, this is Harriet and Kenneth. Our best customers.”
“It’s my pleasure,” Parker said.
“You are very handsome,” Harriet said.
I looked at her, and she waggled her eyebrows at me. Kenneth only shrugged.
“That’s very kind of you,” Parker said. “But do you mind me stealing Sienna away from you?”
Harriet’s eyes widened, and she grinned madly. “Of course.” She was positively smitten! And unlike any other woman who showed their attraction for Parker, I didn’t mind Harriet at all.
“What’s going on?” I asked Parker on the way to the kitchen.
“Sienna, I need some help today.”
I turned to him. “Parker, I can’t leave right now.”
“I can wait.”
“You’re going to be waiting a while. I don’t think today will work.”
“Don’t worry about it; I have the entire day.”
“If you insist,” I said, fully expecting him to leave after he ate.
I almost envied him for not having to work as much as I did. But that wasn’t always the case. Being a tech mogul, his office was anywhere he wanted it to be.
Parker sat down at the corner booth and pulled out his phone. I went back into the kitchen and got to work.
Hours later, Parker still sat in his booth. He didn’t appear bored or even put out. I sort of felt bad; I was his best man after all.
I had been so busy I didn’t even
ask him what he needed my help with.
“Parker,” I called from the kitchen.
He looked up.
I waved him over. “Can you help clean up? We’ll be able to leave quicker if I get an extra set of hands. It’s not like you’re doing much.”
“I could use a break from running a billion dollar empire,” he said with a wink.
All of the customers had cleared out for the day. On Friday nights, Tony cleaned the grease trap so I was on dining room duty with Parker.
Parker cleaned the tables while I swept the fallen food and dust under them.
“Have you heard from Rachel today?” I asked without looking up.
“Not yet.”
I scoffed.
“Is there something you want to say, Sienna?”
I stopped sweeping and leaned the broom against the table. “Actually, there is.”
“I’m all ears.”
“Parker, are you sure this is what you want?”
“Of course it is. Why would you ask that?”
“For one, she went on vacation during her wedding planning. Don’t you find that a little strange? I understand you’re paying for everything, but doesn’t she want to be involved in her own wedding day?”
“It’s not strange; she wanted to hang out with her friend. That’s not a crime.”
“It doesn’t seem like she cares about this wedding, or you, for that matter.”
“Sienna, if she didn’t care about me, why would she marry me?”
“Because she’s a—” I wanted to say gold-digger, but my mouth wouldn’t form the words.
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 i
n 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.
