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 that 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.”
“I don’t think so,” Parker said. “You’ve never liked any of my girlfriends. And I’m sorry if you think Rachel is going to ruin things between us—”
“Oh my god, Parker. Are you so wrapped up in yourself to think this is all about you?”
He winced as if I’d just slapped him.
I opened my mouth to speak.
“I don’t have to sit here and listen to this,” he said before I could utter a word. “I never thought you would stoop this low, Sienna.”
His words were a punch to my gut. I stared up at him. “I’m not lying.”
“Well, I don’t believe you,” he said, pulling back his lips over his teeth.
Why was he so upset with me? He should have been upset with her! I hated the power she had over him. Was he that blind to what she was really up to?
“Parker, just think about what I said. It makes sense. She’s twenty-five and looks like that. She’s not a virgin.”
“Sienna, enough!” he shouted.
My mouth clamped shut.
Heavy breaths escaped his nose. “I will not tolerate any more of these accusations. Especially from you. Rachel and I are getting married this Saturday, and I expect you to be standing there next to me.”
“This Saturday?” I asked, incredulously. “Like a day and a half from now?”
“Yes,” he said firmly.
“When did this happen?”
“We made the decision this morning and were able to secure all the vendors this afternoon.”
I knew it was her decision. Parker worked too hard thus far to change everything on a whim. Now I knew for a fact that she cheated. She was trying to tie the knot before the truth came out. “Don’t you think that’s a little soon?” I didn’t even what to think of the money he had to have spent on such a last-minute event.
“To be honest, it’s not soon enough.”
“This is what you want?”
“Of course it is.”
I swallowed my pride and every other excuse on why they shouldn’t get married. His current mood wasn’t going to be receptive to anything I said, especially anything negative about Rachel.
“I should go,” he said.
“Parker.” I reached for him and he dipped his arm just out of my grasp.
“I want you at my wedding, Sienna. But I hope you are able to drop this.”
“I don’t think I can drop it, Parker,” I admitted. “But I’ll be there for you if you still want me to be.”
He frowned. “I do want you there, Sienna.”
And those were the last words he said to me before opening the front door and leaving. He left it open a crack, and I closed then locked it. I turned around and pressed my back against the door and slowly slid to the ground. I pulled my legs up and wrapped my arms around my knees. I couldn’t believe that Parker was so thick-headed that he didn’t see the signs. I’d had solid proof, and he wasn’t even willing to listen to me. I wasn’t sure how, but Rachel had my best friend wrapped around her little gold-digging finger.
I hoped Parker would approach Rachel about what was said. I would love to be a fly on that wall. But I had a feeling she’d have an excuse. If this was something she did to other men, I was sure she’d be able to convince him that they had been talking about Ophelia.
I smacked my hands on the floor and got up. I’d told him the truth. If he wasn’t going to listen to me, there would be a nice “I told you so” from me when she broke his heart and took all of his money.