the day. It was freeing and allowed me to let off a little steam. I always felt this way after Rachel turned me down. I couldn’t help myself. She was the perfect woman for me and I couldn’t touch her. Any guy would have gone crazy.
At least going to Sunny Daes, Sienna’s diner, would be a distraction. I’d teased her about the name for years, but she thought it was a funny pun about sunny side up eggs and sundaes. She made the best sundaes in Key Largo, so I couldn’t argue with her too much. Besides, once she got her mind set on something, it was hard to change.
The thought of having some coffee made me press the gas a little harder. I had been wide awake when I was with Rachel, but with her turning me down yet again, my alertness had started to wear off.
Sunny Daes was in a prime spot right off the highway. The exterior didn’t look like much, but it had withstood many hurricanes over the years. Sienna, Tony, and I painted outside every year before winter. She insisted that it remained clean-looking and white for as many months as possible. And she wasn’t afraid to get her hands dirty.
I pulled off the street and into the dirt lot of the diner. There weren’t any cars out front, but I knew Sienna and Tony were there. Tony usually came in on his motorcycle, and Sienna’s small beater car fit perfectly behind the building.
I didn’t bother using the front entrance as I knew it would be locked until six-thirty. I rounded the building and smiled. Both Sienna’s car and Tony’s Harley were there. I walked up the two cement steps leading to the kitchen and opened the screen door.
“It’s me!” I called. I didn’t want to startle either of them. Being six-two had its advantages, but Tony was much burlier than me, and Sienna was quick with a knife.
“In here!” Sienna called back.
The screen door bounced a few times on the door frame before closing. I tried to fix it for her in the past, but Sienna insisted we left it.
“It has character,” she’d always said.
Sienna’s back was to me when I entered the kitchen. Her hair was pulled up high on her head. She reminded me of a Teletubbie when she wore her hair like that. I’d only teased her about it once before she asked if she wanted long strands of brown hair in my food.
“Hey,” she said and glanced over her shoulder. She had a pile of egg shells next to her and she was whisking the eggs in a big metal bowl.
“Morning,” I said and came up next to her.
Her hazel eyes met mine. “Couldn’t sleep?”
I rubbed my hand over my face. “Not today.”
She wiped at her chin with the back of her hand. “Tony made some coffee. You want some eggs?”
“If it’s not too much trouble.”
She shot me a look. “It’s what I do, Parker. Sit your ass down and I’ll make you something.”
I grinned. “Whatever you say.”
Out front in the dining area, Tony was setting up the tables.
“Hey, man,” I said.
Tony looked over and smirked. “What’s going on?”
I sat down at my usual table closest to the kitchen. “Not much; just can’t sleep.”
“Sleep is overrated,” he said. He pulled up the shades of the front windows and peered out at the empty streets. Then he unlocked the front door. “Can I get you some coffee? I just finished brewing.”
“That’d be great.”
Tony nodded and went behind the small bar area and poured me a mug of coffee. He dropped that and a few creamers on my table. “Enjoy, man.”
Sienna burst through the kitchen doors holding two plates of food. “Tony, can you finish prep?”
“Sure thing, boss.” He winked at her and headed into the kitchen.
Sienna slid the plates of food onto the table. Steam rose from my scrambled eggs and the bacon was nearly black: the perfect texture. I started in on the eggs before she even sat down.
“Did you eat dinner last night?” she asked.