Tony came to my side and I glanced over at him. “I’ll drop it if you think she won’t hurt Parker. I know you, Sienna. You don’t make friends with people who aren’t worth it. Parker is worth it to you, and you should tell him how much of a mistake he’s making.”
“It won’t make a difference,” I said. “He made his decision.”
“Bullshit,” Tony said.
I glared at him and grabbed the spatula from where I’d thrown it before. He didn’t flinch, but this wasn’t the time for playful spatula smacking. I scooped the eggs from the grill and plated them. The toast popped up, and I smeared a layer of butter on it. I grabbed more than enough bacon from the other side of the grill that was keeping the crunchy slices warm and added them to the plate.
Tony put two hard-boiled eggs in a bowl and handed them to me.
I started for the door then turned to face him. “I’ll think about what you said.” Then I left the kitchen.
I pasted on a smile once more and went to their table. They were deep in conversation and I could see Rachel pushing Parker’s hand away from her under the table. My stomach lurched. Wouldn’t someone who wanted to marry my best friend not mind him touching her?
I shook the thoughts away. It was none of my business. I was biased, as far as Parker was concerned. Of course, I wanted the best for him, but he was able to make that decision for himself, right?
“Here is your meal,” I said, putting the food in front of them. “Is there anything else I can do for you?”
“Actually, yes,” Rachel said, pursing her bright red lips.
“Anything.”
“I’m going to take a vacation for the next two weeks, and I wanted to ask if you would help Parker with some of the planning while I’m gone.”
What bride took a vacation before her wedding? And she didn’t work, anyway. “A vacation.”
“Yes.”
My gaze darted between them. “A vacation from…?”
“Sienna would love to help,” Parker said quickly.
His eyes widened in a “shut up” expression.
I sighed. “Sure, I’ll help out in any way I can.”
Rachel clapped her hands together. “Great. Thanks so much.”
I left the table and them to their meal.
On the way back to the kitchen, I couldn’t wrap my mind about what Rachel had said. She was leaving Parker to do all of the planning, yet she had been the one to force him to move up the wedding. That didn’t sit right with me. My throat tightened thinking of what Parker was getting himself into. I already knew she was a gold-digger, but how was it not obvious to him, especially now? There was no other explanation than she didn’t give a shit about this wedding and she just wanted the formality taken care of before she could live the lifestyle she always dreamed. Heat flashed behind my eyes. I should say something, but was it too late?
Two other customers came into the diner, so I focused on making them their meals. I felt Tony’s gaze on me each time he entered the kitchen, but he knew not to push me about this. At least not until I figured out what I was going to do.
After finishing up with the new customers, I went out to Parker’s table. It took all of my strength not to fling myself across the table and strangle Rachel. She had dollar signs in her eyes and couldn’t see the amazing man she had sitting next to her.
I cleaned up their plates. “Hope your meal was good,” I spoke mostly to Parker. I wasn’t sure
there were varying degrees of hard-boiled eggs, but she didn’t complain, so I supposed I’d pleased the queen.
“It was, thanks.”
Parker had a running tab at Sunny Daes, so I didn’t bother giving him a check. He did slip a fifty dollar bill into my hands before he kissed my cheek.
“I’ll be in touch soon about the planning,” he said.
“Okay,” I said, unable to take my eyes off Rachel.
She scooted out of the booth and stood up, smoothing down her flowing skirt. “Have fun, you two. I’m sure you’ll do great.” She leaned closer to me and gave me air kisses on each cheek then walked past me.