Tony cocked his head. “Do go on…”
I explained that something did happen on Saturday night, but I wasn’t willing to talk about it just yet. “Parker showed up at my house this morning with coffee and an apology.”
“But he didn’t know what he’d done.”
“That doesn’t matter now. It was the thought that counted.”
“And you’re okay with this?”
I pointed to my face. “You see this smile? Yes. I’m okay with this.”
He bobbed his head. “I’m glad you two are better. You suck when you’re mad at him.”
I knew I had a hard couple of weeks in front of me with the wedding, but I would make an effort to be the best best man I could. Parker deserved that.
Tony and I prepped the diner as we did every morning, but the air was lighter between us. I even let him put his music on while we head-banged around the kitchen.
When it was almost six, I had him turn it off. With the mix of metal music and coffee, my head was light and my mood even lighter.
I unlocked the front door and went back into the kitchen.
“Sienna,” Tony said while shredding some cheese for the omelets.
I sat down on the stool and sipped from a glass of water. Screaming with the music had made me parched.
“This conversation with Parker on Saturday, I’m dying to know what he said to piss you off so much.”
“Tony, I don’t really want to bring it up again. I’m smiling, remember?”
“You obviously had the capacity to forgive him. And I know you well enough to know that you want to get it off your chest. Satisfy my need for knowledge while helping yourself.”
“Have you been watching Dr. Phil again?” I quipped.
He grinned. “Maybe.”
I had to admit it might be nice to hash out what had happened between Parker and me. And I knew Tony was a vault. I held onto many of his secrets.
“Fine, but this is between you and me.”
Tony nodded and continued to shred cheese.
“So, everything was fine. I brought him home and got him into bed. Then when I was about to leave, he wanted me to lay down on the bed with him. Of course, I hesitated, but he gave me this look I couldn’t refuse. So I did. Then he started talking about how he was lucky to have me and that he wanted us to be like Harriet and Kenneth.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Tony asked.
“Well, they were good friends growing up, and now they’ve been married for forty years.”
Tony slowly turned his head to me. “Whoa.”
I nodded slowly, the feeling of regret flickered inside of me, but I quickly quashed it. “I know, right? And to be honest, I’ve always had these feelings for Parker. There was a time in our past that I thought we’d get together. But he has a totally different type of woman that he dates. So, I’m resigned to leave it the way it always has been.”
“So, why were you so pissed at him?”
“After he unloaded all of this on me, he said, ‘I love you, Rachel.’”
“What the hell?” Tony said, affronted.
I smirked. “That’s exactly how I felt. Then when he didn’t call or text, it made me feel awful.”