I inhaled the thick night air and stood in front of her door. I raised my hand to knock and then the door swung open.
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.”