I looked at Tony and smiled. “Would you like your usual?”
The other customers came in all at once at ten o’ clock on the dot. Tony greeted some of his biker friends while I said hello to a family that came in every Sunday while they stayed at their beach house for several weeks during the year. Harriet’s meal had gone off without a hitch, so I had hope that the rest would be fine, too. Since the design of the kitchen was nearly the same as before, I found I fell back into the rhythm very quickly. As did Tony.
Parker was the only one with a learning curve. But that would come with time. Being a server wasn’t as easy as people thought it was. He took too long writing down the orders and making the customers repeat it several times.
Anytime he looked a little down about it, I made sure to kiss him and tell him he was doing great. Even though I found myself cringing each time he took a plate from the pass-through. By the end of the day, there were only two broken plates and a shattered glass on his record. And since we didn’t have many customers that day, I’d say that was a win for him.
I was making another pot of coffee for the last set of customers when Parker brushed up against me. I looked over at him. He wore a devilish grin.
“What?” I asked.
His hand moved over my butt and squeezed.
I laughed and glanced over my shoulder to make sure the customers couldn’t see us.
“Parker.”
He shrugged. “You’re such a tease being all the way in the kitchen,” he said. “I missed touching you.”
I bumped him with my hip. “I missed you touching me.”
“Oh, God!” Tony groaned from the doorway. “Is this how it’s always going to be? You two all lovey-dovey and kissing? We’re never going to be able to get work done. And never mind the sanitary aspect of that.”
I blew a raspberry at him. “I’m the boss, remember?”
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Parker
I noticed a distinct difference when I woke up Saturday morning. I moved my hand over the sheets, which were as cool as the rest of the room.
I rolled over and squinted at the bathroom. The door was open, but the light was off.
“Sienna?” I called.
I waited before calling for her again.
Still no answer.
Where the hell was she? The diner was closed today since we were going shopping with Tony. I figured she was going to sleep in.
I rolled out of bed and went out to the kitchen. It was the only other place I'd expect to find her. Yet when I went out there, I didn't see my sexy girlfriend anywhere.
“Sienna?”
I grabbed my phone, which I left charging in the entryway. I didn't need to be attached to it anymore, so I tended to forget it in different places. It was somewhat of a relief to be unplugged for a change.
I checked to see if she had left a message, but then the front door opened.
Sienna's eyes widened when she saw me standing there. “Oh, hey.”
She held a package in her hands and a roll of wrapping paper under her arm.
“Where were you?” I asked.
“I had to pick something up for you.”
“I wasn't expecting anything.”