And for the first time, he actually saw me cry. I wasn’t proud of being a sloppy mess, but it was necessary to purge Parker from my system. He was going through with the wedding and had made it clear I was to be no part of it.
After I explained what I’d said to Parker, Tony let out a string of curses. “He is a fucking fool, Sienna.”
I laughed, but it came out more like a sob. “Don’t I know it.”
“I can’t believe he would believe her over you. You’d think your friendship would mean more than a stick-thin chick. He doesn’t know the mess he’s walking into.”
I nodded. That’s all Rachel was: a pretty girl. She’d used her looks to blind Parker into giving her whatever she wanted. He was even too blind to see what was in front of him.
“I feel like such an ass,” I said.
“You shouldn’t,” he said.
“Really? Why not? I opened my heart to him and he didn’t even care.”
“I’m sure he cares, Sienna.”
“He doesn’t even want me to be a part of the wedding anymore.”
Tony scoffed. “Seriously?”
“Yeah.”
“All right, I’ve had enough of this.”
I opened my mouth in surprise. “Sorry, if I’m ruining your night, you didn’t—”
“Oh, shut up, Sienna,” he said. “I mean we should get out of here. Regroup. I think you could use a different perspective.”
That sounded like the best idea he’d ever had. “Where did you have in mind?”
“No, no, this is about you. Where do you want to go? I have a lot of miles on my credit card. Pick a place you’ve never been and have always wanted to go.”
“Sanibel,” I said immediately. “I’ve heard great things about that place. Are you game for that?” My parents had been fond of going to Sanibel before they had me. I tried not to feel bad about them selling their place once they found out they were pregnant with me. And for some reason, they’d never gone back. Their memories were visceral when they talked about those times. It had always been on my bucket list, but for some reason, I forgot about going until now.
“Yes,” he said quickly. “I’ve been before, and I know the perfect place to stay.”
I wiped the tears from my cheeks and clapped my hands together now that we had a plan. I needed to be moving forward, or else I might fall back into thinking of Parker and the fucked-up situation we were in.
Tony helped me pack and we booked a last minute flight up to Sanibel. I didn’t want to be anywhere near the wedding, but I didn’t want to leave Florida. I still had a business to run and wanted to be back at work Monday morning. I just needed to be away from the place where Parker and Rachel would say their vows. I hoped by Monday they would be somewhere tropical on their honeymoon and I could start moving on with my life.
While packing, my gaze fell on my best man dress. I lifted it from the rod and held the hanger high enough that the hem didn’t touch the ground. It had been sized to my measurements. And even though I hated to dress up, I’d become attached to the dress ever since I took it home.
“Sienna?” Tony said from the doorway.
He caught me holding the dress. I just stood there, not wanting to let go just yet. Tony came over and lifted the dress from my hands.
I sniffled and nodded. This was the right thing to do. I grabbed a few shirts and allowed Tony to put away the dress I’d never wear as a best man.
We closed up the diner and left a note on the front door for the customers. I hoped that Harriet and Kenneth wouldn’t be too disappointed. I was sure she’d be the first to ask me about the wedding when I got back. But I put that out of my mind for now and focused on clearing my head in a new place.
We arrived on Sanibel early the next morning. We found a diner on the main strip and stopped in for breakfast. We were seated on an open terrace and it appeared we were the only customers at the moment. The sound of the waves felt like home to me, but I also appreciated being hundreds of miles away from everything that I knew.
I glanced down at my menu, which was three pages long—and that was only for breakfast.
Once we got coffee and placed our order, the waitress left, leaving Tony and me to ourselves.
“You ever think of expanding Sunny’s?”