“Yeah, early. Rachel stayed over. God, what did you add to these eggs? They’re fucking delicious.”
She smiled proudly. “A cook never reveals her secrets.”
We both knew that even if I had a step-by-step recipe, I’d never be able to recreate any of her dishes.
She pierced a clump of eggs with her fork. “How’s work?”
I shrugged. “Steady.”
“I wish I could say the same,” she looked wistfully around the place.
“Tourist season is around the corner,” I said.
“Yeah, but I barely made enough last season to cover this year.”
“Do you need money?”
She pulled a face. “No.”
She hated when I told her I’d loan her money. She saw it as an insult when I wanted to do the right thing and help out my oldest friend.
I held my hands up in surrender. “Okay, fine. What are your ideas?”
Sienna constantly tried to reinvent her business, from the food to the atmosphere, but she always fell back to her roots. She didn’t want to be a flashy themed restaurant; that wasn’t her.
“I was thinking of doing more advertising.”
“Well, I happen to know a guy who owns a social media empire who could help.”
She smirked. “That’s not what I was asking.”
“Sienna,” I said, finishing up my toast. “I know you hate when other people want to help you, but setting up a website and social media accounts is easy for me. And it will take no time at all.”
She shook her head. “What would I post on there?”
“Your food, your face. Both equally captivating.”
She flung a forkful of eggs at me.
“Well, not now with that Teletubbie bun on your head,” I said, flicking the eggs back at her.
She opened her mouth in mock surprise. “Do you want hair in your food?” She pulled her elastic out and her hair tumbled over her shoulders. “I can make that happen.”
“Is that your secret ingredient? Because if it is, I definitely want more.”
She laughed, and I couldn’t contain myself either.
“All right, all right, you can help me,” she said, blotting her eyes with a napkin. “But I want you to show me how you do everything, so I won’t need to rely on you.”
“That’s fine with me.”
We both ate in silence for a few moments.
“How’s Rachel?” Her lip curled slightly.
I laughed. “Was that hard for you to ask?”
Sienna rolled her eyes. “I’m being polite.”