Page 37 of The Strawberry Patch Pancake House

‘That’s a question for your dad.’

‘Where is he?’ Olive asked. ‘I need to ask him right now.’

Kira laughed. ‘I like your spirit, kid.’

‘Why don’t we stay here with Olive, and you can go track him down,’ Bennett said with a not-so innocent smile, like he knew the last thing Iris should do was spend time alone with her sexy boss. He was starting to fit in with this town a littletoowell. Him and Kira both.

‘Yeah!’ Olive cut off any response Iris was about to give. ‘I’ll stay with the dogs and you go find my dad and then we’ll ask him.’

Iris glanced back and forth between Bennett and Kira’s conniving smiles and then sighed in defeat. ‘Fine. I’ll go find him. Won’t be long.’

‘Have fun!’ Kira said with a wink.

‘Don’t take your eyes off of her,’ Iris said, ignoring that comment. ‘She wanders.’

‘If you think this child is going to willingly leave these dogs, then you’re crazy, but we’ll keep a very close watch. I promise.’ Kira raised a hand to her heart in a solemn vow and Iris just glared at her before traipsing off to find Archer.

It wasn’t hard. He was surrounded by half a dozen septuagenarians and most of the book club.

‘I had a sleepwalker!’ Marissa was telling him as Iris approached. ‘The little guy was always ending up in the strangest places. Found him one morning up in his tree house in the backyard.’ She laughed like that was hilarious, but Archer looked horrified.

‘Outside?’ he croaked.

‘Don’t worry, they outgrow it eventually.’

‘Right. That’s very … comforting.’

‘Did you try the baked ziti I dropped off last week?’ Carol asked, nudging her friend aside to get closer to Archer. Iris bit down on a laugh. ‘I would love to get a chef’s opinion on it.’

‘It’s always a bit dry, if you ask me,’ Estelle muttered, and the laugh escaped Iris’s mouth.

‘I … uh…’ Archer stalled.

Iris knew for a fact most of the meals the town had dropped off were still frozen solid. Relief flooded Archer’s face when he caught sight of her, as though he knew she would save him from having to explain that they were only three people and couldn’t possibly consume that much food. And also, that he was a food snob.

‘Okay, ladies, harassing-the-new-guy time is over now. Off you go.’

‘Oh, Iris, you’re no fun.’ Marissa giggled.

‘See you in class, girls.’

‘Bye, sweetie.’ Carol gave her a quick peck on the cheek, followed by more hugs and shoulder pats and goodbyes from all the other ladies.

‘Your adoring fans?’ he asked as the ladies wandered off.

‘Some of the many,’ Iris said with a smile.

‘Where’s Olive?’

‘She’s with Kira and Bennett and their dogs. Oh, and you should brace yourself because now she wants one.’

‘Oh, God. Am I supposed to get her a dog?’ The panic was clear in his voice.

Iris shook her head with a laugh. ‘You don’t have to get her a dog.’

‘Okay, good. I don’t think we can manage a dog.’

Iris ignored thatwe,the one she was not at all sure she wanted to be a part of,and started rifling through the canvas bag slung over Archer’s arm. ‘Whaddya get?’