Chapter Thirty-Eight
I ris stood in front of the diner looking up at the new sign. It was still covered with a white tarp, waiting for the big unveiling. The building itself had been painted a bright red and strawberry bunting hung from the roof. Everything looked adorable, but other than the new exterior, Archer had been very quiet about the other secret changes. And against all odds, somehow even Olive was keeping the secret. Iris had moved back into Archer’s house, or their house as she was practicing thinking about it, a week ago, and she’d swear this kid had done nothing but talk to her since she got there.
Not that she minded. She loved being caught up on all that she’d missed. She was still anxious about the next steps headed her way, but between Olive’s attention during the day and Archer’s attention at night, Iris felt more loved than she had in a long time. It made her feel less terrified, especially when Archer told her he was scared, too, but promised they’d figure it all out together.
But despite all the love and attention the two of them had been showering her with, they had still managed to keep the big diner overhaul secrets to themselves. So now Iris was standing on the front sidewalk with the other Dream Harbor residents milling around and waiting for the unveiling, just as in the dark as they were.
‘Hey!’ Kira said, draping an arm over Iris’s shoulders. ‘This is a lot of fanfare for a diner.’
Iris laughed. ‘I know.’
‘This town…’ Kira shook her head, but her smile gave away how much she loved this quirky place.
‘Oh, you love it. And it’s this type of enthusiasm that will only help when you get that barn fixed up and ready for events.’
‘I know!’ Kira was nearly vibrating with excitement. ‘I forgot to tell you! I booked my first event.’
‘You did? Who?’
Kira leaned closer and whispered in her ear. ‘A certain farmer and a certain café owner are getting married at Christmas time, and we’re hosting!’
‘Really?’ Iris turned to face her friend and Kira grinned.
‘Yep.’
‘That’s amazing.’
‘I know! Sure to be the social event of the season.’ A frown crossed Kira’s face. ‘Now I just have a million things to do to get ready before then.’
Iris patted her friend’s shoulder. ‘It was very bold of Jeanie to book a venue with no roof.’
‘Shh!’ Kira glanced around wildly at the crowd surrounding them. ‘It’s a secret, and you know how these people talk.’
‘I sure do.’ The news that Iris had moved back in with Archer and that she’d been eating suspicious amounts of saltine crackers had already spread across town. She ran a hand over her lower belly, even though there was barely a bump there. Let them talk. She’d let everyone know when she was ready.
‘How are you feeling?’ Kira whispered.
‘Much better lately.’
‘Good.’
‘There you are!’ Bennett made his way through the crowd to Kira’s side. ‘Big turnout for a diner reopening,’ he said, planting a kiss on Kira’s upturned face.
‘These people love their pancakes,’ Iris said with a laugh. She spotted Archer through the crowd. Easy to do, since Olive was perched up on his shoulders. Gladys stood beside him in front of the new diner.
‘Hello, everyone!’ Gladys called above the din of the crowd. ‘Hello!’
A sharp whistle cut through the noise.
Gladys cleared her throat. ‘Thank you, Mindy.’ She nodded to the deputy mayor. ‘And thank you all for coming to the reopening of our beloved diner. As you know, we’ve had a new chef with us over the past few months, and thanks to his hard work and to so much helpful community feedback, we’ve revamped the place and we hope you love it.’ She gestured to Olive to pull the rope that released the tarp over the new sign.
THE STRAWBERRY PATCH PANCAKE HOUSE
Pancake house? Iris nearly burst out laughing. Archer caught her eye with a grin on his face. This man, this world-renowned chef was now the proud cook at a pancake house.
‘I picked the name!’ Olive said from her perch, and the crowd cheered.
‘Excellent name, Olive!’ Tammy called from her spot next to Kaori and the rest of the book club.
‘Thank you,’ Olive said, with a huge smile on her little face.
‘We hope you like the new menu,’ Archer added. ‘It’s filled with many of your pancake suggestions, as well as some of the menu items we added this spring that you all liked the best. And I suggest trying the “Original Pancake”. I think you all will find it very familiar.’
‘Can we come in and eat now?’ Jacob asked with Darius on his arm.
‘Absolutely. Come on in.’
Iris followed the crowd until she met Archer and Olive at the door.
‘Pancake house, huh?’ she asked with a grin.
Archer shrugged. ‘It just made sense.’ He leaned down and brushed a kiss to her cheek and Olive patted the top of her head, making Iris laugh again.
‘My dad’s here somewhere,’ Archer said, glancing around the crowd.
‘There he is!’ yelled Olive from her perch.
Archer’s dad, Jim, and stepmom, Cathi, fought their way through the crowd to get to them.
‘Grandpa!’ Olive called, shimmying down from Archer’s shoulders. ‘You’re here in real life,’ she said, delighted to see him beyond a computer screen.
‘I sure am.’ He squatted down and pulled Olive into a big hug.
‘Hey Cathi,’ Archer said, hugging his stepmom before introducing her to Iris.
‘Iris!’ Cathi pulled her into a tight hug. ‘We’re so glad to finally meet you and we’re just so over the moon about the news,’ she whispered loud enough that Iris was sure half the diner heard her.
‘Thanks. It’s so nice to finally meet you guys.’
Cathi pulled away with tears shimmering in her eyes, while Jim stood up, giving Iris the same dimpled smile Archer had.
‘We are so happy for you two.’
‘Thanks, Dad,’ Archer said.
‘And you’re a proud pancake chef now, too!’ His father beamed and Iris knew this was exactly why Archer was such a good dad. He had a good example. A dad that loved him whether he was a Michelin-starred chef or he was flipping pancakes at a diner.
Iris immediately loved him.
‘Yep, proud pancake chef. Should we go in?’ Archer gestured for everyone to enter ahead of him.
The diner, or pancake house, was stuffed to the brim. The waitstaff hustled between tables as customers called out orders bearing their own names in delight. Archer led Jim, Cathi, Iris and Olive to a booth with a reserved sign sitting in the center of it.
‘I’ll assume this is your best table,’ his dad joked, patting Archer on the back.
‘Of course. Only the best for my family,’ Archer said, and Iris let the word seep into her bones. His family. She was a part of it now and he was a part of hers.
He planted a kiss on her cheek as she waited for Olive to scramble into the booth.
‘Let me just check on the kitchen and I’ll be right back,’ he said, leaving Iris with Olive and his parents. She’d spoken to them before (she’d thought Cathi might try to crawl through the screen to hug her when they’d announced their pregnancy) but this was the first time they were all together in person.
‘So, Iris,’ Cathi said now, ‘how are you feeling?’
‘Really good, at the moment.’
‘Archer mentioned it was tough in the beginning.’
Iris winced. It had been tough for several reasons, some of which were very much her own fault.
Archer’s dad reached across the table and patted her hand. ‘You two are going to be just fine. You have each other.’ He gave her hand a squeeze and Iris felt tears spring to her eyes. Apparently, she just cried all the damn time now.
He gave her one more smile and then turned to his granddaughter. ‘Now, Livie, what’s good here?’ he asked, opening the menu and Iris was thankful for the moment to pull herself back together again.
Cathi gave her a kind smile and opened her menu as well. ‘The Noah,’ she read. ‘A stack of blueberry pancakes with whipped cream.’
‘The Jeanie: pumpkin-spice pancakes with real maple syrup. That one sounds good,’ Jim said.
‘Oh, listen to this one!’ Cathi said, continuing to read down the list. ‘The Andy: lemon poppy-seed pancakes served with creme fraiche.’
Archer was back at their table and slid into the booth beside Iris.
‘These all sound delicious,’ she said as his parents continued to ooh and ah over the selections. Olive scribbled on the children’s menu on her other side.
Archer smirked, that dimple popping in his cheek. ‘Of course they do. I’ve been trying to tell everyone, I’m a very good chef.’
Iris rolled her eyes, but the laugh was already escaping her lips.
‘Don’t you need to help feed all those people?’ Iris asked, glancing around the packed dining room.
‘Uh … yes, eventually. But the kitchen is a well-oiled machine. They’ll be okay without me for a few minutes.’
‘What do you recommend, Arch?’ Jim asked, putting down the menu.
‘How about I bring you some of my favorites?’
‘The chef’s favorites? Sounds perfect!’ Cathi said. ‘We are just so proud of you, Arch.’
And Iris had to bite down on a smile. These people adored this man, and she really couldn’t blame them. She did, too.
‘Thanks, Cathi. I’ll be right back.’
While they waited, Cathi and Jim picked Iris’s brain on all the best things to do in Dream Harbor during their visit. For Jim, Iris suggested a fishing tour with Noah, since the man loved to fish; a massage at the spa for Cathi, and a trip into town to shop and eat at all of Iris’s favorite places. Olive chimed in that they had to get cookies from Annie and that she wanted to take them to the bookstore.
‘Of course, Livie. Anything you want,’ Jim told her with a laugh, and Iris decided not to warn him that that was a very dangerous statement.
Archer appeared back at their table with a tray of food.
‘The Jeanie, for Dad,’ he said.
‘How did you know I was eyeing that one?’
‘I know you by now, Dad,’ Archer said with a chuckle.
‘The Mayor Pete—double-chocolate dream pancakes for Cathi.’
‘Oh my gosh, these look divine!’
‘Well, the mayor saw them in a dream, so who am I to argue?’ Archer said with a laugh.
‘And a Lost in the Strawberry Patch special,’ he said, putting the plate down in front of Olive. The pancakes were piled high with strawberries and whipped cream. She clapped her hands in delight.
‘And The Original for Iris,’ he said, laying another plate in front of Iris.
‘The Original, huh?’
‘Yep.’
‘Hmm … we’ll see.’
Archer sat beside her and watched as she cut her pancakes and added syrup. She took her time, letting the syrup drip from the tiny metal pitcher he’d brought it out in.
He groaned with impatience. ‘Just try them!’
Iris smirked, bringing some pancake to her mouth. ‘I don’t know why you’re in a hurry for me to tell you these aren’t like the originals…’ She chewed, her eyes widening. Suddenly, she was ten years old again, sitting in this diner with her mom and her cousin on Sunday mornings, and then after prom, when she and her friends had stopped here for a late-night meal—and the day after Josie’s funeral when she’d just wanted familiar comfort.
It was the perfect, diner pancake.
‘How did you?—’
Archer’s grin grew. ‘Bisquick mix, with a splash of vanilla, cooked in far too much butter.’
‘You used the mix?’
‘I used the mix.’
Iris laughed. ‘Oh my God, Archer! You could have just listened to me from the start!’
He leaned back, watching her, love and pride and happiness mixing on his face. ‘I know. I was an arrogant asshole who thought he knew better.’
Iris shoveled more pancakes into her mouth. ‘You sure were,’ she said between bites.
‘Good thing you helped me taste-test for all those weeks.’
‘Good thing.’ Her gaze snagged on his, remembering all the other things they’d done during those taste tests.
‘Dad, can I go sit with Ivy and Cece at their table?’ Olive cut in.
Archer’s attention switched to Olive. ‘Directly to their table, do not leave this diner or you will not live long enough to attend first grade.’
‘K! Got it!’
‘How about we walk her over?’ Cathi suggested. ‘We’d love to meet some of her friends.’
‘Okay, if you don’t mind.’
‘Of course we don’t mind,’ Jim said. ‘We’re here to spend time with our granddaughter. And you, but you’re busy, anyway, so we’ll see you later. The pancakes were delicious.’
‘Thanks, Dad.’
Olive scampered off with her new grandparents in tow and Archer’s gaze returned to Iris.
‘You’re a good dad.’
‘I’m trying.’
‘And a good chef.’
‘I know.’ The smirk was back and Iris leaned forward to kiss it off his lips. He kissed her back slowly and tortuously until she was dizzy with it.
‘I wish you didn’t have to help cook,’ she said when he finally pulled away, his fingers still tangled in her hair.
‘I know.’
‘But I’ll see you at home.’
His smile grew at that.
‘Yeah, I’ll see you at home.’
‘I love you, Archer.’
‘More than pancakes?’ he asked, glancing at her empty plate.
‘Don’t push your luck,’ she said, patting his shoulder in consolation. His laughter trailed behind him as he strode back to his kitchen.