Page 56 of Please, Stay

Ms. Iris didn’t break her stride, fixing Carrie a milkshake. “Oh, just an old friend.”

“You have friends outside of Statem?” He did drag his eyes away from Carrie then. “Why haven’t I ever heard about them?”

“‘Because you’ve never asked.” Ms. Iris sat her hand on her hip and peered down her nose, although with a new warmth toward him. When had she gotten so sassy? Most of the other diners at the counter stopped their conversation to watch the exchange. “I don’t have to tell you everything, Hugh Campbell.”

“I don’t see why you need friends outside of town.” He crossed his arms and nodded his head once.

She planted both hands on the counter and leaned across it, looking like she was flirting. “It may not make much sense to you, but I enjoy being aroundfriendlypeople every once in a while.”

He grumbled. The others in the diner snickered at the good-natured insult. Juliana filed it away for later. The thing between her dad and Ms. Iris seemed a little more serious than she’d thought of before.

Carrie laid a hand on his arm with her little eyes wide and shining, an identical color to Eliza’s and Juliana’s eyes.

He jumped. Then froze.

She smiled up at him. “You’re Mr. Campbell?”

“Yeah.”

She squished up her nose. “You’re a lot younger than I thought you’d be.”

His bushy eyebrows drew together, and Juliana panicked. What was Carrie doing? This was supposed to be a basic acting assignment, not Improv 101.

“Mama and Ms. Iris were talkin’ ‘bout ya, and Ms. Iris was sayin’ how nice and sweet you were and that you had a really nice smile. I just pictured someone old.” Her smile widened like she’d discovered a secret. “But you’re not old at all!”

Ms. Iris turned as pink as the strawberry milkshake she held. His lips turned up in something like a smile. “Nice smile, huh?” He watched Ms. Iris as she made a fuss of setting the straw in the milkshake at the right angle.

“And sweet. Oh, and—"Carrie tapped her finger to her chin a few times “—hand-some.”

Her dad’s chest puffed out a little.

Juliana glanced back at Grayson. He’d heard everything judging by the smile he tried to cover up with his hamburger.

“What is hand-some?” Carrie looked between Hugh, Ms. Iris, and Juliana. Carrie was at the top of her class, already accepted in the gifted program. She knew darn well what that was.

Juliana set her hands on her dad’s shoulders. “Mr. Campbell is handsome, just like you are pretty.” She tapped Carrie on the nose.

Risking it, Juliana kissed her dad on the top of his head. She caught his reflection, and the small smile Carrie had drawn from him remained in place. He did look younger without his permanent scowl.

Carrie giggled and became engrossed with her milkshake, making it into a career to finish the tallest one Ms. Iris had ever made. Eliza would have a hard time getting her to eat another thing for the rest of the day.

“Are you going to eat Juliana?” Her dad set a napkin in his lap when Ms. Iris set his BLT in front of him. “We don’t have all day to dawdle about. Especially if you’re going to get that article ready for the Governor to review.”

“The Governor?” Ms. Iris’s eyebrows rose clear to her hairline. “Did our little Juliana get an interview with Governor Wright?”

Juliana opened her mouth to answer, but he did it for her. “Yes. Gave her a few quotes about the highway expansion.”

Ms. Iris set one hand on her hip and wagged a dishcloth in the other. “There’s no reason for them to make that highway so close to the park. Are they going to change it?”

“We hope—”

Her dad cut her off. “I guess you’ll need to read the paper on Saturday and find out.”

Ms. Iris rolled her eyes and wiped down the counter. “I declare, Hugh Campbell, you can be the most aggravating man. I don’t know how Juliana puts up with you.”

Juliana refrained from giving Ms. Iris a high-five. That wouldnothelp the situation.

Grayson approached the counter, his cologne alluring enough that Juliana caught herself before she leaned closer. “Thank you, Ms. Iris. Delicious as usual.”

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