Page 3 of The Strawberry Patch Pancake House
‘Okay, dear. You can stay there for now.’ Paula smiled at Archer. ‘Please, sit. Olive can be shy at first.’
‘I’m not shy,’ came the little voice. ‘I just don’t like monsters.’
Archer winced. ‘I’m really sorry,’ he explained to Paula. ‘There was a kale-smoothie related accident this morning and I didn’t have time to change.’
‘Of course, don’t worry,’ she said even as her own smiling face had taken on a worried expression. ‘I’m sure it’s all going to work out.’ He could see it then. Thishadto work out. This woman had lost her own daughter and now wasn’t well enough to take care of her granddaughter.
This wasn’t just about him and his own life, his own selfish needs.
Shit.
He cleared his throat. ‘Right. Of course it will. I’m sure Olive and I will get used to each other in no time.’
By the look on Paula’s face, she wasn’t exactly impressed that Archer had big plans to ‘get used to’ her granddaughter but frankly it was the best he could promise at the moment. Just saying her name, Olive, was a first. He’d avoided it until now as if not saying it somehow kept all this from being real.
But it was real. She was real. And she was terrified of him.
That damn woman at the coffee shop. If she hadn’t poured green goo down the front of him then none of this would be happening. And then she’d had her hands all over him, as though those flimsy paper napkins were doing anything. Not that he was still thinking about Iris’s hands on his chest (but he might think about them later). At the moment, he had bigger problems.
And he had no idea what to do about them.
The main one being how to get his daughter out from behind the couch.
She was still hiding over a half hour later while he and her grandmother made painful small talk and the lawyer went over the paperwork.
‘So, Paris,’ Paula said, ‘Did you like living there?’
‘Idolike living there,’ he said, emphasizing the present tense. He wasnotmoving here permanently. ‘I love it.’ Even as he claimed to love it, his words rang false. How could you love a place you’d barely experienced? Archer’s life consisted of the kitchen at Beau Rêve where he was the head chef, a few bars he and the staff frequented after work, and his apartment. Did he love Paris, or did he love the idea of being the best there, a place revered for its cuisine? It didn’t matter. Paris was part of the plan. Dream Harbor absolutely wasnot.
He didn’t really know how everything would work now that Olive was in the mix, but he would figure it out. His life may have been temporarily derailed by this situation, but it would not be permanent. If everyone involved decided that Olive should stay with him, and that still felt like a big IF, then she would come with him.
He refused to think about the fact that he couldn’t even get her to come out from behind the couch, let alone move her to France. One problem at a time.
‘Okay, Mr. Baer.’ The custody lawyer, Ms. Kaori Kim, turned her attention away from the paperwork and back to him. ‘I see you’ve rented a house in town.’
‘Yes. And Olive will have her own bedroom.’ He’d rented a cottage on a quiet street. He’d moved in and unpacked and set up a bedroom for a little girl, which he was not at all qualified to do so he’d just bought every pink thing he could find. A shitty approximation of home, but he was hoping it would make Olive feel comfortable.
‘And what about employment?’ the lawyer asked.
Employment. Archer’s stomach dropped. Of course. He needed a job while he was here. And he’d looked. He’d spent his first few days in town scouring the nearby areas for an open chef position and he’d come up empty. His search area was too narrow, but he didn’t know what he was going to do with Olive while he worked. He couldn’t add a long commute or late hours into the mix. And they had to stay in town for now. They’d all agreed that the transition would be easier for Olive if she could stay near her grandmother and her friends and her school. It made sense but it had left Archer stuck and with no good options for work.
‘I have the perfect place!’ Paula piped in. ‘Gladys is looking for a new cook.’ She beamed at him.
‘A new cook?’ he repeated faintly.
‘Yes, at her diner!’ Paula’s face was lit up like this was a great idea.
‘A diner?’
She nodded.
‘Wonderful,’ Ms. Kim said, slamming her binder shut. ‘So, we are all set for a temporary custody arrangement. Mr. Baer, you will be Olive’s primary caretaker for the next six months, with Paula Carpenter retaining visitation rights. After the probationary period is up, we will reconvene and make a decision based on the best interest of the child.’
Archer just nodded, unable to do much else. His whole face felt numb. Adiner cook? That was his life now? A suburban dad, diner cook. He felt sick. How the hell would he ever get his Michelin star working at a diner?
Kaori peeked over the edge of the sofa. ‘Is that okay with you, Miss Olive? You’re going to live with your dad for a little while and he’s going to take good care of you. We’re all going to make sure of it.’ With that ominous line, Kaori sent Archer a stern glare that pretty clearly said the entire town would be watching him. As if he hadn’t already gotten that message this morning at The Pumpkin Spice Café.
He couldn’t make out Olive’s answer, but he was sure it wasn’t good because Kaori’s face slipped from all business lawyer to concerned friend.
