Page 93 of The Strawberry Patch Pancake House
‘Look, Iris, it’s like any other relationship. Maybe it will work out and maybe it won’t, but judging by the way you two were looking at each other, I think it’s worth a shot.’
‘But what if it doesn’t work out?’
‘Then it doesn’t.’
‘But what about Olive? Bex, you know how things were when we were kids. You know the men that waltzed in and out of my mom’s life, and mine. Every time, I got my hopes up, and every time, they left. I don’t want to do that to Olive.’
‘Iris Lyn Fraser, you are being crazy.’
‘Thank you. I feel crazy. That’s very validating.’
Bex smiled. ‘You are nothing like those dudes. Look, I love your mom, but she made bad choices in men. A lot of bad choices.’
‘But those men weren’t bad. They were kind and funny. Ilikedthem. And then she’d just … get tired of them.’
‘Okay, I’m confused. Are you afraid you’re like your mother, or the men she brought home?’
‘Both?’
‘Iris.’
‘Help me! I don’t know what to do.’
‘I think you do. I think you know exactly what to do but you’re too afraid to admit it.’
Iris scowled. This was why she didn’t talk to Bex. Her cousin knew her too damn well. And Iris did not feel like being called out right now. She felt achy inside.
Luckily for her, Olive was skipping back to their table.
‘I’m back!’
‘Oh good.’ Iris sent a smug smile at Bex and her cousin returned the gesture by sticking out her tongue. ‘How are Hazel and Noah?’
‘Good. I showed them my new dance.’
‘I’m sure they loved it.’
‘They did. They’re going on a trip to an island and they’re going to bring me back a souvenir.’
‘Wow, lucky you.’
Olive grinned at her, right before she swiped the remaining whipped cream from her plate and dabbed it on Iris’s nose.
‘Got you! Now you match me and Dad!’ she squealed with delight.
And for some crazy reason the whole thing made Iris want to cry.
ChapterThirty
‘Hey, Dad.’
‘Hey, Arch. How’s it going?’
Archer sighed.
‘It’s going okay.’ He leaned back against his headboard. Olive had just finished her weekly chat with his dad and Iris had taken her to bed. When Iris had scooped her up, Olive giggling and shrieking in her arms, Archer was a goner.
They all just made sense together. Didn’t Iris see it?
