Chapter 4
Chapter Four
The Ice Cream Parlor
Hadley, Salem, Poet and I sat in a blue vinyl booth and were sharing two ice cream sundaes. Lenni was sitting with Archer, Muddy and Grampy in a booth across the room, laughing at something Muddy said. Archer kept sneaking glances at his daughter, like he still couldn’t believe he had offspring.
“He’s a bomb waiting to go off,” I said, chin nodding toward Archer.
Hadley subtly turned her head, pretending she was stretching to look. Salem wasn’t as discreet.
“Yeah, he looks completely terrified,” Salem said.
“You can hardly blame the guy,” Poet said. “He just found out he has a daughter and oh, by the way she’s already eleven. And now he has to raise her, alone.”
“He’s not alone. He has Wyn,” Hadley said, licking her spoon clean of hot fudge.
“For a few months, anyway,” I agreed.
“A few months?” Poet frowned. “Why only a few months?”
“Well, it’s not like they’re going to need a nanny forever,” I said. “She’s eleven. Not five. I was staying home alone at twelve. After school, I mean.”
“Oh. Oh, right.” Poet’s nod was slow.
“I like her,” Salem said. “Lenni.”
“Me too,” Hadley added.
Lenni looked up from her sundae and caught my gaze. She gave a little wave. I waved back.
“She really likes Wyn,” Poet stated.
“What’s not to like,” Hadley asked.
“I don’t think she’s the only one who likes Wyn,” Salem teased.
“What do you mean by that?” I demanded.
“Oh, come on.” Salem laughed. “It’s clear there’s something between you and Archer.”
“No there’s not,” I lied.
“No?” Hadley asked with a raise of her brows.
“If there was, don’t you think it would be the stupidest idea in the world to move into a house with him?” I asked.
“Totally stupid,” Poet agreed. “And you’re not stupid.”
“Definitely not. Well, not anymore. He needs help, and I’m happy to help. And Lenni, God, that girl really needs help,” I said.
“The photo didn’t do him justice, did it?” Hadley pressed.
I held in a sigh. “No, it definitely didn’t.”
“He’s so photogenic,” Salem added. “I thought for sure Rudolph Lancaster was going to fire me and Cas and beg Archer to be the face of their campaign.”
I snorted. “Those city slickers were surprised to find real live cowboys in the wild, weren’t they?”
Salem sniggered. “Yeah, they were.”
“He’s looking at you,” Poet whispered.
A thrill of excitement shot through me, and I attempted to tamp it down. I refused to be attracted to Archer. Falling for a single dad who had to learn how to be a dad?
Messy. With a capital M.
But I couldn’t stop myself from glancing up from the sundae to stare at Archer, too. Lenni said something, pulling his attention away from me. He nodded as he listened intently.
We polished off the sundaes and then I got up out of the booth, taking the empty containers to the trash can. Archer came up next to me with empty containers of his own.
“Hey,” he said.
“Hey,” I replied.
“Thanks.”
“For what?” I took a napkin from the dispenser and wiped my hands.
“For helping me. I’m up shit creek here,” he said with a show-stopping smile.
“You seem to be doing okay.”
“You were watching?”
I raised my brows. “I was watching you watch her and then pretend like you weren’t.”
He swallowed and his brow furrowed. “It feels like she’s not even real.”
I reached out and touched his forearm. “I can’t even imagine. But you’re not alone. We’re all here to help.”
He looked down at my hand.
Before I could pull away, he grasped my fingers and gave them a little squeeze, as if to reassure me.
Mr. Powell treated the group by covering the bill and Lenni went up to thank him. He tugged on her fishtail and smiled down at her. She smiled back at him.
She’ll be okay. We’ll all make sure of it.
A few hours later, Archer parked the truck in front of Grampy’s rental house.
Painted a light blue, it had an A-line roof, designed for those long, snowy North Idaho winters.
It was an inviting little thing with a front porch—perfect to sit out on and watch the comings and goings of the neighborhood.
And I suddenly aged thirty years.
Mildred was in the back seat with Lenni, but she placed her paws on the door and peered out, her tail wagging.
“She’s excited,” Lenni said with a laugh.
We climbed out of the truck and I carried Mildred. Archer was just about to put the key into the front door lock when Hadley’s SUV pulled up. And then Muddy’s truck arrived behind her.
“What are they doing here?” Archer asked in confusion.
“Helping,” I said with a smile.
“The house comes furnished,” Archer said. “What could they be helping with?”
“Shhh,” I said. “You’ll understand in a bit.”
Hadley and Salem waddled up the sidewalk with Muddy bringing up the rear. Muddy carried a stack of glass containers. Salem and Hadley had grocery bags from Dusty’s.
“Staples,” Hadley explained to Lenni with a wink. “To get you through the next few days while you settle in.”
Archer opened the door, letting us inside.
“Is this normal?” he whispered to me.
“Is what normal?” I whispered back.
“Them just showing up whenever.”
I smiled. “Yep. Might as well get used to it.”
“Huh,” he said, pushing the brim of his cowboy hat off his head and closing the door behind us.
It was a narrow foyer with the staircase to the second floor right before the space opened up into the kitchen and living room. Muddy, Salem and Hadley bee-lined for the kitchen.
The wooden floors had recently been refinished, and they gleamed under the ambient light. The walls were painted a blue-ish gray. It was bright enough that it wouldn’t be a complete cave in the dead of winter with minimal sunlight.
“You need anything, you call,” Muddy said as she closed the fridge.
“Thanks,” I said as I hugged my friends.
“We’ll see ourselves out,” Salem said.
The front door shut, and it was just the three of us.
The three of us and a measure of silence, which Archer was clearly desperate to fill because he said, “There’s a bedroom and bathroom on this floor.
” He pointed to the hallway tucked behind the kitchen.
“I’ll sleep down here. I get up so early, I don’t want to disturb you guys. ”
I set Mildred down and she raced around the room and then sat patiently by the back door.
Lenni peered out the sliver of a window in the door. “There’s a backyard!” She tried to pull the door open. Once she realized it was locked, she unlocked it and then a gust of cold November air swirled in the room.
Mildred rushed out first and bounded down the few cement stairs that led out into the backyard. The flower beds were full of dead plants, but there was a small, circular white table covered in dirt with four chairs. Perfect for summertime hangouts and watching the sun set.
“This is so cute,” Lenni said as she went to examine the table. “I’ve never had a backyard.”
“No?” Archer asked.
“Mom and I lived in an apartment,” she explained absently. “There was a courtyard, but no backyard. Bet this is pretty in the summer. Wyn, we have to plant flowers.”
I swallowed and hastily looked at Archer, whose face was expressionless.
She was already thinking about summer. Months from now.
With me still here.
“Let’s check out the upstairs,” I suggested, hoping to shift the conversation away from the future.
We all headed back inside. Archer closed the door behind us and locked it. Lenni rushed to the stairs, Mildred trotting after her.
The second floor had one master bedroom and bathroom, along with another smaller bedroom and hallway bathroom.
“You take the master, Wyn,” Archer announced.
“I can’t take the master bedroom,” I said. “That’s not fair.”
“I’ll take it,” Lenni said with a smile.
“The master bath has the tub,” Archer replied.
“Sold.” I laughed. Turning to Lenni, I said, “You get that room.”
She ducked her head into the room across the hall and gasped.
“What?” I demanded. “What’s wrong?”
“It’s the ugliest thing I’ve ever seen!” Her face was stricken as she waved us toward the room.
Archer and I came into the space.
“What the ever-loving fuck,” Archer blurted out.
Lenni hastily covered her mouth but couldn’t stop the bubble of laughter that escaped.
Nothing in the room matched. The blue and red plaid comforter clashed with the pea-green walls. The furniture was different types of wood and styles in various colors.
“Why do I have a sudden craving for split pea and ham soup?” Archer wondered, looking at the ceiling.
I chuckled. “We can fix this.”
“We can?” Lenni asked, her tone droll.
“Trip to the paint store, a new bedspread and sheet set. Easy.” I picked up one of the hand-painted wooden bird figurines that rested on an unvarnished shelf. “What is this supposed to be?”
“Uh, a bird?” Lenni said.
“No kidding.” I rolled my eyes. “I don’t recognize what kind of bird this is.”
Archer began to laugh as he took the figurine from me. “That’s a grouse.”
“What’s a grouse?” I asked.
“A bird native to North Idaho.” His brown eyes sparkled with humor. “And they’re delicious.”
Lenni gasped. “You eat them?”
“Yes,” he said. “You eat chicken. Grouse isn’t any different.”
She took the figurine from Archer. “Grouse. Huh.”
“Let’s get the suitcases,” I suggested.
Lenni nodded, set the figurine back on the shelf, and darted out of the room. Mildred went with her.
“I wonder what she’s going to do when she finds out what business the Powells are in.” Archer looked at me.
“Ask for diagrams of the cuts of meat?”
“God help me.”