Chapter 26
Chapter Twenty-Six
‘Y ou okay, chef?’ Cyrus’s question broke Archer out of hisdaydream. His very not-appropriate-for-work daydream.
He cleared his throat. ‘Yes, fine.’
Cyrus smirked. ‘Really? Because you just covered that plate of pancakes with salad dressing.’
Archer looked down at the mess in front of him. ‘Shit.’ He dumped the ruined breakfast in the trash. ‘Can I get another batch?’
‘Yes, chef.’ Cyrus chuckled. ‘What’s got you so distracted?’
Not what, who . It had been two days since the kitchen-counter incident and Archer had not stopped thinking about Iris since. Her mouth and her heat and her sounds. Christ, her sounds, those gasps and moans were running on a loop in his head. An obscene soundtrack to his day. He’d barely spoken to her since, keeping Olive as a buffer between them during the day and quitting his night-time pancake-making in case she came out to join him. He didn’t know what he would do if she did.
He wanted Iris in too many ways now.
‘Nothing,’ he muttered, certainly not about to explain any of that to his cook.
‘Ah,’ Cyrus said with a knowing nod as he poured more batter onto the griddle. ‘It’s a woman.’
‘It’s not … that’s not it.’
The older man chuckled. ‘Okay, sure. You just ruined three plates this morning because you’re thinking about the weather.’
‘Just make the damn pancakes, chef.’
Cyrus shook his head with another laugh. ‘Yes, chef.’
‘Hey, chef, the mayor’s at table three. He wants to talk to you,’ Jess said as she came skidding through the double doors into the kitchen.
‘Slow down,’ Archer barked as he strode past her. Jess gave him a mock salute. ‘Cyrus, those pancakes!’ he yelled on his way out of the kitchen, knowing he was taking his shitty, frustrated mood out on his staff, but unable to stop himself. And now the mayor wanted to talk to him. If the man had one more note about his latest attempt at the sacred pancakes, Archer might snap completely.
He wanted Iris. Bad. And in so many more ways than he should. And he didn’t know what to do about it and it was bringing out his asshole tendencies.
He took a deep breath before stopping at the mayor’s table. ‘Good morning, mayor. Everything all right?’
Mayor Kelly smiled up at him.
‘Hi, Archer,’ Hazel said from the other side of the table. ‘How’s Olive feeling?’
‘Hey, Hazel. Much better, thanks.’
‘We love the new pancakes, Archie,’ the mayor said, and Archer almost didn’t hate the nickname when it followed a compliment.
‘Wonderful.’
‘And the specials board was a great idea.’
Archer glanced at where he’d listed ‘Noah’s Blueberry Pancakes’ as today’s special. He’d done it on a whim, remembering that it was Noah who’d requested blueberry pancakes at the meeting.
‘Glad you like it, sir.’
The mayor waved away Archer’s politeness. ‘Call me Pete. Anyway, I’m sure the town will love this new idea.’
Dread started to seep into Archer’s gut. New idea?
‘People will love to see their name on the board and to try all the new pancakes.’
Was that his new idea? To make everyone’s suggestions and then name the pancakes after them…
It wasn’t the worst idea, actually. And maybe it would get everyone off his back about the damn original recipe.
‘You know,’ Pete went on. ‘I had a dream that this diner was actually a pancake house.’
‘You dreamt about the diner?’
Hazel huffed a laugh. ‘He dreams about all kinds of things.’
Pete shrugged. ‘I’m usually very accurate.’
Archer glanced between father and daughter and tried to figure out if they were serious. It was impossible to tell so he just nodded.
‘I will keep that in mind.’
Pete smiled. ‘Wonderful. And how are things working out with Iris?’
Heat rushed to Archer’s face. Did the mayor somehow know what he did to his nanny on his kitchen counter?
‘Is she working out as Olive’s nanny?’ The mayor prompted when Archer just stood there like an idiot.
‘Oh … uh … yeah. Yes. She’s a great nanny.’
‘Glad to hear it. I’m really happy you’re settling in here in Dream Harbor.’
Archer nodded dumbly. Settling in. Here. In Dream Harbor. That was what he was doing, of course. Settling in and wanting Iris to settle in with him.
‘Right.’ He cleared his throat again and Hazel gave him a little smile that said she knew everything he was thinking, which was highly alarming. ‘I should get back to the kitchen.’
‘Of course! Big breakfast crowd to feed.’
‘See you later.’
‘Bye, Archer!’ Hazel called as he turned and made his way back through the crowded dining room and into the kitchen.
He needed to do something about Iris and fast. He didn’t even recognize himself anymore. So distracted by a woman that he was screwing up orders, that he was fantasizing about things he’d never wanted in his life.
But what he didn’t know was if he should push her away or pull her closer.
* * *
Iris was teaching an aquatic aerobics class, and she was pretty sure she was doing the movements correctly and calling the instructions loud enough and that she was totally tricking everyone into thinking she wasn’t thinking about Archer’s hands and lips and what he could do with those hands and lips and?—
‘Iris?’
Her name echoed through the pool room. Her playlist had ended.
She blinked to find a group of half a dozen seniors staring at her. Right, okay. So maybe she wasn’t doing the best job of not being distracted.
‘Sorry, ladies. Um, let’s just cool down.’
‘No way,’ Marrisa piped up. ‘What’s got you so dreamy-eyed, Iris?’
Uh oh. The ladies sensed drama. And they loved drama. And over the years she’d set an unfortunate pattern of spilling the tea to her beloved students, but this wasn’t some fling. This drama was about Archer.
And for a million concerning reasons that felt different.
‘It’s nothing, really.’ Iris dunked her shoulders and lifted her feet out of the water, using her hands to stay afloat.
‘Mmm-hmm, sure,’ said Carol, swimming closer. ‘And that’s why you stopped telling us what to do about ten minutes ago and we’ve all just been flopping around like fish in here until the songs stopped.’
Iris’s cheeks flushed.
‘Okay, here’s the thing,’ she started, and the ladies gathered closer. ‘Have you ever met someone that made you seriously reconsider everything you’ve ever thought you wanted?’
The women’s eyes widened. Janet whistled. ‘Wow, she’s got it bad.’
‘I don’t. I don’t have it bad.’
Estelle raised her eyebrows. ‘Iris.’
‘Okay, fine I have it a little bit bad. But here’s the thing, he’s making me like … want stuff I never thought I wanted and now I’m confused.’
‘What kind of stuff? Like being tied up or something?’ Marissa asked.
Iris splashed her. ‘No! Not sex stuff, like actual life stuff. You know me, ladies. You know I’m not into keeping men around.’
‘But you want to keep this one?’ Janet asked.
‘I don’t know. It’s complicated. There are other factors…’ If she said the whole, he has a kid thing out loud they’d know immediately who she was talking about (and even though they probably already did, she didn’t feel like admitting it yet). ‘We probably just need to have sex and then I can stop feeling all weird about everything.’
‘You haven’t had sex yet?’ The shock in Marissa’s voice was enough to illustrate exactly how the majority of Iris’s relationships went. Hot but quick.
‘Well, let’s just say he’s very good with his hands.’ Iris grinned and then sunk beneath the water, the sounds of the women laughing and hooting following her below the surface.
Maybe she was right. Maybe she needed to sleep with Archer and get all this pent-up sexual frustration out of her body and then she’d be able to think straight. Then she’d remember that she had no desire to have a serious relationship or a kid or a long-term anything.
This thing between them could be purely physical with no harm done to Olive.
Now she just had to convince Archer.