The Strawberry Patch Pancake House Quotes

“She liked relationships like she liked her chicken wings, hot and fast.”
― Laurie Gilmore, The Strawberry Patch Pancake House

“This day, this life, felt like a different type of achievement. The type that only required his presence not his perfection.”
― Laurie Gilmore, The Strawberry Patch Pancake House

“I’m in love with you, Iris,’ he said, in between kisses, like it was normal, like they said it to each other every day, like it didn’t suck the air from her lungs to hear it said out loud. ‘I know it’s fast, and I know it’s maybe not what you wanted. But I do. I love you. I love every damn thing about you.”
― Laurie Gilmore, The Strawberry Patch Pancake House

“I poured salad dressing on pancakes because of you.”
― Laurie Gilmore, The Strawberry Patch Pancake House

“She had a trail of half-finished hobbies and partially read books long enough that she couldn’t see the end of it. She was good enough, but never perfect.”
― Laurie Gilmore, The Strawberry Patch Pancake House

“The one thing she did say was she thought you were destined for bigger things. She didn’t want to stand in your way. Olive was her dream. She didn’t want to derail yours.”
― Laurie Gilmore, The Strawberry Patch Pancake House

“She looked so small and pitiful, and it physically hurt to see her like that. He hated it. And he hated that he couldn’t just make this go away for her. He never knew that so much of being a parent was just feeling helpless in the face of your kid’s struggles.”
― Laurie Gilmore, The Strawberry Patch Pancake House

“Sir”
― Laurie Gilmore, The Strawberry Patch Pancake House

“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.”
― Laurie Gilmore, The Strawberry Patch Pancake House

“I’m pretty sure half of dealing with kids is just tricking them into doing stuff.”
― Laurie Gilmore, The Strawberry Patch Pancake House

“Between the accent and the hat, Archer was wondering if maybe she was a bit more Mary Poppins than he’d originally thought. But then he remembered her ass under that T-shirt and he thought maybe not.”
― Laurie Gilmore, The Strawberry Patch Pancake House

“Was this a pepper-spray situation? Was it a pepper-spray situation if she liked that her new boss was staring at her legs? Maybe she should pepper spray herself.”
― Laurie Gilmore, The Strawberry Patch Pancake House

“The man was dressed in a tight white undershirt and a pair of gray sweatpants, which, as far as Iris was concerned, was the same as a woman cooking in lingerie.”
― Laurie Gilmore, The Strawberry Patch Pancake House

“Olive hugged her stuffed wombat and grabbed the remote, flipping on her favorite thing to watch, baking competitions. A small flicker of something lit in Archer’s chest. Maybe she was his after all.”
― Laurie Gilmore, The Strawberry Patch Pancake House

“They’re unpredictable, and I feel like they’re always plotting something. And why are they always so sticky?”
― Laurie Gilmore, The Strawberry Patch Pancake House

“You’re here,’ she said, and her whole body sagged in relief. And it did something to him, this relief, this idea that he was here and now things would be better, that he would help. Olive needed him and Iris needed him, and it was different than being needed at work. It was different than being the boss, than running a tight ship, than making sure everything went perfectly. Here, they just needed him.”
― Laurie Gilmore, The Strawberry Patch Pancake House

“Old folks were fonts of wisdom. Small children were just …wild.”
― Laurie Gilmore, The Strawberry Patch Pancake House

“Archer loved his mother, but he understood why his dad loved Cathi. And she’d always been kind to Archer, never trying to become his new mom, but there for him when his mom couldn’t be.”
― Laurie Gilmore, The Strawberry Patch Pancake House

“Ah, there! Up ahead he caught a glimpse of a sign: ‘The Pumpkin Spice Café’.”
― Laurie Gilmore, The Strawberry Patch Pancake House

“He was so screwed. He was doomed to live here forever all because of some accident.”
― Laurie Gilmore, The Strawberry Patch Pancake House

“But Olive is just one little girl.”
― Laurie Gilmore, The Strawberry Patch Pancake House

“Bisquick mix, with a splash of vanilla, cooked in far too much butter.”
― Laurie Gilmore, The Strawberry Patch Pancake House

“I don’t have to admit anything.’ He took a small mug and scooped pasta water into the pan with the garlic and the oil. Iris watched with interest. She was going to accuse him of being a food snob, but it all looked and smelled so good, that mocking him just seemed absurd now. He strained the spaghetti and tossed that in the pan, too, coating the pasta with the oil and garlic. Iris’s stomach grumbled in anticipation. He took two plain white bowls from the cabinet and twirled a perfect nest of pasta in each bowl, sprinkling some fresh parsley and parmesan cheese on each portion. Iris wanted to crawl inside and live in that pasta nest forever. ‘That looks so good,’ she nearly moaned. Damn this man and his pasta-making skills! Resisting his adorable dad-ness was one thing, but serving up a big ol’ bowl of carbs and cheese was going to be another thing altogether. ‘Buon appetito.’ ‘Jesus, man. Just give me the food and cut that out.’ Archer smirked and slid the bowl across the island. As expected, the meal was incredible. Like insanely good. Like so good that an hour ago Iris was planning her ‘I quit’ speech and now she was considering declaring her undying love for this man and his food. It was concerning. But she was full and exhausted from this stressful day and between the food and the wine and Archer’s dimple, she had been lulled into a cozy contentment she hadn’t felt in a very long time. Maybe not since those days in Josie’s kitchen, watching her neighbor cook while she chatted to her about everything from her mom’s latest boyfriend to the bike she wanted for her birthday. Was this why people wanted a partner? This feeling at the end of a rough day that they’d survived something together? She had to admit it was nice. She’d always had her mom and her aunt and her cousin. She collected friends like she collected new careers. But maybe having a partner would be different. Sitting here, laughing and drinking with Archer. Decompressing after taking care of a sick kid all day, it was … it was something she could maybe see herself wanting. Someday. Not today.”
― Laurie Gilmore, The Strawberry Patch Pancake House

“So…’ Archer stepped farther into the small living room. ‘Would you like me to play with you? Uh … Candy Land, I mean.’ He gestured feebly toward the board.”
― Laurie Gilmore, The Strawberry Patch Pancake House

“Not that he was still thinking about Iris’s hands on his chest (but he might think about them later).”
― Laurie Gilmore, The Strawberry Patch Pancake House

“Was this why people wanted a partner? This feeling at the end of a rough day that they’d survived something together?”
― Laurie Gilmore, The Strawberry Patch Pancake House

“Damn this man and his pasta-making skills! Resisting his adorable dad-ness was one thing, but serving up a big ol’ bowl of carbs and cheese was going to be another thing altogether.”
― Laurie Gilmore, The Strawberry Patch Pancake House