you, sir.”
James, tall and still slender at the age of sixty-five, eyed the younger man with a narrow squint. He still wore his salt-and-pepper hair in a military cut. James grasped the proffered hand, holding it longer than necessary. “What is it you do, son?”
“Daddy!” Iris gasped.
James smiled at her. “It’s all right, baby girl. The man doesn’t have to answer if he doesn’t want to.”
Collier returned Iris’s father’s direct stare. “Right now I’m in the US Army.”
James shook Collier’s hand vigorously and then dropped an arm over his shoulder. “We need to talk, son. Baby girl, do have anything stronger than beer and wine in the house?”
Iris shared a knowing glance with her mother. Iris was a younger version of Esther Nelson. Her parents complimented each other when they claimed their son was a clone of his father and their daughter her mother.
“Dad, the liquor is in the cabinet under the buffet server.”
Esther took off the jacket to her pantsuit and hung it on the wall coatrack near the door. “You know he’s going to talk your young man’s ear off.”
Iris looped her arm through Esther’s, ignoring the reference to Collier being her man. “Better Collier’s ear than yours, Mom.”
Esther smiled. “You’re right about that. Where did you meet him?”
“He’s my friend Tracy’s brother.”
“He’s exotically gorgeous,” the older woman whispered. Iris nodded in agreement. She’d discovered that the moment she turned to look at him at the Happy Hour. “You left the door open,” her mother reminded her when Iris steered her in the direction of the kitchen.
“I’m still expecting Tracy and her daughter. By the way, where are Evan and Allie?”
“They were getting dressed as we were leaving.” Esther shook her lightly graying hair. “I still can’t get used to folks around here leaving their doors open or unlocked.”
Iris gave her mother a reassuring smile. “I’m the only one who lives up here, so there’s no reason for anyone to come unless they’re invited. Don’t forget, we left our doors unlocked when we lived on the base,” she reminded Esther.
“That’s different because the base is secure. I know you love living here, but I still worry about you, darling.”
“Stop worrying, Mom. There’s virtually no crime on Cavanaugh Island.” Esther’s expression indicated she didn’t believe Iris.
“Iris is right, Mrs. Nelson. I grew up here, and there’s never been a problem with feeling safe. Everyone looks out for one another.”
Iris turned to find Collier standing only a few feet away. She had a brief moment of longing for him to be the one looking out for her before she chased the thought away. “See, I told you, Mom.”
Esther smiled at Collier. “Well, that does make me feel better.”
He returned her smile. “I’m glad.”
Iris pressed her palms together. “We’ll sit down to eat as soon as the others get here.”
Iris felt as if Collier had become a part of a blended family when he joined her at the table. Dinner conversation was lively at the adult table, while Allie and Layla sat together, giggling nonstop. Evan kept everyone entertained with his wicked sense of humor and some of the more outlandish cases he saw at his veterinary practice. Layla, who’d changed her mind about sleeping over at Iris’s house, begged Tracy to let Allie stay with them. Tracy, whom Iris suspected had taken a marked interest in Evan, said she didn’t mind watching the two girls.
Everyone went back for more than one helping of her turkey and all the side dishes. They ate so much they decided to wait before eating dessert: sweet potato pie and a towering coconut layer cake.
It was after eight when Iris closed and locked the door behind her dinner guests, all except Collier, who’d offered to stay to bring back the card table. Tracy and Esther had helped with the cleanup before she’d shooed them out of the kitchen to the spare bedroom that doubled as her family room. Collier lingered in the living room with James and Evan watching football games on the wall-mounted flat screen, while she joined the women in the family room where they’d watched Frozen and Tangled with Allie and Layla.
Collier dropped a kiss on her hair and undid the ties to her bibbed apron. “Go and get off your feet. I’ll finish up here.”
Tilting her head, Iris smiled up at him. “There’s not much left to do.”
Lowering his face to hers, he brushed a kiss over her mouth. “Whatever is left I can do it.”
She affected a sexy moue. “You