The Strawberry Patch Pancake House

Archer Baer arrives in Dream Harbor, a small New England town, one week after learning that he has a five-year-old daughter named Olive Carpenter. Prior to the opening of the novel, Archer was an ambitious chef pursuing his Michelin-star dream in Paris. He received news that his former girlfriend, Cate Carpenter, had died in a car accident, leaving behind their daughter whom he never knew existed. Archer and Cate had a brief relationship in Boston, Massachusetts, five years ago, and he’s returned to the United States to become Olive’s guardian since Cate’s mother, Paula Carpenter, is too ill to care for her.

While walking down Main Street and contemplating his new reality, Archer goes to The Pumpkin Spice Café for coffee. Before he can enter, a red-haired woman named Iris Fraser bursts through the door and accidentally spills a tray of kale smoothies on his shirt. After this unfortunate encounter, Archer proceeds to Paula’s house to meet Olive. The frightened child calls him a “monster” because of the green stain on his shirt and hides behind the couch. Custody lawyer Ms. Kaori Kim discusses Archer’s living and employment situation, and Paula suggests that he work as a cook at a local diner owned by a woman named