*Many thanks to sendtherain for beta'ing.


Chapter 6 -

Iris' heart dropped in her chest at the same moment her body landed on the corner of the bed.

Why was Wally so angry? He was hardly ever mad, let alone at her.

"Iris?" he demanded angrily. "Don't you dare hang up on me."

"I'm here," she said quietly, her nerves getting the better of her.

"Well?"

She sighed, trembling.

"I don't understand. Where am I supposed to be?"

"At home. With me and Dad. I know you two had a fight, but-"

That struck a nerve for some reason. Here her baby brother was telling her how she was supposed to run her life? Uh-uh.

"Wallace. I am 28 years old. Don't be telling me what I can and cannot do. I should've moved out a long time ago."

"Yeah?" he asked, unthwarted. "Did you have to take Dad's prize possession with you, though? If you did it to get back at him, you have another thing coming when you return."

"Who says I'm returning?" she barked, though she'd had every intention of returning up until this very moment.

Wally laughed. "I do. And Dad as soon as he finds out you've run off with his precious black Cadillac, and it wasn't stolen by some stranger. You know he tracks us."

Her eyes narrowed. "So, hack my phone."

"What?"

"You heard me."

"That's high tech, Iris, and you know it. Dad came up with it himself. It's how he's the richest man in the city."

"And you're smarter than he is."

Silence.

"I…appreciate the compliment, but-"

"You are. Dad's smart, but you've got his and mom's genes combined. Dad doesn't talk about her, but I remember what she was like, and she was a genius. You're a genius." She paused to turn the conversation back to her. "I know you can hack my phone remotely and cloak it so he can't see where I'm at."

He groaned.

"Iris, don't make me do this."

She rolled her eyes.

"You'll still be Dad's favorite if he figures it out, which he won't. He'd never suspect you'd do something for your sister, of all people."

"That's not fair."

"Isn't it?"

"You're more important to me than anyone. You know that."

"Sure didn't sound like that when I picked up the phone."

He sighed. "I just don't want you to catch Dad's wrath is all. But I do think it's stupid what you did."

"I was only going to take it out for the day," she admitted finally. "Make him sweat a little not knowing where it is and then sneak it back when he was in a meeting."

"Yeah, so what stopped you from bringing it back?"

I…sort of…broke the car.

No, she couldn't say that.

"I…"

"Iris, darling, is everything okay?" Nora called up from the bottom of the stairs.

"I have to go."

"Wait, Iris, no."

"I'm fine! I'll be down in a minute!" She called out into the hall.

"Where are you?"

Iris took a breath and focused her attention back on her brother.

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you."

"…Try me," he finally managed, pretty sure she was right.

She sighed testily.

"Just hack the phone, alright?"

"Iris."

"And the car too, while you're at it."

"Iris!"

"I'll tell you more when I can, but most likely I'll be back in a week or so."

"A week?! Where the hell are you, Iris?"

"Gotta go, bye!"

Click.

Iris tucked the phone into her purse and tried to put Wally and their father out of her mind as she made her way downstairs where the Allen's were waiting for her.

"Is everything all right, dear?" Nora asked, her brows furrowed worriedly.

"Yes, yes, everything's fine," she reassured again. "That was just my brother on the phone. He was worried about me since I kind of disappeared yesterday and never came back; and hadn't told anyone back home." She forced some nervous laughter.

"Ah, well, that explains things," Henry said, though Nora was still looking a little concerned.

"Mhmm." Iris smiled a little too brightly, her gaze flitting away from the mother-like figure before her.

"Are you ready to go then?" Henry asked, and she nodded enthusiastically.

"Yes, definitely. I am ready to start my shopping spree."

He chuckled, and Nora relaxed finally.

"You sure you'll be okay all alone all day, dear?"

Iris' smile was genuine this time.

"I'll be perfectly fine."

The sound of the door opening broke Iris' reassuring gaze, and she caught the head nod from Henry at the entrance.

"I'll be back this evening for supper," she reminded her. "That's something to look forward to."

"Oh, yes, with Barry!" Nora exclaimed, lighting up.

Iris did her very best not to look chagrined or depressed.

And then there was that.

"Yes, with Barry," she agreed, then walked out the door after Henry before she'd have to force another smile regarding that one.

Henry was chuckling when she caught up with him.

"She means well," he said after getting into the driver's seat.

"Oh, I know," Iris said, buckling her seat belt.

"She just…gets attached quickly, and-"

"Wants grandchildren?" She raised her eyebrows as he met her gaze, stifling a grin.

"You caught that, huh?"

"She could not have been any more obvious."

He drove out onto the street, making one turn and then continuing on the long drive into town.

"I hope you won't hold it against her."

"Oh no, of course not. I appreciate so much how you've both welcomed me into your home."

"Well, you're our guest."

"A paying guest," she pointed out.

"Oh, that's not- We aren't-"

"No, I know," she was quick to assure. "Something tells me you'd be just as warm and welcoming to anyone dropping by even if they weren't paying for your kindness and hospitality."

"And a bed to sleep in."

"That too." She laughed and relaxed in her seat, forgetting Barry and Wally and everything but the sweetness of this couple on the possibilities the day lay before her.

It was going to be a good one. She'd make sure of it.

Henry slowed to a stop in a parking spot after turning into the hardware store parking lot some time later. The bold red lettering above the doors spelled out Old Al's Hardware Store. Iris wondered if-

"My dad owns this store."

And there it was.

"It's actually been passed down through the generations in my family. I was the first not to claim it, and Barry isn't interested in it either, but my dad understands – for now."

"He's getting up there?" Iris asked daintily.

Henry chuckled beside her. "In his seventies. But he likes to think he's still in his twenties."

Iris smiled. "Does he look it?"

He turned to face her, his eyes sparkling.

"Don't you be getting any ideas, missy. The man is happily married."

She laughed. "I would never!" She put her hand over her heart in mock shock.

"If you're looking to be settling in with the Allen family, your eyes should be set on our son, not his grandfather."

An awkward silence followed. One that Henry Allen quickly made amends for.

"I'm sorry, Iris." He shook his head, then muttered, "I'm as bad as my wife."

Iris laughed again, then laid a hand on his arm to console him.

"It's okay, Henry. Really. I enjoy spending time with you and Nora, and both of you obviously feel the same way about me. But…I think there has to be…"

"A spark?"

"A spark, yes. There has to be a spark for me to be interested in your son, and aside from the fact that he shares the Allen family's good looks, I just haven't felt anything."

At least nothing good, she thought to herself.

"Nothing?" he asked, wanting to be sure.

"No?" She winced, not wanting to disappoint him but not wanting to get his hopes up either. "I'm sorry."

"It's quite all right. The two of you just met. Who knows what could happen before the week is up?"

She blinked, startled by his persistence, which was almost worse than Nora's.

"I should probably…let you go." She pointed her thumb towards the door.

"Right. Of course. I apologize if I was too…"

"You weren't," she said, smiling brightly. "I promise."

"Okay."

Iris hopped out of the truck, slung her purpose over her shoulder and looked around at the downtown area they found themselves in starting at the next block.

"There should be some fashion boutiques just down the way," Henry was saying from the other side of the vehicle. "Nothing all that fancy, and only a few of them, but I think there's a café or two and a pet shop, if that interests you."

Iris' eyes lit up, and she turned to look at him.

"A pet shop?"

He smiled. "I take it that does interest you."

"Well, I mean…who doesn't love animals?"

"You definitely do."

She laughed.

"Have a good time today, Iris. I'll be here for about an hour or so. After that you can just call us at our landline. Be sure to stop by the auto shop for your ride home with Barry at six o'clock. That's when he gets off, and you don't want to miss it or you'll have to pay for a ride with Cisco again."

"You sound like you disapprove of him," she noted.

"Of Cisco? Not at all. But I got the feeling that you do."

"I'm that obvious?" she asked.

She thought she was doing pretty well hiding her true feelings around Henry and Nora. Apparently not.

He shook his head.

"Not at all. I'm just fairly good at reading people. That's all."

Well, that made her even more nervous. What else about her had he caught onto?

"I'll see you later, Iris," he said, giving her a quick wave before heading towards the store after locking up the truck.

"See you," she said, but quieter, so he probably hadn't heard her.

She shook herself out of her worry. She had promised herself today would be a good one, and she would make it that way. Even if she had to endure a car ride with Barry and a dinner where she had to actually be nice to him in front of his parents again.

She turned away from the store and headed down the block, glancing only once at the auto shop across the street before heading in the opposite direction. She wanted to get some distance away, so she walked to the far end of the block, which happened to be just across from a park with a sparkling fountain at the corner and a café across the street from it. This place didn't dazzle the way Central City did, but she was starting to warm up to its charm.

Smiling, she turned into the last shop on her left. Linda's Silk & Shiver. A unique name, she had to admit. She also had to wonder if almost every place in this town was named after its owner.

A whiff of lavender and air conditioning hit her the moment she walked through the door. The aroma suited the clothing, much of which was a shade of purple or accommodating color. She felt a shiver run through her as she brushed her fingers across the silky tank tops and spaghetti straps and suddenly knew she was in love.

"Hello," came a voice belonging to a gorgeous figure crept from the back room no doubt. "Can I help you?"

Iris turned to see a woman looking to be about her age, about her height, but instead of long, dark tresses like she had, her hair fell barely to her shoulders in soft waves. Her eyes shone with enthusiasm, and yet there was something calm and cool about her that Iris couldn't put her finger on. Still, she knew she was going to enjoy her company.

"You're Linda, I take it?" she asked, smiling.

"Guilty." She laughed, and it made Iris beam.

"You've got a gorgeous collection here. Did you design them all?"

"Everything you see in the store, yes. I have a new collection coming this fall though that I had some help with. The more your company grows, the less time you have to dedicate to your favorite part of it, it seems."

"Would you ever leave to get a bigger place in a bigger city?"

"Like Central City, you mean?" She smirked.

Iris' eyes widened. "I…"

"I'm not blind or stupid. I may live in a small town, but I keep up with what goes on in the big city and who the paparazzi follows. Iris West, am I right?"

Iris could hardly find her breath.

"Uh…yeah."

"I won't ask why you're here. And I won't tell anybody who you are either, don't worry."

"Thanks. I mean, I really just don't want the Allens to know."

"The Allens? Why would you care what they-? Oh, you're staying with them while you're here, is that it?"

"You sure you weren't a detective in another life?"

Linda laughed. "If I was, it sure is benefitting me to help customers find their perfect selection now."

Iris was amused. "Please, then, help me."

"You're hopeless otherwise?" she asked, eyebrow raised.

"Work your magic."

"All right, if you insist."

Linda walked over to her and started to weave through the clothing where Iris was standing. She picked out a few items and held them out to her.

"I'll show you where the changing room is."

"Out of curiosity…" Iris said, following her to the far end of the store. "How do you know the Allens? Is it just because everyone knows everyone in this town?"

"Well, that…" She unlocked the fitting room, and Iris stepped inside. "And I dated Barry."

Iris' eyes widened, but Linda shut the door.

"Dated? As in past tense? As in you're his ex-girlfriend?"

Linda laughed. "Try on the clothes, Iris West! We can gossip later."

"No way. I can multi-task," she said, slipping out of her dress to put on the first top. "Spill."

"Okay, fine." Linda sat down on a sparkly ottoman. "Yes, I'm his ex-girlfriend, but if you're looking for me to tell you all the things wrong with Barry Allen, you're asking the wrong person."

Iris pouted. "Why's that?"

Linda laughed again. "Because there is nothing wrong with the man. The relationship just ran its course. He didn't do a thing wrong, and neither did I."

"Impossible. Someone always does something wrong. Hearts are broken. You believe you're undeserving of love or no one is good enough for you. The end."

"Maybe for you, but not for me and Barry. We're good friends now, which is probably all we should've been from the start."

"He must have some faults."

"Well, we're all human, but-"

"Like, is he good in bed? He doesn't look like he's good in bed. He looks like he's terrible."

Iris opened the door in the first outfit, hardly able to enjoy it, even though it looked amazing on her. Linda's jaw was practically on the floor.

"Do you want to find out?"

Iris' voice was high-pitched when she answered. "What? No!"

Linda smirked. "The top and skirt looks great on you. You should get it."

"You going to charge me big bucks for it?" she dared.

"Like you don't have a million dollars on the many charge cards you brought in that fashionable purse of yours."

Iris rolled her eyes, then smiled. "You're exaggerating."

"You wish I was." Linda's eyes sparkled. "Try on the next one," she said, closing the door on Iris after she'd walked back inside the fitting room.

Iris sighed. "I don't want to know what he's like in bed." Linda said nothing. "I don't!"

"Then what do you want to know about him? You want to know something from his ex-girlfriend."

Well, that was true.

"Why does everyone like him so much?"

Linda frowned. "What do you mean?"

"Everyone I meet thinks he's the best thing since sliced bread. I want to know why."

"What do you have against him?" Linda asked, as Iris opened the door again.

"He's an asshole!"

"Another great combination on you," Linda said.

She was aggravated but gave a quick, clipped "Thanks" in response.

"You want to try the last combo or are you good for now?"

"Nah, I trust you. I'll just get it."

Linda smirked and took the items from her after Iris emerged from the fitting room with her original outfit.

"Look, I don't know what happened between the two of you that made you think he's the Devil himself, but he's not."

"Do you think I am?"

"Well, I don't really know you, but so far you seem pretty cool."

"Ask Barry what he thinks and see if he has the same opinion you do."

"He doesn't like you as much as you don't like him?"

"Exactly."

Linda shook her head.

"Sounds like the two of you are in denial."

"Of what?!"

Linda's lips parted, but she decided not to say what she was thinking.

"You know what, I haven't had many customers so far today. What do you say about me showing you around town, other shops, cafes, parks, the town square?"

"As long as we don't have to see Barry. Or Cisco, for that matter."

Her brows furrowed. "What do you have against Cisco?" she asked, more amused than defensive.

"He should not be a cab driver."

Linda laughed.

"All right. Deal. We won't see the boys."

Iris sighed contently, relieved.

"Perfect. When do we leave?"