Page 22 of The Deal Breaker
She scooted closer to him. “You didn’t. I was where I needed to be.”
Regret clouded his gaze. “How did we go from best friends to…this?”
“You founded a successful startup and were a billionaire at twenty-three. Your life changed. My job was to make sure you didn’t have to worry about anything outside of work. I took care of everything so you could focus on your company. I did that because I wanted to. Not because you forced me to. But now it’s time for me to do something else.”
He looked away. “I hate this.”
Dash would. But he wouldn’t be sad for long. “Change is hard, but I hope you understand why I’m leaving.”
Iris had no regrets for the decisions made over the years, but as much as people teased Dash about being Mr. Status Quo, she’d been doing the same thing. It was time to embrace change and see what possibilities lay ahead.
Dash had made his dreams come true. Now, it was her turn.
CHAPTER FIVE
What was he going to do?
Dash trudged from the cottage, following the lighted pathway that would lead to a patio and his back door. The temperature had dropped, but he didn’t care. The hot blood pulsing through his veins heated him enough. The night air against his face and hands cooled him. Maybe that would help him settle and stop his insides from imploding.
It felt as if a black hole had opened in his chest, pulling everything, including his heart, into it. Only regret would remain.
Heavy, gross regret.
He should have never come to the cottage tonight and lost his temper.
Dash had yelled at Iris—something he swore he would never do after hearing his parents’ shouting matches over the years—but he hadn’t been able to control himself in that moment. Sure, he settled himself, lowering his voice, but he shouldn’t have acted that way. Even if she’d caught him off guard.
I’m resigning as your housekeeper.
Her words echoed in his mind. All he wanted to do was hold on to Iris and never let go. Except she wanted to go. She wanted to leave him.
He had to change her mind.
Okay, Dash hadn’t been the greatest friend. He would own up to his failure there, but he hadn’t ignored her completely. He made sure she had everything she needed—a place to live, food to eat, and a car to drive. Sure, she bought and cooked the food, but she hadn’t had to pay for anything.
Didn’t that count for something?
Yes, he’d taken her for granted, both as a friend and as an employee. She’d told him her dreams about becoming a chef when they were teenagers. Tonight, she’d left out the part of her dream where she took over her parents’ restaurant, but that building belonged to someone else now.
If that part of her dream had changed, why couldn’t the rest?
Dash wanted to be understanding about Iris quitting and he was trying, but the thought of her moving out of the cottage and no longer working for him sliced into him like a light saber, bringing about another round of pain and remorse. But it also gave him an idea.
Iris was his chef. She didn’t need to return to culinary school to make the title official. What she needed was…
A trip to Tuscany.
Iris loved Italian food. She had a passport and vacation time. Attending a cooking class there might sway her. A week or two away from him was better than…forever.
He entered the house and plodded up the stairs to his bedroom. Except…
Trying to bribe her to stay was being selfish. No question about it.
Asking her to stay hadn’t worked. Still, he wasn’t letting her go without—not a fight—trying to convince her that she was better off here than anywhere else.
He kicked off his shoes before plopping on his bed.
This wasn’t only about getting what he wanted.
