Page 24 of The Deal Breaker
As he made his way to the front porch, the door opened.
Wes motioned him inside and then closed the door. “Have you slept at all?”
“A couple hours.” Dash hadn’t been watching the clock, but he had woken up, so he’d fallen asleep at some point.
“You look like you pulled three all-nighters.” Wes didn’t sound impressed.
“Falling asleep wasn’t easy. I have a lot on my mind.”
“We want to hear all about it. But first, let’s get some coffee and food in you.”
Dash’s stomach clenched. “I’m not—”
“This isn’t up for discussion, Wonderkid.”
Ugh.He should have known Wes would go all big brother on him. Adam probably would, too. And the others. That wasn’t the help Dash needed.
Wes led him to the dining room where Adam, Blaise, Kieran, and Mason sat. A pink box of doughnuts, a platter with bagels, three containers of schmear, sliced fruit, and a dish of scrambled eggs were spread out on the table. A bottle of whiskey from Wes’s distillery sat next to a carafe of coffee, a creamer, and a pitcher of orange juice.
“Sit.” He pulled out a chair for Dash. “If Paige hears you haven’t slept or eaten, she’ll be on us when she gets here later.”
Dr. Paige Regis was not only Wes’s fiancée, but she’d also been his oncologist before he went into remission. Ever since the start of the new year, she’d been on them if she thought one wasn’t taking care of himself. Now, Dash had a big brotheranda big sister. Another sign Paige and Wes belonged together.
“I’m not hungry,” Dash admitted, even though doughnuts were one of his top ten favorite foods.
Adam prepared a cup of coffee by adding milk and two teaspoons of sugar before sliding it in front of Dash. “Drink this. You look like you’re running on fumes.”
Flavored water, which was why Dash could use a jolt of caffeine. He hadn’t wanted to go into the kitchen this morning. Not if Iris wasn’t there.
“Thanks.” He took a sip of the hot liquid and swallowed. “Just the way I like it.”
Mason grabbed a bagel. “When was the last time you slept, dude?”
“Please tell me you haven’t been living off Mountain Dew and fruit snacks,” Adam said.
Those were Dash’s go-to snacks. “I slept a little last night, and I haven’t eaten those.”
Today, at least. Yesterday had been a different story.
Across the table, Kieran studied him. “How are you doing?”
Not trusting his voice, Dash shrugged before drinking his coffee.
Blaise slid a plate toward him. On it was a maple bar with a slice of bacon on top. Dash peeled off the bacon and bit into it.
“You didn’t call Henry or Brett?” Adam asked.
“They knew what Iris was planning to do but didn’t tell me.” It reminded Dash of being the skinny, uncoordinated kid who was all limbs and the last one picked for any team at school. He hated that two people he considered friends had made him feel that way again. “If they’d said something, I could have been prepared with a plan rather than being caught off guard.”
Wes covered his bagel in schmear. “Iris might have asked them not to tell you.”
“Doesn’t matter.” Dash didn’t care about their reasons. “Friends don’t let friends get blindsided.”
Kieran stared over the lip of his coffee mug. “So what happened with Iris?”
Dash pushed the plate away. “I went to the cottage last night to talk to her about Henry.”
“What would Iris know about Henry?” Kieran asked.
