Page 26 of The Deal Breaker
Dash nodded. “Iris dropped out to take care of her mom. Then she didn’t have the money to go back, and her dad had left town, so she worked for me. That was six years ago.”
Adam set his coffee on the table. “You need to let her go.”
The others agreed.
Dash stiffened. “No.”
“Yes,” Kieran countered.
“You count on her,” Wes said. “But she needs to chase her dream.”
“If you hold her back, she might come to resent you,” Mason added.
Blaise nodded. “She’s helped you for six years. It’s time for you to support what she wants to do.”
Deep down, Dash knew what they said was true, but… “Can’t she do both?”
“Maybe,” Wes said. “But going to school full-time and working for you would be exhausting. Her strong work ethic would make her do everything even if you told her she didn’t have to.”
“True.” Dash rubbed his forehead. “But the thought of her leaving me—”
“Stop being so selfish,” Blaise said harshly. “You dropped out of college despite what your parents wanted you to do. You had little support except for Iris and your investors until you met us. If Iris means as much to you as you’re saying, don’t think about how this will affect you. Give her the support you wanted when you chased your dream.”
Wes pointed to Blaise. “What he said.”
“You mentioned Iris was looking for an apartment,” Kieran said.
Dash nodded. “The one she had fell through. She wants to be walking distance to the culinary school so she doesn’t have to buy a car yet.”
“Wait.” Blaise’s eyes darkened. “When you said she gets a car, does that mean she’s using one of yours?”
Dash nodded. “The Range Rover. It’s essentially hers.”
“It’s not hers if your name is on the title,” Adam pointed out.
Dash didn’t see what the big deal was. “Semantics.”
Blaise shook his head. “From your point of view, maybe, but not from hers. Iris has been with you for six years. She has literally nothing. No home of her own. No car of her own. No free time of her own because you expect her to work at parties on her days off.”
“She enjoys doing that,” Dash countered.
“You’re not listening.” Blaise’s jaw jutted forward. “You might think you’ve been taking care of her, but all you’re doing is controlling her life. Taking care of someone is allowing them to live their life and being there if they need you, not bubble-wrapping them so they never know when they need help.”
Mason did a double take. “I’m impressed, Mortenson.”
Blaise’s cheeks reddened. “Thanks, but it’s Hadley’s influence.”
“No matter. Blaise is correct.” Wes focused on Dash. “Give, not provide, Iris a car. She can stay in the cottage and still be around.”
Around would be better than gone and Dash should have given her the car she drove last night, but then he remembered why she needed an apartment. His throat tightened. “The husband and wife she hired are moving in there.”
“Iris hired two people to take her place?” Mason asked him.
“Three.” Dash ignored his friends’ surprised faces. “She does a lot for me.”
“More than one person should,” Adam said under his breath.
“Dude.” Mason shook his head. “Why don’t you buy a condo downtown for her to live in? Tell her it’s an investment, and that way she can save her money for when she graduates.”
