Page 37 of The Deal Breaker
She waved her spoon at him. “You know the way to my heart.”
“Ice cream or chocolate bars with nuts.” He didn’t hesitate answering, even if it had been years since he’d brought her either. “Though chocolate-covered strawberries work in a pinch.”
Nodding, she ate another spoonful. “This is the perfect way to celebrate my new place.”
That reminded him. “Whenever you’re ready, you can start moving in.”
Her gaze jerked to his. “It’s okay with Raina?”
The hope in her eyes touched Dash unexpectedly, sparking something inside him. Trying to figure out what he was feeling, he ate a spoonful of ice cream.
“Did she say it was okay for me to stay here?” Iris asked again before he could answer.
Dash looked at his spoon for a moment before staring at her. “We broke up.”
“Tonight?”
He nodded.
Iris’s nose scrunched. “But I thought everything was going well. What happened?”
He didn’t know how to answer. “It was time.”
She stared at him. “You don’t look broken up about it.”
“I’m not.” He took another bite of ice cream. That told him he’d done the right thing tonight. “It was the same old story. Just a different name and face.”
“She wanted to get more serious?”
“She mentioned moving in with me.” He wouldn’t tell Iris how she’d come up in the discussion or she would blame herself. “And the future came up. But I’m not ready for any of that.”
“So she broke up with you.”
It wasn’t a question because that was what usually happened. “Actually, I broke up with her.”
Iris lowered her spoon. “You’ve never done that.”
“It was time I did.” His wanting to keep the peace had only caused him problems. “We saw things differently. I didn’t want to lead her on. I would only end up hurting her more if we stayed together.”
His relief at no longer dating Raina had only increased since he arrived home.
She studied him as if he were one of the special recipe cards from her late mother. “I’m sure that was difficult for you.”
“It needed to be done.” He didn’t want Raina anywhere near Iris or him. “I should probably let Hadley know.”
Iris stared at her bowl. “She can fix you up with someone else.”
“I’m not interested in using Hadley’s services,” Dash admitted. “I only went out with Raina that first time to help Blaise. I never thought I’d end up dating her regularly, but I don’t plan on being set up again.”
Spending Christmas away had set all this in motion, but he didn’t blame Raina for that. He’d been the one to blow up his friendship with Iris. Now, he needed to make amends—show her how much she meant to him. He had less than three weeks until she moved into her new apartment. Dash would do whatever it took to make the most of each day.
CHAPTER EIGHT
Even though Iris preferred romantic comedies, she enjoyed sitting on the couch and watching the action-adventure movie with Dash. The film had a decent plot and romantic storyline to keep her interest amid the gunfire and explosions. The brownies didn’t hurt.
The plate sat on the cushion between them. She took another one—her third, not that anyone was keeping track. This was a celebration, so calories didn’t count. At least, that was what she would go with if Dash asked. Not that he cared about anything but the film.
A side-eye glance showed him engrossed with what played on the television screen. Raina hadn’t come up again during dinner. The breakup appeared to be a thing of the past. Iris wasn’t that surprised since he’d never shown emotion when a relationship ended. He usually claimed it was inevitable and never mentioned the woman again.
