Page 45 of The Deal Breaker
The guy had some nerve bringing homemade cookies to Iris. Worse, she liked them. Dash had made cookies with her, but he’d eaten the dough instead of helping. He would have to up his game. That would be easy if expensive baubles appealed to her. They didn’t. Which meant…
He hadn’t a clue what to do.
Oh, Dashiell. You’re jealous.
Yeah, he was. The switch had him acting like a jealous teenager. Henry had noticed, calling Dash a green-eyed monster. And it was true, especially this morning. He wanted to plant himself between Tony and Iris. The chef might as well have “player” tattooed on his forehead. Delicious cookie baker or not, Tony wasn’t the type of guy Iris should date.
Wait.Dash’s stomach clenched.Werethey dating?
“Please don’t.” She grabbed something from the counter. A plastic container appeared in front of him. She smiled, almost shyly, but her gaze was full of questions. “No cookies today, but I have the brownies I made yesterday. Will those do?”
He took one, if only to save face. Though eating one was a pleasure, not a sacrifice, even if it was early. “Thanks.”
She held out the container to Tony. “Want one?”
Dash pressed his lips together to keep from saying, “Mine.”
“Please.” The chef took one and bit into it. “Tasty, but I’d try a darker cacao powder next time. That would give the flavor more depth.”
Really?The guy might have cooking credentials, but he was an idiot if he didn’t love Iris’s brownies. He trusted Iris to hire the right people, yet he had serious doubts about this guy. “Your recipe is perfect, Iris. Don’t change a thing.”
Tony grinned. “Guess I have big shoes to fill if I want to please the man in charge.”
Dash had never wanted to say “you’re fired” more than he did at that moment. Instead, he ate the brownie. It didn’t taste as good as last night. He blamed Tony.
“Did you look over the email I sent you?” Iris asked Tony.
“I did.” Tony pulled out a piece of paper from his back pocket and unfolded it. “If I see a brand, only buy that.”
She nodded, tilting her head toward Dash. “Or trust me, he’ll know and call you out.”
Dash’s morning with Iris wasn’t working out as he’d planned. “I’m not picky.”
“You just like what you like,” she said without missing a beat.
Tony nodded. “We all have our favorites.”
Great. Dash brushed his fingers through his hair. Now they were placating him as if he were a three-year-old.
Iris handed the chef something that looked like a gift card. “Use this for your shopping until your credit card arrives next week. The five hundred dollars should cover the list and leave you extra. If you need additional pans, accessories, or anything else, you might want to wait until you have your card or you can expense them.”
“Got it.” He tucked the card and the paper back in his pocket. “Nice meeting you, Dash.”
With that, Tony headed to the front door.
“He went shopping with me last week.” Iris raised her cup. “This time, he’s on his own.”
A hundred thoughts swirled in Dash’s brain. He didn’t want to interrogate her, but he wanted answers. He’d start with a general statement and go from there. “You’ve never mentioned Tony before.”
Not a question, but that would work.
“After I left the culinary school, we stayed connected via social media.” She sipped her coffee. “He was looking for a job with hours during the day, so he interviewed.”
“You held interviews?”
She nodded. “His included cooking your favorite dishes.”
Dash scratched his neck. He shouldn’t be surprised she was so thorough, but the fact he hadn’t known this was happening told him how unaware he’d been about her.
