Page 54 of The Deal Breaker
Maybe in the past three years with the various women he’d dated, he’d become more touchy-feely. That was the most logical explanation. Given he was a tech guy and ruled by logic, the most likely reason, too.
What happened with Janice and Leo to bring them together wasn’t happening with her and Dash. Maybe somewhere deep inside Iris wished it would, but she needed to be practical and squash the desire before it grew any bigger.
She pulled her hand from beneath his. “Me, too.”
He nodded. “So on Sunday, I want you there.”
“I’ll be there helping Tony.”
“I don’t want you working in the kitchen.” Dash scratched his chin. “I want you watching the game with us.”
Us.
His friends.
Henry, Blaise, and Hadley had been so welcoming to her at Christmastime. Brett had been helpful with her budgeting, and Laurel provided the names of inexpensive consignment stores where Iris might find furniture for the apartment. The others treated her nicely during their events she worked. The only problem? They were billionaires. So was Dash, but he was still the geek he’d always been. He just had more money now to buy cool stuff.
What would she say to his friends?
Hey, how are you? I’m staying in the guest bedroom for free and driving one of Dash’s cars until I can move into my tiny apartment that costs less than your monthly coffee bill.
No way. She may have opened up to Henry, and Brett and Laurel had needed to know her situation to help, but no more until she was on her feet and thriving. “Thanks, but—”
“Please.” He leaned forward with a hopeful gleam in his eyes. “It would mean a lot to me. You could also see how Tony does.”
“He handled Saturday night dinner crowds with ease. A football watch party will be a cinch for him.”
“Then you can relax and enjoy yourself.”
The server returned the folder. Dash put his credit card into his wallet and signed the bill.
Relaxing and enjoying herself would be impossible if she was nervous. And she would be. Working an event was one thing. She’d never been a guest at something like that. A good thing she had the perfect excuse. “I start school the next day.”
“You don’t have to stay the entire time,” Dash countered. “And you need to eat.”
Iris had a feeling he would come up with a reason to counter any excuse. At least he hadn’t brought out the puppy dog eyes. “Okay, I will be there. I’m not promising how long.”
A sly smile spread across his face. “That’s fine with me. Who knows? You might decide you’re having fun.”
“I might.” But Iris doubted it. Still,hanging outmore with Dash would be nice. “But no promises.”
“Do you want to get dessert?”
“Thanks, but I’m so full from dinner I can’t eat another bite.” She glanced out the window. It wasn’t raining, per se, but appeared misty and cold. “I’d suggest a walk along the waterfront, but not in this weather. I want to be one hundred percent healthy for the first day of class.”
He scooted his chair away from the table. “Then let’s get you home.”
She stood and shrugged on her coat. Dash followed her outside.
The drive was silent except for the music streaming, but the quiet wasn’t uncomfortable. It was nice to be in the same space as him.
When they entered the house through the garage, he placed his hand at the small of her back to escort her inside. Even with the layers of clothing separating his skin from hers, warmth emanated at the spot of contact.
That told her she needed a reality check. And fast. Getting caught up in a personal fairy tale would only hurt her.
“Do you want to watch a show?” Dash asked. “We could pick a sitcom. Something short.”
Yes, which meant she should say no. Her head was all mixed up about Dash. “I have a few things to put away, and I need to get to bed early. We checked off everything that’s usually done on Thursdays and Fridays today so I could help Janice and Leo move in the cottage tomorrow.”
