Page 85 of The Deal Breaker
Oh-no. He was supposed to take Iris out to dinner tonight. He’d never confirmed their reservation. Probably a good thing he hadn’t. He was in no shape to do anything but sleep.
Dash:Sorry, I’ve been out of touch. Rough week at work. Little sleep. Parent hassles. Raina just left.
Dash:I won’t be good company. Can we reschedule dinner tonight?
Dash:I promise I’ll make it up to you.
Dots appeared to tell him she was replying, but then they stopped.
Wait. There they were again.
Iris:Get some sleep.
Dash:Thanks! You’re the best.
He waited for her reply. But no dots appeared.
No problem.
Dash yawned. He would talk to Iris tomorrow.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Holding her cell phone, Iris’s hand trembled. Her breath hitched. As if in a daze, she forced herself to focus and reread Dash’s text.
Dash:Sorry, I’ve been out of touch. Rough week at work. Little sleep. Parent hassles. Raina just left.
Dash:I won’t be good company. Can we reschedule dinner tonight?
Dash:I promise I’ll make it up to you.
Iris’s stomach sank again. A lot was in his texts, but one thing wasn’t.
Tears prickled. She blinked them away. Okay, tried. They kept welling in her eyes.
Having Dash cancel was bad enough, but he hadn’t wished her a happy birthday. Was he so tired he couldn’t have typed two words? Or…
Iris plopped onto the consignment-shop-find couch delivered yesterday. She’d been feeling nothing but anticipation and excitement over today. How had she gone from expecting her best birthday ever to not having one?
This coming week is busy, but I’ll make it up to you on Thursday. We’ll do something extra-special.
Remembering Dash’s words was like an icepick to her forehead. Not once had he mentioned her birthday when talking about Thursday. She’d made the leap to birthday. He…
Forgot.
Hurt slashed through her as if Dash had stuck a chef knife into her chest. She couldn’t stop the tears. Not any longer. They fell from her face.
How could he forget the day in this age of digital calendars, social media, and reminders?
Iris didn’t remember putting her birthday on his calendar before turning it over to Janice, but whether or not the date was on there didn’t matter. Yes, he had many things on his mind, but he’d mention her birthday a few times last month.
Had he really forgotten?
He owed her nothing, but they’d been friends for over a decade and a half. He might not go all out each year, but he did something—a card with cash—because she had no one else in her life to remember her birthday.
Only Dash.
Starting at the top of her head and running to her toenails, a fatigue overcame her. Heavy and exhausting. She closed her eyes, as if that could stop the truth.
