Page 90 of The Deal Breaker
“I’m sorry, but I can’t keep doing this again when the outcome is the same. It’s time, Dash. Time for each of us to find that special person who is out there for us.” She lowered her gaze. “The keys to the Range Rover are on the island.”
He couldn’t lose his last tie to her. “I want you to have the car.”
“I need to make a clean break.” She sounded tired or maybe it was resigned. “This is for the best.”
“Not for me. And not for you.” He couldn’t give up without a fight. “I hurt you. I disappointed you. You’ll never know how much I regret doing that. Please don’t end things like this. We belong together.”
“I thought so, too, but not now. Thanks for everything. Take care of yourself. I… I hope you learn from this, too.” She stood.
“Iris, please.” His voice cracked.
“I know this hurts, but we’ll get over it. Not today or next month or even six months from now, but eventually, it’ll be okay.”
Dash could barely breathe. His eyes burned. “This will never be okay.”
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Sunday afternoon, Dash found himself surrounded at his dining room table by his seven friends, who came bearing chicken wings, carrot and celery sticks, blue cheese and ranch dressings, sweet potato fries, and beer. He wasn’t hungry—food and sleep didn’t appeal to him lately—but he appreciated the thought. The others had no problem eating, and if they needed a new name for their group, he would suggest the Silicon Forest Piranhas. Now, if only he could convince them to leave.
“Delicious. And there are leftovers for when Wonderkid eats again.” Henry wiped his mouth with a napkin. “The rest of us have finished our lunches, let’s hear what happened with Iris.”
Dash sipped from his beer. He couldn’t look his friends in the eyes. Not when he was embarrassed, heartbroken, and wracked with guilt.
Henry cleared his throat. “Dashiell.”
Might as well just tell them. Dash sucked in a breath to give him strength. “On Friday, Iris broke up with me.”
“What did you do?” Mason asked.
Dash frowned. “Why do you think I’m the one who did something?”
“Because it’s Iris,” Mason said. “And you’re crazy about her.”
Yeah. Dash was. “I canceled our dinner on Thursday.”
“You’ve been working nonstop.” Wes came to his defense. “You had to be exhausted.”
“It was also her birthday, and I forgot.”
The guys groaned.
“I’d promised to do something special for her birthday. To make up for forgetting about her at Christmas.”
Kieran whistled. “Double whammy.”
“I apologized, but she said it was too late.” Saying that left a bitter taste in Dash’s mouth.
“What else did she say to you?” Adam asked, his face sullen.
“Iris reminded me this has happened before. She’s tired of my empty promises because my actions tell her she’s not a priority in my life and she deserves better. She doesn’t want to be friends. She claims she can’t do that. She told me we’d both get over it, and we each had a special person out there for us. Oh, and she hopes I learn something from this.”
Brett’s gaze pinned Dash. “Have you?”
Dash nodded. “This has reaffirmed relationships aren’t for me. I knew that after watching my parents’ marriage disintegrate and the battles since then.”
“You’re not doomed to repeat what happened to your mom and dad.” Blaise leaned back in his chair. “If that was the case, I’d be a junkie and likely dead.”
“I don’t know what a healthy relationship looks like,” Dash explained. “My parents are still fighting, and both go through SOs at an alarming rate.”
