Page 15 of The Deal Breaker
Motioning to the love seat, she removed her gloves, hat, and coat. Her cheeks were flushed from the cold. Her hair was messy from her beanie. She wore a fuzzy purple sweater that barely covered her jeans’ waistband.
The sweater looked good on her, but it wasn’t designed to keep her warm. “Did you get cold?”
“I’m fine.”
“I meant when you were out earlier. With Henry.” The final word tasted like sand in Dash’s mouth.
She sat on an overstuffed chair where she enjoyed reading. At least, she used to read there. “No. We stayed warm.”
That didn’t tell him much. As ways she and Henry could stay warm together streamed through Dash’s mind, he rubbed the back of his tight neck. “How was your day?”
Her shoulders sagged. “Frustrating.”
Dash bolted forward. “Did Henry—”
“He made everything better.”
Of course he did because that was what Henry did. The guy had once handed out hundred-dollar bills to strangers in downtown Portland. The reason? Henry enjoyed seeing people smile after the unexpected gift.
Iris leaned forward in the chair. “What’s going on?”
He shifted uncomfortably. “This is harder than I thought it would be.”
Her brows drew together. She stood, came over to the love seat, and sat next to him. “What?”
“Are you…” The words froze on Dash’s lips. He wiped his hands on his sweatpants again.
“We’ve been through so much over the years with your parents and mine.” Iris placed her hand over his. Her skin was soft but cold from her being outside. Still, her touch comforted him. “You can tell me anything.”
“I know.”
Dash did. No matter what Raina might think, Iris was his best friend. She always would be. No one knew him better, which was why he shouldn’t be acting like they were thirteen again and he was the geeky new kid too nervous to speak to the prettiest girl at school when she’d introduced herself on his first day. They’d been inseparable, through good times and bad, ever since.
“Are you and Henry…” Serious? No, that wasn’t the right word when Dash didn’t know what was going on. He would go with the more obvious term. “Dating?”
Her lips parted. She drew her hand from his. “Me and Henry?”
Dash nodded.
She laughed. “Where did you get that crazy idea?”
The band around his chest loosened so he could breathe easier. “You went out today.”
Iris’s mouth slanted. “You spend time with Henry, and you’re not dating him.”
“We’re friends, but I don’t greet him with a kiss.”
“That’s just Henry.” The tip of her pink tongue darted out and ran across her upper lip. “He loves women no matter the age or who they are.”
“What about when you kissed him on New Year’s Eve?”
She hesitated. “Henry had his reason for the kiss. None of which had to do with me.”
“So you and Henry…”
“Are friends. Nothing more,” she finished for Dash. “Henry’s kind and generous, but he’ll be the first to admit he isn’t boyfriend material. I listen when a guy says something like that.”
“Good.” Tension melted from Dash. “I didn’t want him to hurt you.”
