Page 2 of The Deal Breaker
Dash fought a grimace. He hated the nickname. That wasn’t the only one his friends had for him, either. Mr. Status Quo was another. But being teased was the drawback of being the youngest and smartest of the eight. Despite that, he wouldn’t trade the guys for anything.
“No problem.”I should lighten up.Finding time to get together wasn’t as easy now that five were married and one was engaged. “We need to do this more often.”
“We do.” Blaise removed his gloves. Rain fell most days, typical for January, but a cold front had brought freezing temperatures and predictions of snow. “Talk to you on the group chat. Ready, Wes?”
Wes nodded and then waved goodbye. The two headed toward the front door. That left…
Henry Davenport placed his glass on the counter and headed toward the back door.
Muscles bunching, Dash blocked Henry’s path. “You’re going the wrong way.”
“I’m not leaving.” A smug smile spread across Henry’s face. “Iris is expecting me.”
At midnight? No way.
Dash balled his hands. He wasn’t one for violence. Ever since his parents’ bitter divorce, he’d done what he could to avoid confrontation, honing his skills as a referee and a peacemaker to handle his parents. Sometimes those worked well with his friends. But he was ready to punch Henry in the face or the gut or anywhere else required. The billionaire trust fund baby—if a man in his early thirties could be called a baby—had no reason to be alone with Iris in the guest cottage at this hour.
Or any other time.
Henry Davenport wasn’t good enough for Iris Jacobs.
Sweet, caring, hardworking Iris.
Dash had met her when they were thirteen, and they became best friends. They were now twenty-eight. Not much had changed since they were teenagers except she’d worked for him as his housekeeper and cook for the past six years.
Iris was the one person he could count on no matter what. Dash couldn’t say that about his parents. He wouldn’t allow Henry to mess with her. Break her heart. Steal her away.
His friends joked about hiring Iris, but Dash knew she’d never leave him. They’d been through so much together and relied on each other.
Friends forever.
That had been their deal.
But seeing her kiss Henry on New Year’s Eve, two weeks ago, had shocked Dash in a way he still didn’t understand.
Iris, however, hadn’t said a word about the kiss, so he assumed whatever had happened between her and Henry was nothing more than getting caught up in celebrating the New Year. Dash had been so relieved, like the-sun-appearing-after-months-of-rain relieved. But now…
He squared his shoulders. “Iris is asleep.”
“You don’t know that.”
Dash didn’t because he couldn’t see the cottage from here, but he would do what he could to protect her. “Earlier, she mentioned being tired.”
“Iris gives a hundred and ten percent.” Henry’s gaze softened. “She did a wonderful job with the food and drinks, as usual.”
“She’s never let me down.”
Iris was the most important person in his life. He had to keep her heart safe from Henry, who could be the poster boy for Peter Pan Syndrome. The guy never took life seriously. He might be a well-known and respected philanthropist and one of Dash’s closest friends, but Henry didn’t believe in commitment. He preferred having fun to being serious.
“Me, either.” Henry grinned.
The smug tone sent Dash’s blood pressure spiraling. Henry could be immature. Maybe simple and direct was the best strategy. “Leave Iris alone. If you break her heart, I’ll be the one picking up the pieces. I’m all she has.”
As Henry tilted his chin, disbelief shone in his gaze. “You’re all she has?”
Dash straightened. “Yes.”
“Then why did you forget about her over the holidays? Leave her in this big house without a present to open on Christmas morning?”
