Page 41 of The Deal Breaker
Iris yawned. “You’ll like him, and you’ll love his cooking.”
“Tired?”
She handed him a napkin. “A little. I didn’t sleep that great.”
Concern clouded his gaze. “Do you feel okay?”
“I’m fine. Just a lot on my mind right now.” Not sleeping well was a perfectly normal response when everything in her life was changing, and Iris couldn’t stop thinking about Dash. She sipped her coffee.
He wiped his mouth with the napkin. “So I was thinking…”
“Cha-ching,” she joked. “That means another billion will soon be added to your net worth.”
“Ha-ha, but I was thinking about you.”
She flinched. “Me?”
“You took no vacation time over the past six years other than your staycation at Christmas. But I’m not counting that since you planned and catered my New Year’s Eve party.”
“Doing that is my job.”
“And vacation time is a benefit, and I’m paying you for the unused time.”
Had he offered her vacation time six years ago? Iris didn’t remember. Either way… “I could have traveled if I’d wanted to, but I didn’t want to go somewhere by myself.”
“I should have told you to take the time off, even if you stayed home. That’s what we require company employees to do.”
Her insides twisted. She didn’t like being lumped in with those others. What she did had been as much for Dash as earning a living. “I work for you. It’s not—"
“It’s happening.” He sipped his coffee. “I emailed my accountant to calculate what you’re owed.”
She had no idea how much vacation pay she received a year, but that would get her closer to her goal of buying a used car. Funny how Dash was funding her return to school and life for the next eighteen or so months. “Thank you.”
“No,thank you. You’ve earned it.”
Iris lifted one shoulder. “Having extra money in my bank account is never a bad thing.”
He smiled. “You sound like Brett when he puts on his Mr. Finance tie.”
She laughed because whenever Brett wore a tie, he was totally in business mode. “He may have said that when he was helping with my budget.”
“Knew it.” Dash bit into one of the frosted Pop-Tarts.
Iris glanced at the time on the microwave. “Hey, you’ll be late if you don’t take off right now.”
“I’m going in later this morning.”
“I don’t remember seeing a meeting or appointment.” She checked his calendar before she got out of bed.
“That’s why this is the perfect morning to play hooky.”
Iris did a double take. “You never played hooky before. Not even when you were in school.”
He shrugged. “Guess I’m overdue.”
She studied him. Same killer blue eyes and long, thick lashes. His hair fell over his forehead with the same curve. The scar at his left temple after an incident with a snow shovel was still there, too. But…
Iris placed her hands on her hips. “Who are you and what have you done with the real Dash Cabot?”
