Page 63 of The Deal Breaker
He nodded. “Yours are the best, but this will keep my friends happy.”
The compliment buoyed her spirits. No one was irreplaceable, and she was sad about leaving, but she didn’t want these six years to be forgotten. Not that Dash would. At least she hoped not.
Dash went over to Tony, who had removed his apron.
“Thanks for today. You did a great job.” Dash handed the chef something. “Go home and relax.”
Tony stared at the money on his palm with a goofy grin on his face. “Thank you. And I will.”
Holding his apron and dish towels, Tony came toward her. “Have a great first day tomorrow.”
“I will.” She took the laundry from him. “Get out of here.”
He leaned closer and whispered, “You never mentioned tips.”
“Surprise!” She hadn’t mentioned the special “bonuses” she’d occasionally received.
“I love my new job.” With that, Tony strutted to the front door.
Iris dumped the items in the laundry room for Janice to wash tomorrow.
When she returned to the great room, Dash sat on the couch. His legs were crossed at the ankles. Two beer bottles sat on the coffee table. “Join me.”
The invitation was unexpected, but welcome. She sat next to him. “You didn’t drink any alcohol today.”
Dash’s head jerked back. “I didn’t think anyone noticed.”
“It’s my job to notice stuff.” That was why Iris was good at anticipating his needs. She hadn’t been able to train her replacements to do that yet, but she hoped in time, they would figure it out as she had.
“I noticed you ate food but skipped the desserts.” He picked up his beer before fixing his gaze on her. “That’s not your usual MO.”
She shrugged, not wanting to tell him the real reason. “I wasn’t hungry.”
Not a lie. She hadn’t needed more food.
“I’ve seen you eat sweets after a big meal.” His lips pursed. “Tell me why.”
Iris picked up the other beer and took a drink. The pale ale tasted good.
“Iris.”
She picked at a corner of the label. “It’s nothing.”
“Then tell me.” His firm voice told her he wouldn’t let this drop.
Unfortunately. Iris blew out a breath. “The desserts were popular with your friends. I wanted to make sure everyone had enough.”
He groaned. “You were a guest.”
“It’s hard to see myself that way when I’ve always worked here.” The words rushed out before she could stop them. “I also want Tony to succeed at this job. That means impressing your friends so they hire him to work private parties.”
Dash rose, went into the kitchen, and opened the refrigerator.
“Do you want me to make you something to eat?” she called out to him.
“No. You’ve done enough.”
That sounded ominous. “What are you doing?”
