Page 65 of The Deal Breaker
He nodded. “Is that why you filled out Hadley’s questionnaire? So you can date?”
Huh? She scrunched her nose. “I date.”
His mouth slanted. “You do?”
Did Dash not realize where she’d been on her days off? Given how little they talked, probably not. “I do.”
His eyebrows drew together. “Who?”
“There have been a few guys over the years. Nothing too serious. I thought one might turn into more, but things ended after a couple months.”
He cleared his throat. “What happened?”
“Will’s work transferred him to Raleigh, North Carolina.” Keeping her voice steady was easy because she hadn’t been in love. Besides, she wouldn’t have left Dash in Portland to move somewhere else. “He didn’t ask me to go, and I didn’t offer. End of story.”
Dash opened his mouth before closing it. He tried again. “I had no idea.”
“You had no reason to know.” She didn’t blame him. “You never asked, and we weren’t exactly buddy-buddy then. I made sure dates didn’t interfere with what you needed.”
That had been an issue with one guy, which was probably why Royce had ghosted her after three dates.
He scooted closer. “What else don’t I know about you?”
His body pressed against her, raising her temperature twenty degrees. She fought the urge to fan herself, but that would be a dead giveaway as to the effect he had on her. “I don’t know.”
“Come on,” he urged. “I feel as if I’m missing a three-year chunk of your life, but I bet you could tell me everything I did for the past three years.”
“You would win that bet because I do know what you did. Don’t forget, I kept your calendar, made dinner reservations for your dates, and sent flowers or gifts as required.”
“At least I knew that about you,” he teased.
She nodded, chewing the inside of her mouth. “Janice is all set to help you there.”
“I don’t want to talk about my new housekeeper,” he said quickly. “I want you to tell me. One thing.”
She had one. A big one.Should I tell him? Only two other people knew, Henry being one of them.
Iris twisted away from him so she faced forward.
Once upon a time, even a few years ago, Iris wouldn’t have hesitated. She’d found out at Christmastime, and it wasn’t something to tell a boss. This was a conversation to share with a good friend.
A close friend.
Dash?
“Hey.” He squeezed her shoulder. “I’m committed to strengthening our friendship. I realize those are just words, but they’re true. Please believe me.”
Seven days didn’t make up for all those years, but Dash was making an effort. They were better off than they’d been a week ago when she could have never imagined herself sitting here with him like this. “I do.”
Friendship was a two-way street. It wasn’t as tenuous as say a romance, but both friends needed to do their part so their relationship thrived. She would do hers.
After some liquid courage.
Iris drank from the beer bottle. She took one more sip before placing her drink on the coffee table. “I found my dad.”
Dash gasped. “How? When? Did you speak with him?”
She should have expected the blast of questions as if this were a press conference. Though he was the one usually answering them. “Henry is the one who did everything. He hired a private investigator in December. Surprisingly, it didn’t take long to receive the info.”
