Page 2 of The Payback Adventure
“For my family. Without you, I’d probably still be a workaholic staying up and playing video games on the weekends, missing Iris after she quit.”
“You’ve come a long way, Master Dashiell.” Dash was the youngest of the Billionaires of Silicon Forest. He was the smartest of the group but had few social skills, especially when it came to women. “And you’re lucky Iris loves you so much. Not many women would have put up with what you did.”
Dash hung his head and reached out to stroke Iris’s hair. “Don’t I know it, but I’ve tried to make it up to her since then, and I’ll keep trying. I love her so much.”
“I know you do. That’s why I couldn’t give up on you, either.” Henry cuddled Brecken closer. Thank goodness Henry hadn’t. Now, he had two godchildren, and he wanted more.
Who would he play matchmaker with next?
CHAPTER ONE
“What are you smiling about, Henry?” Cade Armstrong Waters, an attorney turned child advocate, sat across from him in the red vinyl booth. “Hole-in-the-wall cafés are more my style than yours.”
Henry Davenport stared at the nubile blond server. “Not with her working here.”
“She’s attractive, but a little young for my tastes,” Cade said. “Age has never stopped you before.”
It hadn’t. Henry had gone out with younger women, but lately he’d dated closer to his age or older women. Still, he wanted her. Take away the pink knee-length skirt, the white shirt, the stained apron, the ugly white shoes, and the nude-colored support hose not even Mrs. Zimmer, his middle-aged housekeeper, would be caught dead wearing, and she’d be perfect. Barely dressed, which would make her all the more perfect.
He grinned at the thought. Perhaps it was too much to imagine she wore short skirts and stilettos when she wasn’t at work, but hey, this was his daydream, and the server had to spend her tips on something. What better than sexy clothes and shoes?
“Thank you, Cynthia, for suggesting we stop here,” Henry said. “I’m certain the food will be delicious. The view istres magnifique.”
“I only wanted to eat before we went wine tasting.” Cade’s bride-to-be, Cynthia Sterling, pursed her glossed lips. “Do you plan on asking her out?”
“Why not?” Henry asked. “I’ve dated actresses, models, dancers, and socialites. Even you, darling.”
“Only once. Thank goodness.”
Cade placed a protective arm around his fiancée. “Lucky for me, the two of you were more like brother and sister than boyfriend and girlfriend.”
She leaned against him. “Lucky for me, I met you.” The tenderness of Cynthia’s smile touched Henry’s heart. Once again, his matchmaking skills had been perfect. No fine-tuning or adjustment needed. Henry truly enjoyed few things, but seeing his friends find true love was at the top of the list. And no one could argue with his success.
He thought about the birth of his godchild Brecken last month and grinned.
“Well, it’s not like Henry’s interested in having a relationship with any woman,” Cynthia added.
Henry nodded. “Everyone knows I don’t do relationships.”
“You could always hire her.” Cade raised a brow. “Have her wear one of those little black French maid outfits and help out your housekeeper.”
Henry grinned at the image forming in his mind. “I like that idea.”
Cynthia rolled her eyes. “You’d probably want her to carry one of those feather dusters.”
Cade laughed and patted Cynthia’s hand. As her engagement ring sparkled, Henry noticed her French manicure. “Your fingernails have grown back nicely.”
“Finally,” Cynthia said, flexing her fingers. “After your deserted-island adventure, I thought my hands would never look the same. Though I still have a few calluses.”
Cade kissed the top of her hand. “Just a reminder of what we had to go through to find each other.”
Henry grinned. “A small price to pay for happily ever after.”
“A small price?” Cynthia frowned. “I ended up with a bamboo pole stuck in my foot and had surgery.”
“I’m sorry about your foot.” Henry had covered her medical bills and still sent her a bouquet each week to make up for her injury. “But that was a freak accident. No one else has ever gotten hurt.”
“Accidents do happen, I suppose.” Cynthia narrowed her eyes. “Who knows what will happen during your next birthday adventure?”
