And that smile curved his mouth again. “Good.”
* * *
With her bags packed, Risa harnessed Gregory and clipped on his leash, determined to take him for one last walk before they left Bluebonnet behind for Houston.
Her motive wasn’t entirely altruistic, of course. She needed time to gather her thoughts and clear her mind. Being around Travis was heady, and she wanted to make sure she just wasn’t intoxicated with her fantasy of him.
Gregory was excited about the walk, prancing and snorting down the sidewalk. Risa deliberately ignored the sleek, black sedan in the driveway—she didn’t want to gawk at it like a rube—as they left the old Victorian house and turned down the street. Pearl had lived two blocks away from Main Street in tiny Bluebonnet, and that was their destination today. Risa had a few people she wanted to say good-bye to . . . and to talk with. Just in case she was losing her mind.
After all, not every woman was offered thirty thousand dollars for two weeks of simply taking care of a pig. Was she crazy to jump on it? Wouldn’t she be crazy not to?
The pig’s hooves clicked on the sidewalk, his little tail swishing, and she smiled at the sight of him. He was such a good pig. Well mannered, smart, not a biter. She was glad she was going to get to spend a little more time with him and his new owner. She wanted Travis to love Gregory as much as she did, and as much as Pearl had. How could you not love such a sweet animal?
Lost in thought, Risa waved a greeting to passersby as they strolled down the street. Gregory was well known to people in these parts, and she smiled politely when children would come up to pet him, as they always did. Everyone loved seeing the spotted pink and gray pig, and it just further reinforced her decision. She’d go to Houston and make sure that Travis didn’t abandon Gregory as soon as her back was turned. If he needed two weeks to fall in love with the pig, by golly, she’d make it happen. Then, when she left them behind, she could be confident that both would be happy with their new circumstance. She owed Pearl’s memory no less.
As she passed by the only hair salon in Bluebonnet, she paused thoughtfully, looking into the glass at her reflection. Her hair was a tumble around her head, her eyebrows were dark, unsculpted slashes. She looked down at her nails, noticing they were ragged from where she’d been biting them during the past week due to anxiety over her situation.
Inside the salon, a hand waved and the door clanged open a moment later. A tall, perfectly made-up blonde in a pale tank top and matching white capris tucked a magazine under her arm. “Hey, honey,” Beth Ann cried out. “I was wondering if we were going to see you before you left us for Dallas!”
Risa hugged her friend on the sidewalk, gesturing at the pig. “I was giving Gregory here a walk before I leave. He doesn’t travel well.”
Beth Ann gave a little hop, her heeled sandals clicking on the pavement. “Oh mercy, did you meet that billionaire Pearl said was her nephew? Was he gorgeous?”
Risa bit her lip. “Yes and yes. Can we talk for a sec?”
“Of course, honey!” Beth Ann tugged the door to her small salon back open and gestured for Risa to enter. “Come on in. I can put out a bowl of water for your piggy. Does he like cheese and crackers? Celery? I’ve got a few things in the mini fridge.”
“Celery,” Risa said, slipping inside into the cool air-conditioning. The day wasn’t hot yet, but it was definitely going to be a muggy one. “No one here this morning?”
“I have a ten A.M.,” Beth Ann said, flipping the lock on the door and then turning around her closed sign before heading to the back of the salon. Risa heard the blonde rooting about in the fridge, then watched her pull out a small bowl and pour a water bottle into it. “Which gives us plenty of time to chat. Have a seat.” She gestured at the salon chair. “Want me to do your nails? Eyebrows?”
“Yes to both?” Risa said with a faint smile, dropping Gregory’s leash. The pig immediately ran for the bowl and began to drink in noisy gulps. Risa took the empty chair at Beth Ann’s nail station and sat.
“Both, hmm?” Beth Ann gave her a knowing look. “This billionaire must be cute. He single?”
“I sure hope so,” Risa said, and grimaced. “Considering I slept with him last night.”
Beth Ann gave her a wide-eyed look. “You did?”
Risa explained as much as she could about the situation—how she’d had such a crush on him for so very long. How he’d been lonely and staring at her with his hot eyes. How he’d been a little drunk and vulnerable and she’d more or less jumped him. “And I don’t regret it. Shouldn’t I regret it?”
“Not if he’s hot,” Beth Ann said in a practical voice, plugging in the wax heater and then setting a timer. “Does he like Gregory?”
“Not really,” Risa said. At her friend’s dismayed look, she rushed on, “He says he’s too busy to take care of a pig. He didn’t know it was a pig, either. He thought it was a dog. I was sitting right there when he tried to call a shelter to come and pick him up. You know that would have killed Pearl.” She twisted her hands in her lap, and then admitted the rest. “This morning, he offered me thirty grand if I’d go live with him for the next few weeks and show him how to take care of Gregory.”
Beth Ann said nothing for a long moment, and then leaned over to stir the heating wax. “Mmmhmmm.”
Risa couldn’t tell if that was a good mhmm or a bad mhmm. So she continued, “And I think I’m going to do it. I don’t have to be in Dallas right away, not really. And it’d be good to show him how to love and care for Gregory. I know that if he has some time with him, he’ll get attached. It’s impossible not to love Gregory. And someone’s got to do the job. Did you know he tried to feed the poor thing tuna casserole this morning?”
“Mmmhmmm.” Beth Ann walked to the shelf of nail polishes and picked up a bottle of pale pink, then began to shake it.
“So what do you think?”
The blonde paused in her nail-polish shaking. “You’re asking my opinion? Why?”
Risa twisted her hands. “You don’t think this is dangerously close to . . . you know . . . hooking?”
Beth Ann laughed. “Did he offer you thirty grand to sleep with him?”
“Well, no. But I’m going to sleep with him anyhow.”