“Then it’s not hooking,” she said bluntly. “It’s a case of him being really hot and needing a service you provide. Don’t look at it like hooking. Look at it like, I don’t know. Pig nannying.”
Risa gave a skeptical snort. “That’s a damn expensive nanny.”
“Hey, if you want a specialist, sometimes you have to fork out a little more than you’d expect.” Beth Ann’s eyes twinkled with amusement. “It sounds good to me, honey. Thirty grand would set you on your feet when you go to Dallas. In the meantime, you can have your cake and eat it, too.”
With that, Risa began to feel better. She smiled at her friend. “So you don’t think I’m selling myself too cheap?”
“Of course not.” With a mischievous grin, Beth Ann picked up a nail file and then Risa’s hand. “You tell that handsome, rich man that you know the best hairdresser in town, and she’s willing to be bought, too.”
Risa laughed.
* * *
The drive to Houston was more uneventful than Risa had expected.
Gregory wasn’t a good traveler—though the pig was good natured and easygoing most of the time, he didn’t like being inside a car. He squealed with fright and huddled at Risa’s feet for the entire drive, and the driver cast her annoyed looks in the rearview mirror time and time again as she tried in vain to calm the pig down. Travis hadn’t said a thing, though.
He’d been on his BlackBerry the entire time. She wasn’t sure what to make of that. Surely one man couldn’t have that much work, could he? He had people he could delegate to. He could at least chat with her, make her feel a bit easier about her decision.
But he hadn’t. He’d only laid a possessive hand on her knee and continued to text and answer e-mails with his other hand, and they drove to Houston in silence.
Well, except for the squeals of the pig.
When they’d hit the outskirts of Houston, she began wondering what area of town Travis lived in. When they headed downtown, her stomach began to sink. As they headed into the arts district and pulled up to the door of a large, posh apartment building, her stomach twisted into a knot.
This building was . . . ridiculous. It was clearly a high-rise intended to cater to the Houston elite. There was even a doorman who rushed forward to get the car door for her. He paused at the sight of Gregory, but recovered quickly, gesturing for her to exit the car.
She did so, biting her lip and holding Gregory’s leash tightly. A moment later, Travis was at her side.
“Are you sure this place takes pets?” she asked in a worried voice, staring at the sculpted bushes in front of the glass doors.
“They will,” Travis said, putting a hand at her back to lead her forward.
But Risa couldn’t fight her misgivings. When Gregory’s little hooves clacked against the marble floors as they moved through the lobby, she winced. When people passed by and gave them frowning stares, she quailed a bit internally. She glanced over at Travis, but he was still occupied with his BlackBerry, even as his hand on her back steered her toward the elevator.
They went up to the top floor, and at the door at the end of the hall, Travis pulled out a key card and ran it through. The door opened with an electronic beep, and he gestured for her to follow him in.
His apartment looked like a showplace, and the nervousness in her stomach grew. Cherry hardwood floors gleamed under a white throw rug. His couches were white leather, the coffee table a delicate glass confection. The far wall was entirely windows, showcasing the Houston skyline. Expensive abstract art hung from the walls. The place looked as if it had never seen a fingerprint or a smudge or a speck of dirt.
And here she’d brought in a pig. And while Gregory was clean, he, like any other animal, had a litter box. And he was bound to spill something at some point. Heck, she was bound to spill something.
He’d told her that his life didn’t allow for a pet and she’d blithely waved that off as something he was just rebelling against.
But the more she saw, the more uncomfortable she felt. Gregory didn’t belong in this man’s life any more than she did. Clutching the leash, she turned to give Travis a wary smile. “So . . . what are your plans for today?”
He pulled out the BlackBerry again and she wanted to grit her teeth. He studied the screen, and then clicked a button. “I have three meetings.”
“It’s Saturday.”
He glanced at her, his blank look indicating that she was clearly talking nonsense. “Business doesn’t stop on the weekend.”
Well, it should, she thought, but said nothing. “I need to make sure that Gregory has the proper food. Is there a supermarket nearby? And a feed store?”
He wrote down a phone number and handed it to her. “Call my assistant. She can get whatever you need.”
“I can do it.”
Again, he gave her a blank look. “She’s my assistant. It’s her job to do these things.”
Risa gritted her teeth.
* * *
She spent the day bored as Travis continued to work. Now that he was back in his apartment, he was on the phone constantly, flipping between that and his computer, watching a PowerPoint in a remote meeting presentation, or brokering some sort of consultancy deal, or a jillion other things she couldn’t follow. The man was a workaholic.
For her part, she played with Gregory, flipped through a magazine, and then watched some mindless TV. She’d called Travis’s assistant with her grocery list and the woman promised to bring it by in a few hours. With the sun close to setting and Travis still hard at work, she put Gregory’s leash back on and took him for a walk. This part of Houston was lovely enough, as wealth could buy manicured lawns and perfect nearby walking parks. Gregory enjoyed the excursion, seemingly none the worse despite his harrowing car ride.
But Risa was feeling unsettled. Travis had encouraged her to stay with him. He was paying her an exorbitant amount. Didn’t he want to spend time with her? With Gregory, she amended, ashamed at her own thoughts. Of course this was for Gregory. Wasn’t it?
She returned to the apartment, still rather out of sorts about things. While she’d been gone, the food had been left in grocery bags on the counter, and she put it away in his nearly empty fridge, studying the contents: a few old takeout boxes, some beer and wine and a few bottles of water. She shook her head at the sight and turned to feed Gregory.