The Billionaire of Bluebonnet(21)
It was interesting, going on a run with a pig. Everyone stopped to stare at them, but Travis ignored it. Gregory seemed to enjoy the run, and for some reason, it made his own personal run less tedious this morning when he saw how much the pig was enjoying it. Maybe there was something to having a pet after all. Risa loved the silly thing. And he admitted to himself that when Gregory squealed with delight over something, it amused him.
He did have to fish him out of the park’s flowering bushes, though. Apparently Gregory liked to eat the local shrubberies.
They returned back to the apartment a short time later, and the pig immediately went to the kitchen, turning in excited circles. Okay, food time. He could do this, too. He went to the fridge and pulled down the instructions, noting her careful measurements of just how much the pig should be fed.
He will always seem hungry, Risa had written. Pigs don’t have a thalamus gland that tells them to stop eating. Just because he begs doesn’t mean he should be fed! He’s smart enough to know that when he begs, he gets treats.
His mouth curved into a faint smile. Clever pig.
Travis measured the pig feed and set down the bowl for Gregory to eat. He’d shower and have breakfast himself, but in a minute. To his surprise, he realized he hadn’t checked his BlackBerry on his run. That wasn’t like him. He pulled it out to check if his assistant had responded to his messages from last night, skipping over a few meeting invites.
Everything’s in place, she’d written back. I’ve canceled the car and reserved the movie room for you all day. Breakfast should be delivered there in about a half hour, along with the flowers.
Good job, he wrote back, realizing it was probably the first time he’d ever complimented her. Damn it. Now that Risa had pointed out how selfish he’d been over the last while, it was all he seemed to see everywhere he turned.
Well, he’d prove to her that he was more than just an obsessed workaholic. Travis pulled up his calendar and began to make a few changes.
* * *
Risa lay in the guest bed, her arms crossed, staring up at the ceiling.
Where the hell was the stupid phone call that would let her know that the car was here? It was taking forever.
She’d heard Travis leave earlier this morning, at dawn, but she’d gone right back to sleep. It had taken her forever to go to bed last night. She didn’t cry into her pillow—not over a man she’d met a week ago—but she couldn’t escape the intense feeling of disappointment that he’d had no time for her. And she couldn’t sink the feeling in her gut that poor Gregory was going to end up neglected and lonely, the opposite of what Pearl had wanted for her beloved pet.
The phone at her bedside rang, and she rolled over to answer it. “Hello?”
“Ms. Moore? This is the concierge at the front desk. Someone is waiting in the lobby for you.”
The driver. Perfect. “Thank you. I’ll be right down.”
She grabbed her suitcase and opened the door to the guest bedroom, looking around. “Travis?”
No answer.
Risa frowned. Had he gone to work? He hadn’t even bothered to say good-bye to her? It just confirmed everything she thought about him—he’d never make time for a personal relationship. His business was all he needed in his life. Poor Gregory.
She hefted her suitcase and closed the door to his apartment. It had been a lovely week, she thought wistfully. Something to fuel her dreams while she moved on with the next chapter of her life. But there was no sense in dwelling on what couldn’t be.
Risa headed to the elevator, and took it down to the main lobby.
When the doors opened, she stopped in surprise. Bouquets of roses lined the elevator exit on either side, and curved a path along the far end of the lobby. She walked through the rose path, wondering what the occasion was.
She paused when she saw Travis at the end of the path, standing in front of the entrance to the double doors that led to the personal movie theater in the building. He was dressed in a suit, of course, but Gregory was leashed at his side and Travis was trying (unsuccessfully) to prevent the pig from eating a fallen rose.
Was this who was waiting for her in the lobby? She smothered a laugh with her fingers and moved toward the pair, her heart thumping.
Travis watched her approach and gave her a smile. Not his faint, amused smile, but a truly warm one that made his eyes crinkle at the corners, and made her want to drop her panties. “I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but pigs like to eat everything.”
“Oh, I’ve noticed,” she said with a laugh. “And I’m pretty sure I warned you.”
“So you did,” he said, shortening the leash before Gregory could attack a bow dangling from one of the standing vases. He crooked his elbow and extended it to her. “Will you join me?”