Page 23 of Billionaire Unreachable: Wyatt

I’d told myself a couple of times that my behavior was pathetic, but I was always compelled to do it again the next day.

“Shelby said that Xena is settling in well at your place. Is everything else okay?” Tori asked inquisitively.

I glanced down to see Xena sleeping peacefully, her head on top of my foot.

That couldn’t be comfortable, but the neurotic dog didn’t seem to mind.

Her continual snoring seemed to verify that she was perfectly relaxed in that odd position.

“Great,” I informed her curtly. “Cujo is more cooperative, and the food is fantastic. The arrangement is working out well on my end.”

“Don’t give me that businesslike response. I’m your sister. Remember? I’m not an employee. Using your kitchen has helped Shelby a lot, and I know she’s grateful. She’s starting to amass an even bigger following because of the videos. She’s struggling a little with the technical stuff, but Cooper is doing everything he can to help. She’s grown so fast over the last year, and she’s had to learn the technical, business, and advertising parts of this business really quickly. I honestly think Shelby would rather spend more time in the kitchen testing recipes than wrestling with the other things.”

“Can’t she hire someone to help her?” I asked. “She never asked me. Cooper is a pro with tech, but I might know more about advertising.”

Tori shot me a stunned look. “I don’t think she can really afford to pay anyone quite yet, but I’m sure she’s thinking about it. Would you help her out? I think her biggest struggle is monetizing her work more. She’s big enough to be earning a lot more than she does right now. I doubt she’d be comfortable asking you. You are the guy who wanted nothing to do with her a year ago.”

Christ!Why did Tori constantly feel like she had to remind me about what I’d done a year ago?

“I…might,” I said noncommittally. “Hell, she’s nice to me, regardless of the fact that she thinks that I’m an asshole. I suppose it wouldn’t be that much of an effort to give her some advice.”

Tori folded her arms over her chest as she accused, “You…like her. Admit it. She’s not the woman you thought she was when you dropped into my barbecue. I think you’re starting to realize just how nice she really is and how appreciative she is for anything someone does for her.”

“I didn’t say that I actually liked her,” I corrected. It wasn’t like I actually saw her enough to know whether or not I liked her. “I just said that she’s nice to me for no reason at all. That’s…unusual.”

“Is it really that hard to accept that’s just the way Shelby is, Wyatt? She does thoughtful things for me all the time. I’m a billionaire married to another billionaire, and she treats me like a normal friend. Why do you think we’ve become such close friends? She’s the kind of person who just wants to make people happy, and she doesn’t expect anything in return. Maybe that’s rare in the world we grew up in, but people like that do exist.”

Fuck!I already knew Iwasgoing to help Shelby Remington. I had some kind of strange urge to make her life easier if I could. “What does she need?”

“Help monetizing her blog more without making those advertisements completely annoying to her followers,” Tori replied. “I think she’s worried that if she puts in too many ads that it will take away from the purpose of the blog. Cooper has already helped her with her tech questions on the videos.” She hesitated before she added, “You’re a decent guy, Wyatt, even though you might not think so.”

I raised my hand to stop her. “Let’s not get carried away. I have my own motives for wanting her to be successful. Maybe I just want her to keep cooking every day at my place. I haven’t eaten this good in a long time.”

Tori shot me an exasperated look. “You’re so full of crap. You could hire a personal chef and another dog sitter if you wanted to, but you trust Shelby. Don’t deny it. You wouldn’t give her free rein in your home if you didn’t. What are you going to do when we find a home for Xena?”

I narrowed my brows. “Celebrate?” I suggested. “Enjoy my peace every night instead of dealing with a doggie temper tantrum when I won’t play tug with her? The dog is a damn diva.”

“But she adores you,” Tori pointed out. “And I think you’ll actually miss her when we do find a permanent home for her.”

“I wouldn’t go that far,” I said drily. “Although I have to admit that she’s improved since Shelby’s been with her.”

It was evident that Shelby reinforced the dog’s training during the day.

I’d used the tips that Shelby had given me, and that consistency had improved Xena’s behavior.

The mutt wasn’t exactly a demon dog anymore, and Ialmosttolerated having her around now.

I watched as my sister reached for her cell phone after it vibrated on the table.

“Who is it?” I asked as Tori’s expression grew pensive.

“Shelby,” she told me distractedly. “I told her a little earlier that I was still awake, and to text me when she got home. She had a catering job tonight that she went to after she left your place, and then she went to The Friendly Kitchen to prep food. She usually walks to the soup kitchen because it’s pretty close to her apartment near the Gaslamp. I know that San Diego is a fairly safe city, but I don’t think it’s safe in any big city for a woman to walk alone this late at night. I just wanted to know that she got home safely.”

The worried expression on Tori’s face bothered me more than I wanted to admit.

My sister had been a solo world traveler who had always taken precautions when she’d traveled, but despite her attention to possible dangers, she’d still ended up kidnapped, raped, and nearly killed in the Amazon jungle.

I wouldn’t say that Tori was anything close to paranoid, but it made sense that she worried about her female friends.

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