Page 10 of Admiring His Omega
Mal winced. “Poor piggies.”
“Bacon comes from somewhere.” Teague smiled innocently when Mal glared at him.
“Pigs are really smart,” Bianca said, looking at him hopefully. “You could save one from becoming bacon by training her to search for truffles.”
“I’m sure these piggies aren’t going to become bacon. Plus, Maine doesn’t really have the right weather for truffles to grow.”
“Train her to search for mushrooms then. That would be a big help, right? You could find a lot more in a shorter amount of time.”
“I live in an RV,” Mal said, laughing.
“That’s okay.” Bianca waved his concerns away. “Betty could stay with me when you’re not in Hobson Hills. We have a bigyard. Teague said he would help me create an area for her to live in.”
“Betty?”
Bianca smiled sweetly and held a small, tricolor piglet up. “This is Betty. She’s very smart. She’s already leash trained. I’m sure we could train her to find mushrooms in no time. She would be a working girl, so she’ll pay for herself.”
“What does your mom think about this?” he asked, arching a brow. He seriously doubted Van wanted a pet when she was always away from home.
“She said that if I could convince you to adopt Betty, she’d buy a sidecar for my Vespa and clean the bathroom for a year. She obviously wants Betty.”
He snorted. “You mean she said, ‘If you manage to convince Mal to adopt a pig, I’ll buy you that sidecar you’ve been wanting and clean the bathroom for a whole year. Ha ha ha. Sarcastic tone, blah, blah, blah.’”
Bianca gave him an innocent look. “That’s basically what I said, right?”
Van clearly underestimated what he would do for Bianca. “What’s the adoption process?”
Teague’s smile resembled that of a shark. “Come to my office and we’ll start the paperwork. Note Daisy’s size. Piglets don’t stay tiny forever. I’ll show you the daddy pig too. The enclosure I’ll help Bianca build will be good for her, but she’ll need a lot of attention. Bianca says you spend most of your time outdoors and will take Betty with you. Is that accurate?”
“Yes.” He sighed. “Truffle is going to be mad at me.”
“Truffle?”
“My cat.”
Teague snorted. “Truffle the cat? I like it. That means there’s at least one truffle in Maine. These pigs are already used to cats, so there shouldn’t be a problem on Betty’s end.”
“Truffle likes other animals too.” Mal bent and scratched under the piglet’s chin. Kunekune pigs were hairy and had the cutest, forward-facing ears. Betty’s coat was a silky mix of black, white, and brown.
“It won’t all be on you either. Bianca and Van have both been volunteering here since we opened. I trust that they’ll take good care of Betty when you’re out of town. Don’t let them fool you. They have been planning on adopting a pet for a while. Bianca clearly picked Betty with you in mind, but she’s ready for a full-time pet.”
“See? I’m notthatbad, Mal.” Bianca laughed and took his coffee cup so she could hand him the piglet. “I really think you’ll like her though.”
Teague patted his shoulder. “I’m sure she’ll be a valuable truffle pig in no time.”
“Maine doesn’t have non-cat truffles.” Mal grumbled and climbed out of the stall to follow the other man, Betty held safely in his arms. “Damn, I need another coffee.”
A few hours later,Bianca and Paula sat on his sofa with Truffle the cat, eyes glued to the television. Instead ofWhat They Do in the Shadows, a reality show was on. It was for the best, though. Once he started watching his favorite show, he couldn’t stop.
Paula’s dad, Mark, sat at the table, chopping and deseeding peppers while Cain stood at a counter, carefully cutting baby bella mushrooms. Both men had arrived at Mal’s at the same time and seemed to get on well.
“There are a lot of houses for sale close to the lake where your parents live.” Mark glanced at Cain over his shoulder. “If you want, I can line some up for you to view. No pressure, though.”
“I haven’t told anyone else I’m moving here yet,” Cain said. “Can you keep it on the down low?”
“Absolutely. I’ll leave you my card and you can email me when you’re ready.”
Cain gave Mal a look. “I hadn’t realized I would get to talk to a realtor tonight.”
