Free Despite the Gentleman's Riches: Sweet Billionaire Romance (For Richer or Poorer Book 1) by Aimee Easterling Page B

it back in," I told my charge, suiting action to words without taking my eyes off the road. "It's no big deal." As a reward for my nonchalance, I thought I might have caught the glimmer of a smile out of the corner of my eye.
    "So, I've trained Florabelle to tell friend from foe," I chattered as we pulled up in front of my trailer. It looked even smaller and older than usual when compared to the Reynolds' mansion, but my home also felt warmer and friendlier. I'd take my residence over Lena's any day of the week.
    "You have an attack cockatiel?" Lena responded, and I could tell that she was working hard not to let a grin overwhelm her entire face. No problem—I could allow the teenager to play it cool as long as she kept asking questions.
    "Not quite," I answered. "But I do have an annoying landlord, and if my bird yells loudly enough when he comes over, Mr. Reed usually leaves. So, anyway, when I open the trailer door, I want you to say, 'Hi, Florabelle.' That's my pet's cue that she doesn't need to go nuts and can use her company manners."
    "She probably still won't like me," Lena muttered, her shoulders tensing back up as we stepped out of the car. I had a feeling her sentence hadn't been meant for public consumption, so I pretended not to notice, instead filing it away to mull over at my leisure. There definitely was some gaping sore in Lena's soul that would have to be addressed once I'd won a bit more of her trust.
    "Hi, Florabelle," we chorused as we walked inside, and my cockatiel greeted us with an excited squawk. Despite my pet's enthusiasm, though, entering the kitchen with a virtual stranger made me embarrassed by my worn linoleum floors and by the cracked (but clean) dishes sitting in the plastic draining rack. However, it soon became apparent that Lena only had eyes for my pet.
    "Can we take her out of the cage?" the girl asked. Florabelle knew the drill and was already excitedly bobbing her head as she walked up and down on her perch. The bird's eagerness was contagious, and Lena finally looked like a normal kid now, her whole body leaning toward the cockatiel.
    "Sure," I answered. "Just lift the latch and put in your finger."
    "Me?" Lena took a step back and turned to face at me. "I don't know what I'm doing. Dad never let us have pets, and Jack said we might not be staying in one place long enough even for a goldfish...." Her voice trailed off as Florabelle lifted a foot into the air, urging the teenager onward. Still the girl wavered.
    I didn't say anything, knowing that anyone with sense would be unable to resist Florabelle's advances. And, inevitably, as the bird's behavior grew even more exaggerated, Lena finally caved. " Okay ," the teenager said, pretending to be fed up with my pushy cockatiel, but obviously lapping up the attention.
    However, as Lena opened the cage door, I started to rethink this trial by fire. A cockatiel's beak is pretty hefty, designed to crack open nut shells and offering a pretty severe bite when angry. Not that I thought Florabelle would nip my charge—the bird was far too excited at the opportunity of coming out of her cage midday to show such poor behavior. But when a cockatiel steps off her perch, she often goes beak first, using the sensitive organ to steady herself before making the leap. The gesture didn't feel like a bite, but it sure looked like one. And what would Florabelle do if Lena got scared and jerked away?
    So I held my breath as the girl slid her slender finger into the cage, as Florabelle pushed her head forward...and as Lena giggled her response. "Hey, that tickles," my charge murmured, pulling my bird gently out of the wire entranceway and holding the ball of feathers up to her face. As if on cue, my traitorous cockatiel dipped her head and begged for a neck scratch. And without waiting for advice from me, Lena gently began massaging the pointy pin feathers that required removal from their itchy sheaths.
    "I think you're the only person other than me that