Page 33 of The Billionaire Land Baron

Jake hadn’t meant to say that. But it was like being around Shelby did something to him. Maybe he didn’t have the courage to tell her yet about the land, but he had never been bold like this with a woman he liked.

He could visibly see the anger falling off her in waves. “Oh,” she said.

“Want to come in?” he asked. “For a cup of coffee…or something?”

“There isn’t a coffee maker in there. Only water in the mini fridge.”

“Okay,” Jake said. “Want to come in for water?”

Shelby stared for a moment, then nodded. “Sure.”

She led the way into the trailer and got out the water as though she had been the one to invite him, not the other way around. They sat in the tiny dinette area with their water bottles. Shelby curled her knees up to her chest on one side of the booth. Jake was too tall to even get his legs under the table, so he sat sideways with his legs hanging off the edge of the seat.

“Were you always this tall? I mean, obviously, you weren’t always this tall. When did you get so tall? Like, was it a middle school thing or a late bloomer college thing?”

“Definitely late bloomer,” Jake said. “I was a short, fat kid with fiery red hair and zero friends.”

He hadn’t meant to say that much or with the bitter edge the words had. But there it was: the reminder that he still carried around open wounds.

Shelby unfolded her legs and leaned across the table on her elbows. “You were not.”

“I totally was.”

“Photo. Or I won’t believe you.”

“I’m not showing you a picture! It’s humiliating. Plus, it’s not like I carry my childhood photo album around with me. It’s a time of life that I’d prefer to forget, thank you. You wouldn’t understand.”

Shelby gave him a dark look. “Wouldn’t I? You think I didn’t have ugly duckling days?”

“Did you?”

She stared at him for a long moment, then giggled. “No. I didn’t.”

“I didn’t think so.”

“You’re not off the hook, City. I want to see a photo of young Jake.”

“Why?” Jake watched her face. She was rolling her water bottle back and forth on the table, but looked up at him when she spoke.

“You’re so handsome now. It’s just hard to believe you were ever…not.”

Jake knew even the tips of his ears were red. He pulled out his phone. Despite his denials, he did have an old photo. He kept it as reminder to himself or a warning or…he didn’t know why, really.

Jake held the phone close to his chest. “Promise me one thing.”

“What?” said Shelby.

“You won’t laugh.”

The corners of her mouth twitched and she covered it with her hand. “Sorry! It’s like a natural reaction when someone tells me not to do something. I do the exact thing I shouldn’t do.”

“Well, you better rein that in right now,” Jake said. “Or no photo.”

Shelby took a deep breath, her shoulders rising and falling with the effort. “Okay,” she said. “Give.”

Jake slid the phone across the table and watched her face. The picture was of Jake in seventh grade. He had acne across his forehead, plump cheeks that were way more than baby fat, and hair that was almost orange, sticking up despite his mother’s best efforts to comb it down.

To Shelby’s credit, she didn’t look shocked or horrified. She stared at the picture, then traced a finger over the screen. She looked up at Jake and slid the phone back to him. When he went to take it, she covered his hand with hers.

---