Page 27 of The Billionaire Land Baron

“They love you, City Boy. Now give the people what they want.”

Shelby slid from his back to stand beside him and took his hand. She gave Jake a pointed look, then took a bow, pulling his hand. Feeling silly but also somehow exhilarated, he bowed alongside her. When he stood, people clapped and whooped. They weren’t laughing at him. This wasn’t middle school.

A new song came on and everyone went back to dancing. “Another?” Shelby asked. She still held his hand and he didn’t even think about taking it back.

Jake shook his head. “I think that I exceeded my dancing quota for the year just now. But thank you. I’ve never, um, danced like that.”

She laughed and pulled him toward the bar. “I’m thirsty, City Boy. Buy me a drink?”

“Anything you want,” he said.

“Dr. Pepper,” she said.

“Really? That’s it?”

She nodded and Jake ordered a Dr. Pepper and another water. Shelby downed it and then gave him a look. “Thanks. Do you mind if I dance more?”

“Do you mind that I don’t?” he asked.

She grinned. “Nope. Unless a slow song comes on. Then you best save that for me.”

And with those words, which sent his heart racing, she disappeared onto the floor again with Gracielynn. Jake watched her for a moment, her face turned up toward the ceiling, hands tucked into the front pockets of her cutoffs, the muscles working in her legs as she moved effortlessly on the floor. He found Matt at a table to the side. Matt did not smile when he sat down and he felt the sting of guilt.

“She’s really something,” Jake said. He realized that Matt had picked up Shelby’s hat and it rested in his lap.

“That she is,” Matt said, taking a sip of beer. “Of course, you realize that she’s coping right now. This is Shelby on disappointment.”

Disappointment? Jake looked again at Shelby as she danced and laughed, her hair swinging and her eyes bright. She looked like a woman having a great time. When she caught Jake looking, she gave him a flirty wink and a wave.

Jake studied her, wanting to see what Matt could, hating that he didn’t know her well enough to know when she was having a good time or covering up a hard time. He wanted to be a student of Shelby, to know all her tells hiding beneath her poker face.

What disappointment was she facing? Jake felt the overwhelming urge to make it better if he could.

He was about to ask Matt when his phone began to buzz in his back pocket. Xander.

“I’m going to take this outside,” Jake said. “Work.” Matt didn’t react.

“Hang on,” Jake shouted into the phone as he pushed through the front double doors. He could hear Xander talking anyway, but couldn’t make out a word. He realized he was still shouting in the quiet parking lot after the din from inside.

“Are you at a bar?” Xander sounded amused.

“I think it’s a honky-tonk. Is that even a thing?”

Xander laughed. “I think so. Why don’t you ask someone?”

“And show my hand? Then they’d know I’m an outsider? No thanks.”

“They don’t realize you’re from out of town?”

“The girl I’m staying with calls me City Boy, to answer your question.”

“You’re staying with a girl?! Jake! Why didn’t you call to tell me?”

Jake grinned. “It’s not like that. I mean, I’m staying in her Airstream. It’s an Airbnb—literally the only room to rent in town.”

“Oh,” Xander said. “I got excited for a second, thinking that you might have met someone.”

Jake hesitated. He told Xander most things, but he also knew if he told him about Shelby that Xan would grab onto that like a dog with a bone. “I’ve made some friends and they took me out. You’d be surprised—I’m actually having fun.”

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