Page 64 of The Billionaire Land Baron

“The river is nice,” he said, “but the company is my favorite part. I could definitely get used to it. But we should probably get out at the next exit. I forgot sunscreen. While I’m the rare redhead who can tan, I’m pretty sure my skin isn’t ready for this level of sun.”

Shelby lowered her sunglasses and leaned over her tube, careful not to topple it. “You’re definitely looking a little crispy there. Might be too late for sunscreen. Should we head to location number two of our day date?”

Still firmly holding her hand, Jake slipped out of the tube, dunking his body in the water and then pulling Shelby and his empty tube toward a set of stairs on the side. “You get to choose location number two. What do you want to do next, Shelby?”

Knowing he was paying for all of this made it hard to say the next part out loud. It felt too extravagant. Undeserved.

She still hadn’t answered when Jake returned the tubes and took her hand again as they walked toward the cabana. His skin against hers felt safe and comfortable, but also sent sparks through her body. It was hard to think.

“If you aren’t sure, I have a suggestion.”

“Spill it.”

“I say spa next. Then if you want, we can dress for dinner and hit the casino for a bit before eating.”

Relief poured from her. It was so much easier to feel like she was just accepting what he offered, rather than having to ask for it. “That sounds perfect.”

“We can go straight there, if you’d like.”

“Don’t we need to dress up?” she asked.

He smiled. “Nope. You’ll be in just a towel for the massage and there are some really great saunas and hot tub.”

Shelby glanced at Jake. “Just a towel?”

“Don’t worry—it’s very professional.”

“I wasn’t worried about them…”

He laughed. “You don’t need to worry about me either. I’m actually going to be running a quick errand. I’ll send you onto the spa alone. Trust me—for this kind of thing, you just want to relax, not feel like you have to make conversation or anything else. You’ll get the full treatment and then I’ll meet you back up in the room a little later. They’re expecting you. Is that okay?”

Shelby knew that he was probably right—being in just a towel in the same room with him would have made it really hard to relax. At the same time, she felt a pang of disappointment as he let go of her hand after checking her into the spa. He leaned in and kissed her cheek before waving and heading out to whatever his errand was.

She missed him before he was out of the room.

Jake hummed as he drove,even without music on. He’d leased a black SUV for the afternoon just for this particular errand. His phone buzzed in the console. Xander. Jake had been avoiding his calls all morning. This was a text, which he’d read when he stopped, but he knew what it would say: CALL ME.

Just for today, Jake wanted to live in this bubble. He and Shelby together, pretending like their problems didn’t exist. Acting like they were in a relationship that wouldn’t, as Xan liked to say, have an expiration date. Avoiding reality meant keeping Xan at bay.

All day, though, Jake had been trying to puzzle through this problem. Could they have a future? If so, how?

Jake couldn’t imagine living in Lucky. Not that he couldn’t do it, but the idea was too strange to wrap his mind around. Moving from a high-rise condo in the center of Chicago, going to business meetings in suits, working eighty hours a week, to a tiny town that barely made a blip on the map. He couldn’t picture it, but the idea of not seeing Shelby again…he didn’t want to picture that. At all.

He knew that she wouldn’t move to Chicago. Not with her dad and the life she had in Lucky. Her mom complicated things. Maybe that would take some of the pressure off and free Shelby up to do more, but he still couldn’t imagine her moving. The idea of a back and forth didn’t really work either. The nearest airport was Houston, an hour and a half away, at the least. Even with a private jet, this would be impossible, and he didn’t want to use a private jet.

If he wasn’t working for Obsidian, Jake could do whatever he wanted. He wanted to be with Shelby. But could he move to a small town like Lucky, where he felt like an outsider? Where there wouldn’t be a job? Not that he needed an income, but without working, how would he spend his days?

The GPS directed him to take a left into a parking lot of a low, small building with the name Book Exchange on the sign out front. The smell of the place hit him first when he walked through the doors: old books. Not musty, but the alluring scent of fresh, dry paper. Immediately he realized that he should have brought Shelby with him. She would love it. Next time.

Would there be a next time?

He took a breath and began wandering the aisles, stacking up books as he went. He didn’t know what she already had, but picked some of his favorites and some just for fun. He found a well-loved, but still good copy of Nine Stories by Salinger, Dracula in hardback, and one more contemporary novel with a great cover called How to Be Lost. When he had as many books as he could carry, he headed toward the counter, but felt his phone buzzing. He glanced at it, expecting Xan, but it was Candace.

“Hello?” Jake found a back corner of the store and balanced the phone on his shoulder so he didn’t drop the books.

“Hey little bro. How goes it in Texas?”

“Strange. Good and strange.”

---