Page 70 of The Billionaire Land Baron

“You can’t fix it like that! That’s how you broke it!”

“Fine.” He gave her a light shove and stood up. “I think it’s time to get out of this stupid suit.”

Shelby smoothed down the front of her dress. “I feel bad you bought this and we didn’t even go anywhere for me to show it off.”

He grinned and kissed her before she could push him away again. “You showed it off plenty to me. And I loved it. Worth every penny. Now I’m going to change into pajamas before I turn into a pumpkin.”

“Should I change?”

“Do you want to?”

“Not yet,” she said. “I like the dress.”

“Then stay in it. You look amazing. But I also like you in my Cubs shirt. Either way.” He smiled, then pulled his phone out of his pocket and groaned. “I’ve ignored this thing all day long. Guess it’s time to face the music.” He turned it on, then set it on the coffee table before disappearing into his bedroom.

Shelby fished her phone out of her purse. She hadn’t checked messages all day either. Jake’s phone lit up and flashed with messages. She wasn’t trying to look, but the screen kept refreshing with new messages, pushing the old ones down, and it was hard to ignore the flashing. He must have had fifty texts. The last message caught her eye and she read it without even meaning to.

Xan:It’s gone sideways. Call me NOW. Hope you didn’t tell that girl you bought her land. May not matter now anyway.

She stared at the message,reading and rereading. Who was “that girl”? Daisy? Or was it her? The land…It had to be her land.

Jake was the one who bought her land? That made no sense. It was annexed by the city after she couldn’t pay the bank. Shelby frowned and looked at her phone.

She had missed fifteen calls, eleven from Matt and four from Gracie. Shelby didn’t bother listening to voicemails, but checked the time. It was after eleven. Gracie would be asleep so she dialed Matt.

“What’s going on?” she said.

“You okay?”

“Why wouldn’t I be?”

He sighed and paused a minute. “You don’t know, then.”

“Know what? Matt. What is it?”

“I didn’t want to be the one to tell you,” he said.

“Just say it.”

He sighed through the phone. “Everyone knows now, so it’s not like it will stay a secret. Jake’s company is planning a development in Lucky. He was working with the mayor and city council, but something happened and it all fell through, but everyone knows. You might want to tell him not to come back to town.”

It was true. Jake and his company were the reason she was losing everything. She had to be sure. “Are you saying that the reason we lost our land wasn’t just the bank?”

He was quiet. “It wasn’t just the bank.”

“You mean Jake…”

Jake’s voice startled her. “Jake what? Are you talking about me? I hope it’s good.”

He had a grin on his face and his hair was mussed from putting on pajamas. Shelby stared at him across the room, not smiling, not knowing what to say or how to respond to the painful squeezing of her heart.

“Do you need me to come?” Matt asked.

“Yes,” Shelby said and hung up the phone. She looked at Jake. “You took my land?” The smile slid away and his eyes got huge. “Jake, this whole time. This whole day and the last week. All of it. You knew. And you knew I didn’t know. I am such a fool.”

“No, Shelby, you aren’t. I’m so sorry. I wanted to tell you, but then you came here all upset and I just wanted to make you happy. I wanted to fix it. I didn’t know how to tell you.” He started to cross the room and she held up her hands.

“Don’t you dare give me an excuse. You didn’t know how to tell the truth? You just say it, Jake. You form words and give me the truth. That’s how you do it. You don’t lie to me and tell me you want to take care of me because I’m sad and you don’t kiss me when you’ve made a devil’s deal with the mayor. You can’t make promises like this and leave out half the story.”

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