Page 58 of The Forever Formula
“Oh yeah?” I asked.
Austen raised a brow at me, sensing the peace offering. “The green chili burgers from Lotaburger are to die for.”
I nodded and made a mental note to check the football schedule to see if next week’s game was home or away. I hadn’t had a green chili burger in ages.
Austen fixed an apologetic smile on his face. “How’s the place coming along?”
“Great. Thanks for offering such a helpful to-do list.” I snorted out a laugh.
“Anytime.”
Austen reached out a fist, and I bumped mine against his. It was that easy with him, I guessed.
Maybe it could be that easy with Noah, if he’d just talk to me.
“I’m getting nachos,” Noah announced suddenly, and he stood and shuffled through the crowd.
“Half the reason I came tonight was for the walking tacos,” I said casually and stood to follow Noah.
The man had long legs and walked fast, so by the time I got to the bleachers, he was already standing in line, his hands tucked in his pockets.
“Hey, you,” I said as I walked up behind him.
He looked back briefly at me and then turned forward. “Hey.”
“Noah, can we please talk?”
His shoulders lifted and fell. “Nothing to talk about. It’s all good.”
Stepping up beside him, I leaned forward a little to see his face. “There’s a lot to talk about. You didn’t see whatever it was you thought you saw when Roger stopped by.”
A couple walking by waved to Noah, and he smiled and nodded at them.
He looked around then. “Not here.”
I followed as he abandoned the line and stalked over to the edge of the parking lot where we could speak more privately.
“About the envelope you left me. You should know first that I’m not selling the land. I want to stay.”
“Good,” he said flatly.
“Good?” I parroted the word that seemed entirely out of place. “What do you mean? I thought you and Austen wanted it.”
“Yeah. But I want you to be happy more than I want to buy a piece of land. But did you even read what was inside the envelope?”
He’d wanted me to be happy? That was nice to hear.
“It was more of those papers for selling,” I said, though no longer exactly sure since I’d only glanced at them quickly, and a lot was happening at that particular moment.
Noah shook his head. “It was a lease agreement. Austen had it drafted. If you wanted to, you could lease some of the unused land to be farmed. We’d pay you rent, and you’d have the option to renew annually.”
I felt my face heat. I’d had it all wrong. What he was telling me meant I’d be able to put my land to work for me and make a profit off of it. That ... was actually a great idea.
“Why did you just leave the papers in my door that night?” I asked next. I thought I knew the answer, but since I’d jumped to an assumption about the envelope in the first place, now I wasn’t sure about anything anymore.
“Because I’m petty and jealous.” Noah’s answer was so honest, it caught me off guard. He folded his arms across his chest and widened his stance. “Who was that guy?”
I let out a breath and braced myself. “That was my ex-fiancé, Roger. He’d driven out here completely uninvited. I had no idea he was coming.”
