Fumbled (The Girls of Beachmont #1)

by T. K. Rapp

  “He’s been doing this for a long time,” I reminded myself as I opened the door and found Tabor in my bed.

  “Did you say something?” he asked when I handed him the cup and medicine.

  “No,” I lied, as I turned out the lights and climbed into bed. I snuggled against him and pressed my ear to his chest so I could listen to his heartbeat. The sound lulled me into a peaceful rest and it was there that I let my fears dissipate.

  At least for the night.

  C h a p t e r 22

  D A N I

  “Ms. Miner,” Mr. Lopez called out as I was walking toward my classroom, a loaded box in my arms. “I need to see you in my office.”

  “Okay, just let me drop this off in my room,” I answered absently.

  “No. We need to talk now. Just set it on the front desk.”

  I stood immobile, trying to wrap my mind around his words. I felt like I was in trouble, but I sat my things down and followed him into his office.

  “Close the door, please,” he said, taking his seat and waiting for me to join.

  “Is everything okay?” I asked.

  “I’m afraid not,” he started slowly. “I’m not sure if you’ve heard the news, but I’ve been promoted to the high school, effective immediately.”

  “Congratulations. That’s wonderful news for them—of course I hate to see you go,” I admitted, and it was the truth. He’d been a strong ally for all the teachers, always going to bat for us when he was needed.

  “There’s more,” he said. He clicked the keys on his computer and cleared his throat. “I’ve been asked to handle a certain situation before I leave.”

  “What situation would that be?”

  He turned the screen to face me and I saw pictures of Tabor, similar to the ones I had seen with Grace. But these were ones I hadn’t seen of the two of us before. Private alone time with my boyfriend had been posted for public consumption.

  Upon further examination, they were taken using a long lens, something I knew because of Grace’s love of photography. It was extremely intrusive and made me want to cover myself as if I had reason to hide. There was nothing inappropriate, but it was still alarming.

  Personal moments between the two of us were captured and plastered on the Internet for curious and nosy people to view and comment on. It was easy to forget that I didn’t have the same luxuries afforded to other couples, because I was with JT Hunter and he belonged to the city. Our sweet hugs and innocent kisses were made to look tawdry and scathing—but we had assumed we were alone.

  “I’m not following,” I finally said. “It’s not exactly news that I’m dating JT.”

  “I know, but there’s more,” he said.

  “More?”

  Mr. Lopez nodded and looked away, dejected—maybe even apologetic—as he turned his screen around and tapped his fingers on the keys again. Slowly, he moved it so I could have the same view, and I was humiliated.

  No one knew of my stand-in for the real model for the Radical Generation photo shoot. Well, at least until my sister found out. I figured that Damian would see the proofs and demand a reshoot, possibly find someone else to endorse the clothing line. I never expected the images to see the light of day. Yet there they were splashed across the Fangurl Sports Gossip homepage.

  The images were beautiful, capturing sweet moments between Tabor and me from the session. They were not inappropriate in nature, but it was the first time I’d seen them.

  “Now you see what’s going on,” Mr. Lopez said.

  “I really don’t. Mr. Lopez, what are you saying?”

  Without saying a word, he pointed to the screen and I realized there was a write-up along with it.

  Hunter or the Hunted

  Looks like JT Hunter and his girlfriend were seen making a splash on the beach prior to training camp. Hunter was on location shooting an ad for Radical Generation Clothing and was set to pose alongside Candayce Evans. Sources claim that Ms. Evans and Mr. Hunter’s heated chemistry was enough to make his new girlfriend see green.

  Another source was quoted as saying that Ms. Miner was seen cozying up to the Radical Generation clothing designer and owner, Damian Salinger, when Hunter wasn’t around.

  We can only imagine how stunning the shoot would have been with Hunter and Evans as the subject, but one can dream. Apparently, after seeing the vibes between the two, Miner made sure the pair was unable to work together.

  According to Ms. Evans, Hunter’s girlfriend threw a tantrum and accused the popular model of flirting with her boyfriend, making a scene. Danielle Miner, a teacher at River Valley Junior High, demanded that Mr. Hunter walk from the job or find another solution. It was then that Ms. Evans, ever the professional, graciously backed out.

  Sounds like Ms. Miner needs a wakeup call. Men don’t like possessive, demanding, needy women. We reached out to Ms. Miner, but she was unavailable for comment.

  Leads one to wonder if the mild-mannered schoolteacher is nothing more than a gold digger. Stay tuned for more.

  My knees trembled and I covered my mouth. I was never contacted in any way for confirmation of the story, and I wanted to scream. Finally looking over to the man I considered not only my boss but my mentor, I shook my head.

  “This isn’t true. None of it is,” I defended weakly.

  “I believe you,” he said sadly, but clasped his hands together solemnly. “But it’s not enough.”

  “What does that mean?”

  “The administration got wind of the story, and though they can’t force anything, they have asked that you take a temporary leave of absence—paid, of course.”

  “But if I didn’t do anything wrong, why do I need to hide?”

  “Truth is, we’ve been getting a lot of phone calls since your relationship with JT Hunter came to light, but after this latest story, it’s putting you in a bad light. Since the story mentions our school, we can no longer bury our heads in the sand.”

  “I’ve been coming in for weeks setting up my class, organizing everything for the after-school program, and no one has said anything to me about people calling the school.”

  “It wasn’t an issue until today,” he admitted. “I was handling it and instructed the office staff not to answer any questions. Everyone here has great respect for you and knows the story isn’t true. Unfortunately, perception is reality.”

  “So I’m fired?”

  I’d given my blood, sweat, and tears to that school. I wasn’t a teacher because it was an easy job or for the summers off—I did it because I loved my students. How were they able to toss me aside like trash over one damn story…a story that was absolute bullshit?

  “Not fired,” he corrected. “We just need you to take a break. Go on vacation. Spend some time with family. This will blow over in a few weeks.”

  “Weeks? What, and then I can come back? What about my students? What about River’s Kids?” I asked the questions in rapid succession.

  “We’re working on finding someone to carry it in the interim. I know this is difficult to hear, Dani, but it’s only temporary.”

  “When does this happen?”

  Mr. Lopez remained quiet, unable to look at me, and I knew.

  “Immediately,” I muttered. I stood up and ran my palms along the sides of my jeans and righted my posture. “Thank you, Mr. Lopez. I appreciate you seeing me and I wish you good luck in your new job.”

  Before he could say anything, or before I would break down, I left his office, ignoring the box I had set on the front desk. Millie was walking toward me, and I didn’t stop on my quest to get outside into the safety and solitude of my car.

  “Dani,” she called out, but I threw my hand up, waving, unable to speak.

  ***

  Millie called numerous times between the time I got in my car and when I got home. I hadn’t answered a single one. Grace called and left a message, but I didn’t bother listening to it. In my case, misery loved solitude.

  And then there was the call from Tabo
r that I declined as soon as it rang.

  It wasn’t his fault. He didn’t do anything wrong, but I was angry and hurt and humiliated.

  It was only one o’clock when I got home, but I had nothing better to do so I opened a bottle of wine and poured myself a glassful. I was afraid to turn on the television, unsure what I’d see, so I plugged in my iPod and let the music play at an unreasonable decibel.

  Before I knew where the time had gone, I’d finished the entire bottle and it was only three, so I did what any depressed, angry woman would do…I opened another bottle.

  “Dani,” a muffled voice said as my body rocked gently from side to side. “Wake up.”

  My lids began to open slowly, feeling like sandpaper against my eyes, but I kept them closed, feeling a slight relief. My head pounded from the loud music, so I grabbed a pillow to cover my ears in an attempt to drown it out.

  “Dani, wake up.”

  When I finally found the source of the movement, I jolted upright and moved backward, staring at Tabor kneeling in front of me, his concern etched on his face.

  “I’ve been calling you all day,” he said.

  I closed my eyes and recalled the earlier conversation with my boss and grew both angry and sad. There I was, the man I loved worrying about me, and all I could see was what the relationship was costing me.

  “Bad day,” I said, not caring to elaborate. “I’m sorry I worried you.”

  “Are you okay?” His hand rested on top of my shoulder, his eyes full of concern.

  “What time is it?” I responded, ignoring his question.

  “Nine,” he answered.

  Nine?

  I sat up and cradled my head in my hands as my arms rested on my knees. Recalling the disastrous day, I shook my head and I could feel a wave of defeat overcoming me. Again.

  “Can you talk to me?” he asked.

  “I’m really tired, I just want to go to bed,” I answered in defeat as I stumbled to my feet. He was still on his knees as I moved past him and his hand grazed mine, but it didn’t stop me. My mind was solely focused on what was happening to me, but I’d have to deal with it eventually. Despite Tabor looking as defeated as I felt, I was selfishly only worried about myself.

  He was behind me as I made my way up the stairs, my steps slow and heavy.

  I should have washed my face.

  I should have brushed my teeth.

  I should have done lots of things, but I did none of them.

  I didn’t bother changing my clothes, either. Instead I climbed into bed and pulled the covers over me, waiting for sleep to return. My body tensed for a moment when I felt the bed shift as Tabor got into bed beside me.

  His arm snaked across my stomach as he moved closer, pushing his chest firmly against my back. I didn’t want him to hold me, and yet I needed him exactly where he was. And when he remained quiet, I was thankful. But the silence didn’t last.

  “What are you thinking?” Tabor whispered over my shoulder. “Talk to me.”

  “Like I said, a bad day,” I answered.

  “Do you need to talk about it?”

  I shook my head and squeezed my eyes shut, willing the emotions to stay away. His concern was tearing me apart because the job situation was my problem, not his. And though I knew it wasn’t his fault, a part of me blamed him. If I hadn’t fallen in love with him, I wouldn’t be where I was.

  “Clearly something is wrong and you’re shutting me out.”

  “Maybe I’m not cut out for this,” I said quietly.

  “For what?”

  “This. Us. Football. Watching you get hit and injured, it’s scary,” I admitted, though it was only a ruse so I didn’t have to discuss what was actually wrong.

  It was easy to say when he couldn’t look into my eyes. I knew that if he could see my face, he’d know everything I was thinking. So I kept my voice steady and convinced myself that I believed my own words.

  “I’m fine, Dani. I promise. You just need to have a little faith in me.”

  “You know that football isn’t my thing, and watching the person I love going head to head kills me. It hurts me to see you hurt. I don’t know how your mom does it. She has to be one of the strongest women on the planet,” I said.

  “She’s been watching it for a long time. Trust me, she wasn’t always so cool.” He laughed and it echoed against my back. He placed his hand on my shoulder and pulled me to that I was lying on my back. His weight rested on his arm and as Tabor looked into my eyes, the moonlight from outside was the only thing illuminating his face. Why did he have to look at me like that, like he could read my mind?

  Tabor was beautiful, and not in the traditional sense. Every imperfect part of him, each scar and gash that marred his body, made him beautiful. The way he looked at me like I was the only thing that mattered…made him beautiful.

  “I’m sorry,” I confessed sadly. “I wish I were stronger, but it’s so damn hard. I watched your game with my parents, and I think I spent the entire game when you were on the field holding my breath and watching through my fingers. And when you were hit, I worried that it was too much. Too hard.”

  “Do you trust me?”

  “You know I do.”

  “Do you want to be with me?”

  “Tabor,” I started, but he cut me off.

  “Answer the question,” he said firmly.

  “Of course,” I sighed.

  “Then you have to believe that I know what I’m doing and there’s no way I’d let anything happen to keep me from you.”

  “You’re not God, Tabor. You’re not invincible. How many times can you get hit or do the hitting and not be hurt? I don’t want anything to happen to you.”

  “I get what you’re saying, I do. But this is what I do, it’s what I signed on for, and short of getting hurt, I’ll be doing it for three more years with the Quakes.”

  A small nod was all I was able to muster and he leaned down, kissing me until he was sure I was finished debating the issue.

  I breathed a sigh of relief that I’d diverted his attention long enough that he didn’t ask about work. It wasn’t something I was ready to discuss anyway. But as I rolled over, guilt washed over me knowing that I was still keeping something from him. There was nothing he could do and I needed to sort out the situation so I could determine how to move forward.

  My back was tucked snuggly against his chest and I liked my bubble—our bubble. It was typically my favorite place to be. But my worries and fears were consuming me. The outside world meant nothing to us, but it was beginning to infiltrate our lives, and he had no idea how badly.

  C h a p t e r 23

  D A N I

  The sunlight was barely visible through the blinds in my room, the heat of Tabor’s breath hot against my neck. I wanted so much to turn to him and tell him what had happened, but I still hadn’t wrapped my mind around it.

  When he’d finally fallen asleep, my stomach felt nauseous from the wine I’d consumed—or maybe it was because I knew I was keeping the truth from him. My mind was reeling from the article and the consequences that had gone along with it. It seemed unfair that the district would force me to take a break, especially considering that our school needed all the help they could get.

  I was restless the entire night, and though I knew it wasn’t the end of the world, it was still bad.

  Tabor stirred in the bed, and I closed my eyes and pretended to still be asleep. The bed shifted when he climbed out and I heard him quietly getting dressed before he walked to my side. There was a moment where I tried to make sure my eyes remained still because I was certain he was looking at me. He leaned down and kissed my cheek, sweetly brushing my hair out of my face.

  “I’ll call you after work,” he whispered.

  It was on the tip of my tongue to tell him not to bother…that there was no job to go to, but instead, I kept my eyes closed and waited while his steps tromped downstairs. I heard the front door lock and waited until the sound of his engine revving
told me it was okay to get up. But I wasn’t sure I wanted to move.

  I was knee-deep in my self-pity because it was my first day “off” of work and I was utterly miserable. I could stay in ratty clothes all day long, watch movies, and eat junk food all day long and no one would care.

  No one except me. I wanted to be at work, setting up my classroom, finalizing lesson plans…all of it, because I loved my kids.

  If someone had told me three years ago that I’d love being a teacher, I would have laughed in their face. Kids weren’t on my radar, and standing in front of a classroom shaping minds was even further. But it turned out that it’s what I was meant to do. I was a damn good teacher and my students loved me.

  And one viciously awful, lie-ridden story threatened to ruin my entire career. I wanted to strangle Candayce or whoever had sold that damn story to the gossip site. How could they live with themselves knowing they were making up horrible lies and potentially ruining people’s lives? Did they even care?

  Still, I just kept wondering how I ended up on a gossip site.

  I knew that being with Tabor brought a new set of issues that normal couples didn’t experience. But for some reason, I had assumed that I would be boring enough that people wouldn’t pay any attention to me. And I couldn’t have been more wrong.

  “Enough,” I muttered, deciding to stop feeling sorry for myself. I was better than that, and it was up to me to make the most of the time I had. I pulled myself out of bed and managed to get dressed. It didn’t matter that nothing matched and there was a pretty good chance the shirt I was wearing was dirty; at least I was up.

  Coffee would be my best friend, helping me to accomplish everything—assuming there was something to accomplish.

  Standing at the bottom of the stairs, I looked around, trying to determine where to start when I heard my phone ringing. It was then I realized I’d never called Millie back, and I was certain she was steamed. But when I scrambled to locate my phone, figuring it was likely her, I came up empty. I moved pillows, blankets, and a load of laundry in my attempt to find it. Just as it was ringing for the final time, I found it…under the couch.