Fumbled (The Girls of Beachmont #1) (7 page)

“You’re so funny,” she
said. But she placed her hand in mine anyway.

I planned on letting go
when we reached the bottom step, but I liked the way her hand felt in mine. It
felt natural, as if it was supposed to be that way.

We walked to the
passenger side of my Range Rover and I opened the door for her.

“Nice car,” she said
when I climbed into the driver’s seat and turned on the ignition.

“Thanks.” I grinned.
“It’s the one thing I splurged on when…”

Just say it, Tabor.

I started to back out of
the driveway, my arm extended across the back of her seat. I should have said
it, because it was the perfect opportunity to come clean. But the longer I
paused, the more awkward the silence became.

“Sorry, I lost my train
of thought,” I lied as I started driving down the street.

“You were talking about
when you got this car.”

“Oh, that. Yeah, when I
got my new job. I realize it’s not exactly a classic like yours, but it’s not a
practical—how did you put it—piece of shit, either.”

Dani covered her face
with her hands as she laughed. “You heard that? Oh hell! How long were you
there?”

“Long enough, Dani,” I
admitted with a smile.

“Are you some sort of
stalker?” she challenged.

“Hardly. Like I said,
you seemed determined to change that tire yourself.”

“I was. And I have to
say, I do know how to do it. My dad taught me. I could’ve changed it
myself—five more minutes was all I needed.”

“Yeah. I’m sure all the
car needed was a stern talking to and another swift kick to the tire.”

She laughed. “That’s
right.”

“So how long have you
had the Bel Air? That’s a pretty sweet ride.”

“It was a gift from my
parents when I graduated college. My dad knows how much I love classic cars, so
he did some research and found it relatively cheap. It needed some work, but
nothing too expensive.”

“What did you have
before?”

“No way. You asked me a
question, now it’s my turn.” She shifted in her seat to face me and her dress
slid up her thigh. I blinked a couple of times to get my head back on the road
and cleared my throat as I waited for her question.

“
Tabor
—that’s an interesting name,” she said.

“Yeah, you mentioned
that in your rambling the other day.” I smirked.

She looked up at the
sunroof and closed her eyes, a smile playing on her lips. It was fun teasing
her, and seeing that she was embarrassed over her slip, I reached over and
touched her knee gently. “I’m just kidding.”

Her eyes looked at where
my hand was and I quickly pulled it back, placing it on the wheel. I panicked a
little until I saw the look of disappointment that I’d pulled it away, and felt
a little better about my uncharacteristic move.

“I wasn’t rambling,” she
defended. “I was just trying to think of where I’ve heard that name before.”

“I’ve never met another
Tabor,” I answered. “I’m probably one of a kind.”

“Please,” she chuckled,
“no one is original anymore.”

“No?”

“Everyone thinks they’re
the first to do something, find something, or be something, when in reality
they’re just the latest incarnation. Hell, movies are being remade all the
time. Originality no longer exists.”

“I’m sure my mom will be
disappointed that she wasn’t as unique as she thought,” I responded without a
trace of humor.

“Oh damn,” she covered
her face again. “I’m sorry. My mouth always gets me into trouble.”

I couldn’t help
it—I started laughing and she looked at me and narrowed her eyes, smiling
playfully.

“I’m kidding. Honestly,
I have no idea where she came up with the name. I almost think she meant to
name me Table or something. Or maybe my parents were just drunk.”

“Maybe she was just
really creative.” She glanced at the dashboard before meeting my eyes again and
smiled.

“Are you from here?”

“Yeah, grew up an hour
north of here. But I went to Beachmont for college. I actually didn’t plan on
coming back, but I guess I missed it more than I expected. Are
you
from around here?

“Is that a pickup line?”
I teased.

“Oh my god! Get over
yourself,” she said sarcastically.

“It’s okay, I don’t
mind.”

“If I were using a
pickup line, you’d know it.” She smirked.

“See, that right
there…you’re flirting with me,” I said with a grin.

“I’m not hitting on
you,” she defended weakly through her laughter.

I clutched my chest and
winced and she laughed harder.

“Not like that. I mean,
you’re cute and all, and I don’t think I’ve stopped smiling since…yeah, I’m
going to shut up now.”

“So I’m cute, huh?”

I could have let her off
the hook, but I was enjoying watching her blush and stammer over her words.

“Would you prefer
hot
? Maybe I should have said ‘OMG,
you’re like so hot,’” she said, sounding how I imagined her students would
sound.

“Much better.” I nodded.
“So I’m hot?”

“Shut up.” She swatted
at my arm and turned her attention to the road. She was still smiling and I
knew that I needed more of those smiles.

“To answer your
question, I’m originally from Chicago.”

“What brought you out
here?”

I pulled into the
parking lot in front of Metropolis Grill and turned to face her as the valet
opened my door. “Work,” I said with a wink.

I stepped out of the SUV
and met Dani on the other side. I let my hand rest at the small of her back as
I guided her to toward the restaurant. She shivered slightly at my touch and I
knew it had nothing to do with the temperature outside. I passed off the key to
the valet and before I realized what I was doing, I took her hand in mine.

When we got to the
entrance, I paused and waited for her to look at me. The moment her blue eyes
met mine, something told me she was different from the others. Her breath
hitched and she pulled her bottom lip between her teeth briefly. As much as I
wanted to kiss her, it would have to wait. It was our first date, and I still
hadn’t told her the truth about who I was.

I dropped my face to her
ear and whispered, “If I forget to tell you, thank you for coming with me
tonight.”

D A N I

I ran my free hand along
the side of my go-to black cocktail dress. It skimmed the tops of my thighs,
reminding me of how short it was, but I fought the urge to tug on the hem. My
five-foot seven frame was made taller by the three-inch heels I’d shoved my
feet into, but I felt sexy.

“Damn,” I whispered to
myself as I walked alongside him into the restaurant. He hadn’t let go of my
hand, and I desperately needed some space after being so close to him. I
wondered if he could see my heart pounding through the thin fabric of my dress.
This man was all sorts of sexy.

The hostess looked at
Tabor and smiled without a word as she ushered us to a table in the back. The
restaurant was dimly lit, with nothing more than candles to light each table.
There was soft music playing overhead and people engaged in quiet
conversations.

“I’ve never been here,”
I whispered as we sat down. “Hey, isn’t that—”

He glanced over to where
I was nodding. “Yeah, that’s Cooper Tanner,” he leaned in to whisper, seeing
the pitcher for the San Diego Swingers.

“Crazy,” I muttered.

The waiter walked over
and introduced himself before taking our drink order and disappearing so we
could continue our conversation.

“I take it you like
baseball?” he asked.

“Yeah, love it,” I
admitted. “But the rest of my family are football fans.”

Tabor’s brows furrowed.
“And you?”

“I just never got into
it.”

He scoffed nervously as
he relaxed into his seat. “No?”

I shook my head.
“Something about all those men just beating the crap out of each other seems
barbaric.”

My eyes widened slightly
when I remembered I was talking to a football player. I should have tried to
cover, but I didn’t care that he was JT Hunter. He was fun and I liked being
around him. To be honest, I hadn’t even thought about
who
he was until that moment.

“My sister would like
you,” he said. He lifted his menu and began looking it over when I spoke again.

“Why is that?”

“Because you don’t…” He
trailed off and looked at his menu without finishing.

He wanted to say it, I
was sure of it. But I couldn’t figure out why it was so hard for him to admit
the truth.

“Like football?” I
asked, completing his sentence.

“Yeah, something like
that,” he said. “Can I tell you something?”

“Sure.” I closed my menu
and set it in front of me.

“I wasn’t exactly honest
with you the other day,” he started. He took a sip of water and set the glass
down, his eyes avoiding mine. “It’s stupid, really.”

“What were you not
honest about?” I pried.

“About me. Who I am,” he
said in a rush. He tapped his fingers on the table and sat back, clearing his
throat, but was still refusing to meet my eyes. He ran his hand across his
forehead and appeared anxious.

“You’re Tabor Hunter,” I
clarified and paused to take a sip of my water. “Or
JT
, as most people know you.”

My gaze met his and I
felt a tingle run down my spine. I hadn’t planned on admitting the truth
for
him, but he looked so nervous and I
just wanted to take the pressure off. He blinked rapidly and I could tell he
was trying to piece together what I said.

I kept quiet while he
thought about my confession. When I’d gotten home from Gracie’s I’d started
doing a few searches on Tabor, or rather JT Hunter. I was curious to see what
kind of guy he was. Since I wasn’t a football fan and couldn’t even name a
starting player on any team, I figured anything would help.

Except that everything I
read made JT Hunter sound too good to be true. As much as I wanted to believe
all the great things, I found myself searching for the flaws. After all, no one
is perfect. Right?

“You knew?” he finally
asked accusingly, his voice almost a whisper.

“Not at first,” I
admitted with a sigh. “I was telling my sister about this nice guy who helped
me change a tire and asked me out. Long story short, she put it together and
then pretty much ridiculed me for not recognizing you.”

He sat quiet for a
moment and I couldn’t tell if he was irritated, angry, or shocked. His brows
were pinched and he stared at the table as he processed my words. I waited for
him to say something or explain it, maybe even lash out. His expression was
hard to read until his eyes met mine and a small smile appeared.

“What?” I asked.

“You didn’t know who I
was,” he repeated.

“Until today? No. But
it’s not like you were honest about it,” I said, crossing my arms over my
chest.

“And you were talking to
your sister about me, huh?”

I looked at the ceiling
and scoffed before looking at him again. He was watching me with an amused
grin, waiting for my response. I’d talked about him to Grace and Trevor. And if
my brother-in-law were a woman, I knew for a fact that he would be throwing
himself at Tabor. That thought alone was enough to make me smile.

“That’s what the
take-away is here?” I asked before leaning forward and raising a brow. “Why did
you introduce yourself as Tabor?”

He ran his hand along
his jaw and inhaled like he was preparing to face a firing squad. I feigned a
smile to lighten the mood because I wasn’t angry when I found out, just
confused.

“That’s what my family
and friends back home have always called me. I wasn’t even thinking when I said
it. Most people around here recognize me, and I’ve just gotten used to it. But
when you didn’t, I guess I just went with it. But I was going to tell you the
truth,” he said.

“Oh yeah?” I challenged.

He sat back in his seat
and watched me intently. His features were hard to see without the flickering
of the candlelight so close to his face. Tabor leaned in again and rested his
arms on the table, never allowing his gaze to leave mine.

“I was going to tell you
later tonight.”

“Are you saying I bailed
you out? It was eating you up inside to find the right time to admit the truth
and I just went and made it really easy for you?” I teased.

“Something like that,”
he admitted with a sly smile.

“Okay, go ahead then,” I
said, leaning back and taking a sip of the wine the waiter had placed in front
of me.

“What are you talking
about?”

“Show me the big
reveal,” I said with a smirk.

“Are you serious?” he
questioned with a smile, clearly amused by my request.

“Yeah, why not? You
shouldn’t get off so easily,” I said.

Tabor exhaled loudly and
rubbed the back of his neck before looking at me again. He pursed his lips and
leaned forward. “I have a confession to make,” he started.

My mouth opened wide and
I feigned shock. “You’re married?” I teased.

He was quiet for a
second too long and panic surged through my veins.

Shit! I didn’t research much about him, so maybe he
is
married. But wait, he said that he isn’t seeing anyone. And Gracie
said he’s the most eligible bachelor in town.

Sweat was beginning to
dampen the back of my neck and my stomach churned until he cleared his throat
and shook his head.

“Nah.” He grinned. “My
name is Tabor, but I’m known in town as JT Hunter.”

“As in JT Hunter,
the
football star?” I clarified, playing
along. I couldn’t help but be charmed by his shyness at the admission.

“That would be me.”

“So why the secrecy?”

“It wasn’t supposed to
be. Like I said, when you didn’t recognize me, I wanted to be that guy. The one
that no one knows…a regular guy. It’s hard going places where everyone is
calling your name and asking for a piece of you. I knew I had to tell you the
truth, but I liked how you saw me…as Tabor.”

“Your family calls you
Tabor?”

“When I was growing up
and getting in trouble, Mom would scream out my full name—
Jordan Tabor Hunter, get your ass in here
now!—
and I knew she meant business. I hated being called Jordan, and
I’d never met another Tabor. So in junior high, I started introducing myself as
Tabor. The rest is history.”

The waiter returned,
interrupting our conversation, and we ordered our food. When he left, an
uncomfortable silence had settled between Tabor and me. I didn’t care for it at
all.

I liked the easy
flirtation and banter between me and the guy I’d met on the road. I didn’t even
know him, but it was refreshing. As it was, the evening was quickly turning
into a disappointment with all the pretenses and awkward silences.

“What are you thinking?”
he finally asked.

I shook my head and
considered my words. “I’m a pretty secure woman. I’m not needy and never fish
for compliments, but I have to ask…why me?”

Tabor didn’t hesitate
before responding. “When I was driving home the other day, I saw you on the
ground next to your car, busting your ass to change that tire. I considered driving
past, just like everyone else did, but I didn’t. I was fascinated with your
determination. For whatever reason, I got out to help and that was it.”

“Okay,” I answered,
unable to think of anything better to say.

“Well, that wasn’t
really it.” He smirked. “I did get out to help, but when you asked to see my
eyes, I was waiting for you to recognize me. You had dirt on your face and were
sweating like crazy, but you didn’t seem to care that I was seeing this. It was
sexy as hell. I was watching you, and you truly didn’t know who I was and
agreed to the date anyway. I didn’t want you to go out with me because I’m JT
Hunter. I wanted you to go out with me because I made you laugh. I’d forgotten
what that felt like—someone laughing because of something I said and not
because of some celebrity status.”

His words hit me right
in the heart. I couldn’t imagine being in the spotlight and worrying about if
people liked you for you or for who they thought you were. I gave him a
reprieve, and that was all I needed to know.

“If you wanted to keep
your anonymity, why did you bring me here? Not that I’m complaining.”

“The food is great, but
even better—the staff is under strict orders not to bother the customers,
and the rest of the diners respect that, too. So I can come here and enjoy a
meal without people walking up to me every five seconds while my food gets
cold.”

“That would get
annoying.”

“I love the fans, I
really do. I wouldn’t be where I am without them. But it’s nice to get a break
every once in a while.”

“So what now?”

“Well, that depends on
you.”

“What about me?”

“I like you, Dani.
You’re beautiful, smart, and so far, you’ve kept it interesting.”

“I like you, too,” I
replied shyly.

“Does that mean I can
see you again?”

The silence grew between
us and I weighed my options. Tabor was fun and charming. I liked the way he
looked at me and how comfortable he seemed in my presence. But
who
he was was stopping me.

“I’m not sure I’m cut
out for the life you lead,” I admitted. “I’m a teacher, Tabor. I’m with little
people all day long. I barely know how to deal with adults, let alone someone
with an entire city of fans.”

“I take it that’s a no?”
he questioned, and I couldn’t ignore the disappointment in his voice.

“It’s definitely not a
no
. It’s a
let’s hang out and get to know each other
—perhaps away from
your career?”

He started to speak, but
the waiter began setting our food in front of us.

“Does everything look
okay?” the waiter asked.

I looked up from my food
to see Tabor watching me.

“Everything looks
perfect,” he answered, never taking his eyes off of me.