Fumbled (The Girls of Beachmont #1) (23 page)

“You’re back on that
again?” he asked, running his hand through his hair. “There’s more to this.
What are you trying to say?”

“Just…I don’t know,
maybe we need some time apart.”

“Are you breaking up
with me?”

I shook my head, my eyes
filling with tears at the mere suggestion. I’d never even considered breaking
up, because he was a part of me. But so were my students.

“Just a break,” I
answered, dropping my gaze to the floor.

“Jeez, Dani, this isn’t
some sitcom where time stops while you figure your shit out. A
break
?”

“Just until the season
is over and the attention dies down.” It sounded like a reasonable request.
Nothing permanent, but a solution to a temporary issue.

“This isn’t what you
want. And I
know
it’s not what I
want,” Tabor argued.

“Please, just give me a
little time,” I pleaded as my eyes stung with unshed tears.

“What do you want? Do
you want to end this?”

“Of course not.”

“Then drop this break
idea of yours. Let’s deal with this like any other couple would.”

“But we’re not any other
couple. You’re JT Hunter and I’m just a schoolteacher who fell in love with
you.”

I walked to where he
stood and noticed his hands were balled into fists, his breathing heavy. He
looked completely destroyed, and I realized I’d done that to him. When I
reached for his face, he flinched as though my touch alone burned him, and my
heart broke.

“I don’t know what the
answer is here, but we both have a job to do…and right now I need to focus on
trying to get mine back and proving that what we have isn’t going to get in the
way of my commitments.”

“And breaking up will
prove this how?”

A glimmer of hope sprang
up as an idea came to mind. “Maybe we don’t have to break up,” I said with a
smile. “We can just ‘pretend.’ Let people believe we’re over and still be
together in secret.”

Tabor pried my hands
away from him and kissed my knuckles before releasing me, my smile slowly
fading. He took a step back and shook his head, and I knew what he was going to
say before the words came out.

“I can’t do that, Dani.”

“It wouldn’t be
forever,” I said. “Just until all of this blows over.”

“But that’s just it,” he
said, leaning down to look into my eyes. “I’d never ask you to hide who we are,
and the fact that you even consider this to be a good idea kills me.”

“Tabor, I’m just trying
to come up with a solution to get my job back and keep you.”

“And who said you have
to choose?” His voice sounded so pained. I did that to him. “Why is it so easy
to walk away from us? It’s almost like you’re looking for an out.”

“That’s not true. You’re
putting words in my mouth,” I said weakly.

“I don’t think I’ve ever
felt as shitty as I do right now.”

He started to walk away,
so I grabbed his hand and moved in front of him. “Wait. Just stop, please.
Listen to me…I love you.”

I leaned down and he
wrapped his arms around me, hugging me against his body. My hands gripped his
shirt tightly like he was my lifeline. I lifted my chin and looked at his face,
his eyes reflecting his pain. He placed a chaste kiss to my lips before pulling
my hands off his body.

“I love you, too, Dani.
But I can’t do what you’re asking.”

He walked toward the
front door and looked back at me over his shoulder, and my heart sank.

“Tabor,” I called out.

“Good luck with your
job.”

With that, he opened the
door, and when I heard it shut behind him I collapsed to the floor and sobbed.
The pain in his eyes had crushed my soul, and I prayed that I’d be able to make
it right, because he didn’t deserve my words. I didn’t want to lose him, and
yet he’d walked out the door—and it was all my fault.

D A N I

Tabor left and all the
joy was sucked from my day.

He didn’t call.

He didn’t text.

But neither did I.

It was radio silence and
I was miserable without the contact. I kept watching the sports edition of the
news, hoping to catch a glimpse of him. The Quakes didn’t do well in their
fourth preseason game and the commentators were critical of all the players’
performances—even Tabor’s.

School started and I was
still at home, on my couch, biding my time until I could return. I received a
glimmer of hope when the latest post from Fangurl Sports was posted.

Hunter’s Back in the Game

You heard us right. And we’re not talking football. A source
close to JT Hunter revealed last night that the football star and girlfriend
Danielle Miner have called it quits. (Insert BOO-HOO here) But Fangurl is
pretty excited by the news, considering we always imagined JT Hunter with
someone like Candayce, or maybe even his ex, Natasha. Time will tell.

As for Miner, she’s been in hiding since the breakup and has
been a no-show for work. Unverified stories claim that she took a leave of
absence, while others claim she was fired. Still, it seems as though the
teacher-turned-football-star-girlfriend may have been the one to break up with
Hunter. He’s been seen around town sporting facial scruff, sunglasses, and a
ball cap. Local reporter Carl Jenkins claims that he and others have been
unable to interview the football player and he’s only honored his commitments
to the kids that he supports through various hospital charities. Maybe there’s
a doctor on-call to mend his broken heart.

This Fangurl person hid
behind a persona that was mean-spirited, and yet had tons of followers. I knew,
because I was stalking her feed. But I refused to read the comments people
left. I’d made that mistake one time, and when I read people bashing me and
calling me horrible names, I vowed to never do it again. With one post, she wielded
the power to ruin relationships, end careers, and spread lies. And that’s just
what she was able to do to Tabor and me.

A week without Tabor was
torture, and the only way I could see him was by watching his football games on
television. His first regular season game was coming up in a few days, and I
was surprised when I got a call from Marta.

“Did I catch you at a
bad time?” she asked sweetly.

“No, ma’am. How are
you?”

“I’d be a lot better if
I knew that you and my son made up,” she said with a laugh. “How are you doing,
honey?”

“Honestly? I’ve been
better,” I answered. “How is he?”

“Miserable. Dani, I
don’t want to pry, and you can tell me to mind my own business, but what
happened with you two? He won’t talk about it and I’m worried about him. I don’t
think I’ve ever seen Tabor more happy than he was with you.”

My heart filled with so
much love and hope with her simple words. I couldn’t recall a happier time for
myself, and being without Tabor was like a piece of me was missing.

“I said the wrong thing,”
I admitted sadly. “I’d just been put on leave of absence at work because of our
relationship, and I hurt him so bad. I didn’t mean it.”

“Do you want to be with
him?”

“More than anything,” I
sighed. “I miss him so much and I don’t know what to do about it.”

“You tell him. Tabor is
stubborn and sometimes he forgets that things like relationships can get
crushed under the public eye. He doesn’t realize that it’s not the easiest
life. But he’s worth the effort.”

“Yes. He is.”

“I’m glad you see it
that way,” she said. “Because I have a big favor to ask.”

“Okay,” I said,
suspicious of the question.

“I planned on going to
the opening game, but Abbi has a meeting with a wedding planner and this is the
only weekend she has available for a while. So would you go to the game in my
place? I know it’s hard for you to watch him—”

“I’ll be there,” I
interrupted, putting her concerns at ease. “I hate watching him get hit, but I
love him and I need to show him that.”

“Thank you, Dani. I
appreciate it.” It sounded as though our conversation was coming to an end and
I realized I needed something else.

“Marta?” She didn’t say
anything, so I continued. “Don’t tell him.”

Her sweet chuckle made a
genuine smile appear on my face. “It’s our secret.”

“Thank you,” I said
before we hung up.

I had a renewed sense of
hope that maybe I could repair the damage done. Starting with my job. I put on
a bit of makeup and got dressed quickly before making the short drive to River
Valley Junior High School. It was only the first week, but I wasn’t going down
without a fight. I deserved my job, and if they didn’t want me there, they were
going to have to fire me.

Linda, the secretary,
spotted me as I entered the double glass doors and gave me a knowing smile.

“Is the new principal
in?” I asked confidently and she nodded. “If he’s not busy, may I see him?”

“Dr. Putnam, Danielle
Miner is here to see you,” she said over the phone.

“Now?”

“Yes, sir,” she said and
winked at me.

“Oh-Okay. Send her in.”

“Thanks, Linda,” I
whispered as I walked past her desk, toward the office where my career had been
paused only recently.

Dr. Putnam was a tall,
thin man with graying hair and glasses that looked too big for his face. He was
dressed in brown slacks and a white golf shirt, sitting behind his oversized
mahogany desk. He looked less approachable than Mr. Lopez, but still smiled and
greeted me as I walked in.

“Ms. Miner, please come
in. It’s nice to finally meet you,” he said, motioning to an empty chair. “What
can I do for you?”

“I’d like to talk to you
about my employment status,” I said.

“I understand that
you’ve taken a leave of absence,” he stated, looking confused. “Are you here to
resign?”

“What? No. The opposite.
I didn’t take a leave of absence. I was forced,” I informed him.

“I don’t understand,” he
said. “So why haven’t you been here?”

“I was told that the
administration requested that I take a ‘vacation’ until all the hoopla around
JT Hunter and me died down.”

“What do you have to do
with JT Hunter?” he questioned, and I wanted to hug the man on the spot. He was
probably the only person around who was oblivious to the story.

“We’ve been dating for a
few months. And when a gossip site posted a story, making unflattering and
untrue claims against me, the school didn’t like the light that was being shed on
me or them.”

Dr. Putnam sat back in
his chair and swiveled it side to side like a child, his index fingers steepled
over his mouth. He leaned forward and punched a few things into the computer
and stared at his screen.

“Ah. I see,” he said.
“I’m looking over the notes in your file and this is actually quite ridiculous.
I see no need for you to be disciplined over something that is out of your
control, Ms. Miner.”

Finally! Someone else sees it the way I do.

“So does that mean I can
come back to work?”

“Let me make a few calls
and I’ll get back to you tomorrow?”

“Respectfully, sir, I’m
not going to end things with JT because of my job. I love what I do, and I want
to do it here, but I’m not willing to give up my relationship for a job.”

“Noted. And I’m sure
you’re eager to get to your classroom and your students,” he said, smiling at
me.

“Thank you, Dr. Putnam.
I appreciate this more than you know.” I got up to leave, but turned around.
“And what about River’s Kids?”

“Assuming everything is
approved, it’s all yours.”

***

Millie called me when
she heard the news, and invited me to go over for dinner. It had been a while
since I’d seen Nick or Colton, so I was looking forward to a quiet evening with
friends.

My family was pleased
when I shared the news that I had been reinstated, effective immediately. They
questioned what it meant for Tabor and me, and I assured them I was not ready
to give him up. I just hoped that he would be willing to hear me out and
forgive my poor behavior that night.

“The best way to get
over someone is to get under someone else,” Millie said crassly as she enjoyed
her second glass of wine after dinner.

“I’m not trying to get
over him,” I argued. “I don’t know where things stand, but I’m not going to
give up.”

“But…wait. What about
this one—if you love someone, let them…”

“Stop. Please,” I
laughed. “What are you, a fortune cookie gone lame? I don’t want to get back
out there. I had what I wanted and I messed it up.”

“You know, Nick saw
Philip again and he asked about you. He heard that you and Tabor broke up and
wondered if you were up for hanging out.”

I sighed heavily and
rolled my eyes. “That’s a hard no, thanks, Millie.”

“I know you’re not ready
to date, but maybe seeing an old friend could cheer you up.”

“I don’t want to see
him!”

“What’s your deal?
Philip was a part of your life for a year. What harm is there in coming over
and having a drink?”

“Come over…as in he’s
coming over
here
?”

Millie nodded her head
and smiled, proud that she’d pulled one over on me. But my blood was boiling and
my body grew damp with sweat. If she couldn’t see the absolute rage in my eyes,
then she was blind.

“When?” I asked,
standing up and trying to locate my purse.

“What’s wrong?”

“When, Millie?” She
flinched when I shouted at her, but I wasn’t playing games.

“Thirty minutes or so?”

I picked up my purse and
started for the door when she threw herself in front of it. “What’s wrong with
you?”

“You had no right!”

“Lighten up, Dani. It’s
a drink, not a marriage proposal,” she shot back, rolling her eyes.

“Let. Me. Go,” I
seethed. “Now.”

“Not until you tell me
what’s going on. Why are you so pissed?”

“Millicent DeMarco.
Move.”

She cowered at my use of
her name, but remained still.

“I can’t see him.”

“You don’t still have
feelings for Philip, do you?”

“Yeah, actually I do.
Feelings of hatred. Murderous feelings. Castration feelings. Beat the living
shit out of him feelings. Do I need to go on?”

“I had no idea.”

“No. But I’ve told you I
don’t want to see him, and that should be enough of a reason. I shouldn’t have
to explain myself to you or anyone else.”

“But he was so great,
and you two together were adorable.”

“Yeah, we were so cute
together—especially when he hit me. He was the perfect boyfriend,” I
said, condescension dripping from my words.

“What?”

“Just let me go.”

“He hit you?” she
breathed out, barely audible as she reached out to touch my arm. “When did this
happen? Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Because I took care of
it. Look, I have to go before he gets here,” I demanded urgently.

“I never would have
pushed if I’d known,” she defended sadly. “I’m so sorry.”

“We’ll talk later,” I
said as I began to reach for the door, but a knock sounded from the other side.
“Shit!”

“I’ll take care of it,”
she said apologetically. “Go play with Colton.”

My hand was still braced
on the door and I shook my head before turning to face her. I lifted my chin
and took a deep breath. “No. I’ll take care of it.”

“This is my fault. I
invited him here,” she conceded. “Honestly, I’ve got it.”

I didn’t argue with her,
instead pulling the door open to find Philip, the man I had once loved,
standing in front of me looking as handsome as I remembered. But there was an
ugliness beneath that beauty. Jealousy, control, and misogyny were always
there, waiting to show through. I’d been victim to his verbal lashings more
than I was willing to admit, but the physical threats were far more recent and
were the reason I had stepped away when I did.

“Dani,” he said with a
smile, leaning forward to kiss my cheek, but I stepped away.

“Philip,” I answered
curtly. “I’m sorry you came all this way, but I’m afraid there’s been a
mistake.”

“But Millie said you’d
be here and were looking forward to seeing me,” he stated, and I glanced at my
friend, who winced at the truth.

“I believe the last time
we spoke, I told you that I
never
wanted
to see you again. This will be the last time I say it, so I suggest you turn
around and forget that you ever knew me.”