by T. K. Rapp
Right then, I heard Viola’s laugh that I knew so well. It was loud and made me smile, but I found myself rolling my eyes.
“Get over yourself. Trust me, they’re way more interest in him than the junior high school teacher. If anything, you’re just going to have thousands of women jealous that he’s with you.”
The line was quiet after she spoke as I considered her words.
She was right…and so was Will. Millie had already told me to go for it, but my stupid fears kept me from giving in. It’s not like I was going to marry the guy. He wanted to get to know me better and I felt the same. He was no different from any other man I’d dated, and I needed to see what happened. But I also had to accept the fact that if I was going to date Tabor, it meant the end to my privacy.
“Let me know how it goes,” Viola said before hanging up the phone.
I knew Vi had no doubts that I was going to give it a shot with Tabor. But I still needed to convince myself to take a chance. I wished I had the faith in me that my friends seemed to have.
C h a p t e r 10
D A N I
The better part of my morning was spent trying to find the outfit that said I’m interested, but not trying too hard. In the end, I opted for a pair of shorts and a fitted button-down shirt with my Converse. I pulled my hair into a simple ponytail and decided to forego the makeup since the rest of my day would be spent in the gym sorting through equipment.
It was supposed to be a beautiful day, and despite my nerves I was ready to spend it with Tabor.
He’d surprised me when he mentioned his foundation and the donation. I wasn’t sure what that would consist of, but I would gladly take just about anything. The kids needed this program to survive, and I wanted that for them.
After my conversation with Will and Viola, I had spent an hour writing up a list of the pros and cons of dating JT Hunter. When it was completed, I stared at the list, and the good far outweighed the bad, but I was still apprehensive.
The smell of coffee filled the condo and I poured another cup. I’d made more than usual, in case Tabor wanted some. I was both nervous and excited to see him again and hoped that he didn’t mistake my apprehension for disinterest.
I startled when I heard the knock at my door, and checked myself in the hall mirror to make sure I looked okay. As I opened the door, he stood in front of me in a pair of beige cargo shorts and a light blue T-shirt that showed every muscle in his chest. He was grinning as he looked me up and down.
“Good morning,” I said, stepping aside. He looked so much more handsome in person than the few pictures I’d seen online. He didn’t look comfortable in the spotlight, but with me, he seemed himself. Or what I figured was the real him.
He walked inside and I closed the door behind him, but when I turned he was standing a short distance away from me. I cocked my head to the side and waited for him to say something, but when he didn’t I spoke up.
“Did you have a good night?” I grinned.
He nodded, but still hadn’t spoken a word.
“How ‘bout some coffee before we go?”
He nodded again, his eyes glued to mine and a sweet smile playing on his lips. I wanted to know what he was thinking—hell, I wanted him to speak. His deep voice made my stomach flip and twist in ways I didn’t know were possible. I started to move past him and bring him into the kitchen when his hand reached for mine. He leaned against the wall, making it evident the conversation was going to be had then and there.
I looked at our hands and then back at him and said nothing, figuring it was his turn to feel awkward. I’m not sure how long we stood like that—it could have been seconds or minutes before he spoke.
“I did some thinking of my own last night,” he said.
I swallowed hard, fighting to not break the eye contact we were engaged in. I was afraid I would be lost forever, but being lost in him might not have been so bad. “And?”
“The fact that you’re intimidated by the spotlight makes me like you even more. And if you want to see what’s happening here without everyone knowing, then that’s what I want too.”
“You mean, like our own little secret?” I asked, intrigued by the offer.
“Yeah,” he answered as his fingers threaded with mine. He tugged gently so I stepped toward him, forcing me to tip my head further back to look at him.
“People already saw us together last night,” I said, barely audible.
“And you’ve already talked about me to your friend,” he said.
“Friends—plural,” I responded.
His brows pinched together and he pursed his lips.
“Yeah, I needed some help with my thinking,” I admitted.
“What did you come up with?”
Instead of giving him an answer, I took another step closer so I was flush against his body, but I still had to stand on my toes. I rested my free hand against his chest, my mouth inches from his. Before I could talk myself out of it, I pressed my lips to Tabor’s and felt his arms at my waist as he returned the kiss. It was a frenzied kiss, and when I felt his tongue graze mine I couldn’t get enough of him. One hand held me firmly against him while the other traveled up to the nape of my neck.
It was the best answer I could give him at the moment. As the kiss slowed I felt my cheeks flush, and I knew he had questions. I tried to step away, but Tabor held me close and lifted my chin to look at him.
I was barely able to compute the action as he wrapped both arms around my waist, lifting me off the floor so I was looking into his eyes. My arms were around his neck, but I felt like a rag doll. As much as I wanted to wrap my legs around him and hold on for dear life, I had to pace myself.
He kissed me again before setting me on my feet but still holding my hand. I didn’t know if he expected an answer then, and I wasn’t sure I could give him one.
“As far as anyone knows, this is a working relationship. If you want to tell people that you wrote my foundation and we agreed to help sponsor your program, we can do that. I’m not sure how long people will buy it, because I like being around you and I like who I am with you.”
“I like who you are too,” I admitted. “Let’s just give it a little time, see what happens before people find out?”
“Whatever you need,” he agreed.
“Coffee,” I answered, clearing my throat. “I need my coffee.”
I walked into my tiny kitchen and poured a mug for Tabor, and grabbed mine before joining him at the table. The way he stared at me made me feel beautiful and wanted. I tried so hard to quell the way he electrified every sensation in my body, but it was no use. Despite myself, Tabor Hunter was someone I wanted to get to know, and he was someone worth taking the time to learn about.
“Tell me more about your program,” Tabor said. He sounded like a businessman again and it was pretty sexy.
“It’s something I started last year for kids who have no place to go after school. We do a lot of activities, arts, skills training, and whatever else the kids are interested in,” I gushed proudly of what we’d been able to accomplish in one year.
“How do you get your funding?” he asked. “Sorry. I’m not trying to be nosy.”
“I don’t mind. Grants,” I said simply. “Lots of grants and a few sponsors.”
“But there weren’t as many this year?” he asked.
“There were a few, but the corporate sponsors we had bailed at the end of the year. My boss waited until the then to tell me what was going on. We managed to get by with what we had, but the kids and I are so grateful, we accept whatever we can.”
“Have you ever approached any local businesses to see if they’d be willing to help?”
“I tried several. But when you mention River Valley, they suddenly remember that they maxed out their charitable contributions for the year,” I scoffed.
“Does your program have a wish list or a budget of what is needed to help it succeed?” Tabor asked.
“Honestly, I didn’t know what I was g
etting into when I created it. I did some general searches online, but I really just wanted to give these kids something to do after school. The other teachers have been amazing. If I had to make a list of things we needed, it would be pretty scary.”
“So why don’t we start there?” he asked. “We can drop off what I have and see what else you need.” Tabor stood up and extended his hand. “Come on, let’s go.”
***
We got to the school and I parked in the back lot nearest the gym where the activities took place. The athletic coach had given me access to the sports closet and said we could use anything we wanted. I unlocked the building and disarmed the alarm before we set foot inside. Our shoes echoed and squeaked on the wooden gym floor as we walked to the closet.
“Aside from this program, what do you teach?”
“American History,” I said over my shoulder.
“Cool,” he responded. “Was that your focus in college?”
“Actually, no.” I smirked. “Spanish.”
“Really?”
“Yep. It’s helped me a lot,” I admitted. “Someday, I want to go to Central America and really immerse myself in it.”
He looked at me and raised a brow and pointed. “You realize Tijuana is literally right there.”
“Yeah, I know.” I shrugged and opened the closet door. “But I’m talking like Honduras or someplace like that.”
I flipped the light switch and watched as Tabor looked through the items we had at our disposal. None of it was great and most of it needed updating, but the kids rarely complained. The grant money we’d received over the school year had been used to buy activity sets and supplies for a classroom that had gone unused the year before. We hadn’t received much, but we were grateful just the same.
“It looks like you could use a lot of,” he looked around and back at me, “well, everything.”
“Pretty much,” I sighed.
I walked over to the tattered equipment that had been donated to the school. Some of it looked like it had been around since the Reagan administration, but the kids never seemed to mind. I started picking up cones, bats, basketballs, and other odd pieces to inspect their shelf life when I felt Tabor watching me. I was too nervous to actually look and verify my suspicions, so I kept moving around, losing track of what I was doing.
He was beginning to have a way with distracting me—something I liked and hated.
“You really love what you do, don’t you?” he asked from behind me.
I turned to face him and nodded. “These are some of the most amazing kids. They don’t have much, and the school isn’t able to offer much, but they have big dreams. I want them to have every chance of seeing them become reality.”
Tabor strolled to where I stood and glanced at the soccer ball in my hands. It was worn and the stitching looked as if one more kick would shred it, but I held onto it for dear life.
I swallowed and tried to ignore the way my pulse accelerated, rapidly beating inside my chest and leaving me flushed. “I was lucky growing up. I had parents that were able to let me try whatever I wanted, and a school that had the means to encourage my dreams. This school might not have much, but it does have an army of teachers that would do anything for these kids.”
Tabor reached for the ball in my hands, his fingers igniting a trail of goose bumps over my skin. He took the soccer ball out of my hands and put it back on the shelf. My hands were empty and I tried to keep myself from wringing them.
“That sounds pretty damn good to me,” he said, lifting my chin so our eyes met.
“What’s that?”
“A teacher who cares.”
“You think?”
He nodded once and lowered his face so his lips were inches away from mine.
“I know,” he said and sealed those words with a kiss that I felt all the way to my toes. I wrapped my arms around his neck as he wrapped his arm around my waist. It felt so cliché to be making out in a closet at school, but it was officially summer break and no one was there that day.
Tabor made me want things, things that I had never really considered, and it scared me. If he had been a regular guy and I’d felt about him the way I did, I would have been ecstatic. But he was so much more than a regular guy, and I was intimidated by what came as part of the package.
I slowed the kiss to give myself space and hopefully return to the task at hand, but damn if I didn’t want to continue kissing him. Those full lips and deep hazel eyes could hypnotize me without my consent. I wasn’t that girl, and yet, it appeared I was.
“Tabor,” I murmured against his mouth as we parted.
“Don’t think about it,” he pleaded, as if he could read my mind. “It’s just me.”
“But you come with a lot,” I admitted. I hated my own indecisiveness on the situation. I could only imagine what was going through his mind, because mine was a muddled mess.
“And like I said, we’ll take this at whatever pace you want,” he said, brushing his thumb softly against my cheek.
“Let’s start with friends?” I almost whispered, shocked that that was the offer I was putting on the table. My heart wanted to give it a try, but my stupid head seemed to be in control.
There was no denying the disappointment that flashed in his eyes, and regret flooded my veins. But I was too stubborn to take it back, to tell him what I really wanted. And Tabor was too much of a gentleman to push me into something I wasn’t ready for.
“If that’s what you want,” he said quietly.
I nodded, unable to say anything else past the lump that formed in my throat. I don’t think I had ever experienced such disappointment as I had in that moment. And then he placed one last chaste kiss to my temple before giving me some much-needed space. As he let go of my hand he stood next to me, staring at the shelves in front of us.
“I really like you, Tabor. A lot. And I do want to get to know you,” I said before chancing a glimpse at him.
“Good.” He smirked, not looking at me. “When I told Abbi about you, she said you sounded too good to be true. Maybe you are.”
“You know, my sister would like you, too,” I scoffed nervously.
He turned to face me, with wide eyes and his charming smile. “Is that your way of inviting me to dinner at your parents’?” he teased and my cheeks flamed hot.
“I…didn’t…I mean,” I stammered.
“I accept,” he answered before I could argue and turned back to the shelves. “Let’s start making that list.”
“Well played, Mr. Hunter,” I quipped. “Well played.”
C h a p t e r 11
D A N I
“We need to talk,” I said to my parents, taking a seat across from them in the living room of my childhood home. Dad closed his eyes briefly, as if preparing for the worst, and Mom’s chin lifted slightly, making her appear stoic. I almost laughed when Dad reached over to Mom’s hand and squeezed.
“What is it, baby?” Mom finally asked, her voice shaking slightly. “Are you sick?”
“No, of course not,” I answered sympathetically. It wasn’t something I had considered they would assume, and I realized I’d planned the reveal poorly.
“I met someone,” I started out slowly. It was a delicate situation that needed to be handled as such.
“Is she good to you?” Dad asked sweetly.
I sat wide-eyed, unable to speak for a moment before I burst out laughing. Tears were streaming down my face as my parents exchanged confused looks and glanced at me again. All I could do was laugh and shake my head, adding to the confusion.
“I’m not coming out, Dad,” I said through my laughter. “But it’s nice to know I’d have your support if I was.”
Mom’s eyes narrowed slightly and she studied me while I tried to rein in my laughter. “Okay, you’re not sick and you’re not a lesbian…so why is this a conversation that requires us to sit down?”
“I just needed to tell you in person—and for the record, it’s a guy,” I said. “But
there’s more.”
“You’re scaring me,” Mom finally admitted. “Are you pregnant?”
“No!” I laughed again. “Jeez, Mom! Will you let me get this out?”
I took a few deep breaths and sobered. My parents were growing impatient with me, and I closed my eyes in anticipation of what was to come. I exhaled and looked at both of them before speaking.
“His name is Tabor. But people around here just know him as JT Hunter.”
Mom and Dad looked at each other and remained quiet for a second before rolling their eyes and sitting back in their seats.
“Tessa, can you believe this?” Dad asked Mom and then looked at me. “Did Gracie put you up to this? Do you even know who that is?” Dad teased and patted Mom’s knee.
I sat in front of them quietly while they debated back and forth how I came up with the scheme. I was mildly amused, but also offended. Did they think it was out of the realm of possibility?
Probably.
Hell, I thought so too, until it happened.
“I know who he is,” I finally said. “And for some crazy-ass reason, he likes me.”
“Of course he does,” Dad placated. “Are you hungry?” He stood up and walked to the kitchen with Mom hot on his heels. The child in me wanted to jump up and down in protest, but it would get me nowhere.
“You don’t believe me,” I said, walking after them.
“Honey, you hate football,” he argued as he grabbed a beer from the fridge.
“Why does everyone keep saying that? I don’t hate football, I just don’t follow or worship it like you people do.”
“Sundays are reserved for two things in this house,” Mom said.
“I know—church and football,” I finished as I rolled my eyes.
“Church and family,” she corrected. “Your dad adds football, but it’s a distant third to the others.” She kissed my cheek and continued scurrying about the kitchen.
“So what brings you by on a Thursday?” Dad asked, as if he hadn’t heard me moments ago.
I pulled out my phone and found a picture I had asked Tabor to take with me while we were at the school. I wasn’t sure he still wanted to hang out when I put the F word out there. But then he made me fall for him a little more when he told me “I’d rather have you as a friend than nothing at all.” It took every ounce of willpower not to throw myself at him and beg for a redo.