Free Fumbled (The Girls of Beachmont #1) by T. K. Rapp Page A

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