Fumbled (The Girls of Beachmont #1) Read Online Free PDF Page B

will. Gracie,” I
hollered, looking for my sister. “I’ll see you Tuesday. Right?”
    “Yeah. See you then.”
    “What’s Tuesday?” Mom
asked.
    “I told her I’d go over
and hang out. I was so busy during the school year that I didn’t get over there
much. She wants to show me how she’s going to redecorate Cleo’s room.”
    “Oh, it’s adorable,” Mom
gushed. “You’re going to love it.”
    Dad emerged and walked
over to give me a hug before I left. I kissed his cheek and laughed at his
mall-induced misery. “Sorry, Dad. You’re on your own… All I can say is, better
you than me.”
    “Help. Me,” he mouthed
dramatically, making me laugh.

C h a p t e r    4
    D
A N I

 
    The school year
officially ended for my students, but I still had to wrap up a few things and
it would take a couple of trips to the school to complete. I wasn’t in a rush
to get anything done because I still had to figure out how to come up with the
funding needed to continue River’s Kids.
    I sat down at my kitchen
table and rifled through the pages of information I had amassed when I
initially started the program. I was enthusiastic and idealistic when I got the
ball rolling last year, but finding volunteers and donations had proved
difficult. Still, I’d continued because I believed in the program and what it
could do for the kids.
    Watching their eyes
light up when they walked in the first day it opened had warmed my heart, and I
knew I had done the right thing. All the hours of work and pleading for help to
get it off the ground had been worth the effort.
    I closed the binder and
sighed heavily as I rested my chin on my hands. “This sucks,” I groaned.
    Many of my students
depended on River’s Kids for activities and tutoring. Without it, they’d go
home to empty houses where they were left to their own devices. Knowing I had
the ability to do something is what drove me.
    I grabbed my laptop and
began doing a search on local foundations that might be willing to help out in
some way. Mom always reminded me that it never hurt to ask, and she was right.
    There were several
Fortune 500 companies headquartered in San Diego, so I jotted a few names down
and continued to look for others. It was going to be a long day, but I planned
on speaking to the principal when I went to work; maybe he’d have some
suggestions.
    Just as I was about to
call Millie to see if she had any ideas, my phone rang in my hand. I looked
down and it was another unknown number.
    I rolled my eyes and
answered it gruffly, allowing my irritation to show.
    I hate telemarketers.
    “Da-Dani?” he questioned
before clearing his throat. “Can I speak to Dani?”
    When he finished
speaking, I knew who it was and my stomach flopped nervously.
    Nick was right: three
days. I tried to play it cool.
    “This is Dani,” I
answered, deciding to play dumb. “And this is?”
    “Tabor. From the other
day,” he said.
    My knees wobbled
slightly and I started pacing my small living room. I wanted to laugh at how
stupidly I reacted to his voice because it wasn’t like me at all. I realized
the silence had gone too long, and I desperately tried to find something witty
to say but nothing came out. Truth be told, I’d never expected him to actually
call.
    “Hello?” he asked.
    “Oh sorry,” I said,
tripping over a pillow that had fallen off my couch. I walked over to have a
seat, figuring I’d be safer sitting still. “I’m here. Just…cleaning.” I
stumbled over my words.
    “If you’re busy I can
call back,” he said.
    The room wasn’t remotely
dirty, but it was all I could come up with on short notice.
    “No it’s fine. I was
just…finishing up,” I lied and then scoffed.
    His soft laugh filled
the silence and I smiled at the sound.
    “I wanted to make sure
you got that tire fixed,” he stated. “I mean, I’m sure it was fine, but you
never know.”
    “You’re good…I mean, it’s good. The tire. The tire is fixed,”
I stuttered, running