Page 36 of Gentle Fox

That right there was a lie. At least in my mind. Sure, there were some people who would disagree with me but I was a firm believer everyone should know how to shoot a gun. Everyone should know how to protect themselves.

"Well, now you have a reason."

Walker, the owner of Locked & Loaded, grabbed the Glock and led us around to the side hallway where a door led to the basement. The one thing most people didn't realize by lookingat this place was that underneath the shop was a small shooting range with only two lanes, and another room that was used to teach self-defense classes. Walker was of the same mindset as me. He believed everyone should be taught how to defend themselves in one way or another, and he wanted to provide it to the folks of Willow Creek.

"I thought you were going to teach me self-defense," Annalee whispered when we stepped through the large metal door.

"Don't worry, we’ll get to that as well, but this first."

"The safety demonstration will start playing shortly. After that, you’re free to use the lane as long as you like. If you have any problems or questions, you know how to reach me," Walker told us before stepping back out of the room.

I'd watched the safety demonstration plenty of times, but since this was Annalee's first time, Walker made sure the rules were followed. To an extent, at least. He gave me and my friends access to this place any time we needed. We were good about not taking advantage and I had called before just showing up. My plan was to bring Annalee here either way.

Annalee watched the safety demonstration intently. I thought her eyes were big before but it was nothing compared to how she looked by the time the short movie was over.

"We’re going to shoot a gun in here?" Those wide eyes took in the small area.

It was only ten feet wide but went back fifty feet; plenty of space to practice, especially for a beginner.

"Yup. And Walker will make sure we have the place to ourselves as long as we’re here. You don't have to worry about anyone else in here with us." My explanation didn't relax her the way I was hoping it would. "Look, I'm not expecting you to be an expert marksman by the time we’re done. I just want to know that you’re comfortable enough around guns to shoot one if needed."

"I don't think I'll ever be comfortable."

This wasn't going how I planned at all. "Here, put these on while I walk you through this. They will protect your ears from the noise and your eyes from any stray casings." I handed her a set of ear protection and safety glasses.

I spent twenty minutes walking Annalee through the safety steps. I showed her how to load the magazine, how to properly grip it in both hands, and worked with her until she felt comfortable with the slide. I made sure I stood directly behind her with my hand over hers as she squeezed the trigger for the first time, and still, Annalee jumped when the gun went off.

"I can't do this!"Annalee screamed.

Thankfully I had both hands on the gun because that statement came with her throwing her hands up and completely releasing her grasp on it.

"First rule of gun safety? Never drop the weapon out of your hands."

I released the magazine and unloaded the round in the chamber before setting the gun down on the shelf. I could feel Annalee shaking in front of me. Removing both of our ear protection, I spun her around until she was facing me.

"Talk to me."

She covered her face with her hands and mumbled her response but I thought it sounded something like, "This is all too much."

I grasped both of her hands within mine and pulled them away enough so I could see her beautiful face. "I know I'm getting on in age, but I like to think my hearing isn't that bad yet. Want to try saying that again?"

My joke had the desired effect and Annalee chuckled. It was followed by a sniffle but the tiny laugh was still there.

"This is all starting to be too much. My father's death. The will. The letter. My stepfamily and now the article this morning.Dennis is trying to blame this all on me and the sad part is I want to just give them the money so they’ll leave me alone, but I know it isn't what my father would want. I know I need to be prepared and learn to defend myself, but it's one thing to talk about it, and another to actually do it."

There was a slight chance that teaching her to shoot a gun was the wrong move. Did I feel she needed to learn? Absolutely. Especially if she was going to continue working for Mav. Was it possibly too soon? Maybe.

"Let's table this particular lesson for now. I still think you should learn but I can admit it might be too soon. We can talk to Walker about the self-defense classes he has coming up."

I moved to step away but Annalee's small hand on my bicep stopped me. "Thank you. I know when you guys put out the job posting, you were just looking for a receptionist, not a woman with a headache on her hands. I appreciate your patience with me."

She wasn't going to make this easy for me. The rational part of my brain knew I needed to keep distance between us. Annalee wasn't even sure she was staying at this point. But my heart had other ideas. It did from the first moment I heard her voice. Spending time with her only further cemented my heart’s feelings.

I swiped a wayward tear with the pad of my thumb off her cheek. "No need to thank me."

“Why do you keep being so nice to me?” Annalee blurted the question out and then covered her mouth with her hand.

Before I could open my mouth to respond, she was waving me off. “Nope, please don’t answer that.”

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