Page 38 of What About Love

“That’s worse than the last time. Why am I getting worse?”

“No worries. I’m going to fix you.”

“How? Dan tried and couldn’t.”

“I noticed straightaway three things that are off. Grip, focus, and follow-through.”

She wrinkled her nose in irritation. “That’s pretty much everything.”

“Yeah, pretty much.”

She huffed a soft laugh of capitulation. “Please fix me, oh guru of the gunnery.”

“Weapons Sergeant, and I plan to.”

“Pardon me?”

“For eight years, I was the team’s weapons specialist, meaning, I got to shoot and blow shit up. I also got to teach and problem solve for the guys, which is why Cap has me train the new recruits.”

“What was Dan?”

“A freakin’ Jarhead, baby. As if...”

She laughed at that, having heard his opinion of the other military branches. Little did she know he was only half joking.

“Don’t get me wrong, Dan’s a good man, and a decent shot, but he didn’t have the training I did. Nothing compares to the forty-plus weeks of classroom and field training the Army put me through.” He punched a few keys, resetting the simulator for another round. “So, trainee, are you ready to lay off the sass and get serious?”

She saluted crisply, replying sharply, “Sergeant, yes, Sergeant!”

“Smart-ass,” he shot back, although with little heat. “I’ll let it slide this once because you’re cute, despite the attitude.”

Instantly, she deflated more than another fail at the simulator could do. He thought her cute. Yep, he was definitely in big brother mode, leaving her the kid sister. Crap on a cracker!

“Listen up,” he said near her ear. Angie hadn’t seen him move and jumped slightly. “First, grip. If correct, you will fire where you look. Second, focus. You’re not keeping your eye on the target. You line up the shot but recheck your aim at the last instant before you fire. If only for a split second, this will affect your shot. A stationary target gives you that time. For a moving one, you don’t have the leeway and it causes you to miss. Last is your follow-through. You lift your head to check your shot when you should keep your target in sight for a follow-up or moving on to the next threat.”

Her mouth opened, a biting remark on the tip of her tongue. But she snapped it shut, thinking better of it. He obviously had the training and knew what he was talking about. Heaven knows no one and nothing else had helped her improve. So, she stashed smart-ass-Angie away for the time being, cleared her head and body of the potent attraction she felt for him, and listened.

***

TSPENT THE NEXT HALFhour showing her what he meant. He adjusted her hold and hand position on the gun, switching her to a straight thumb grip.

“This will have you tracking up with the recoil. You’ll find it comes right back to the same spot after you fire, or very near to it. Stop focusing on your weapon so much. Think of it as an extension of your arm. The target is your focus. Got it?”

She nodded, having carefully attended to every word, which he liked, except she was much too tense, her habit of biting her bottom lip not the only sign. She needed to relax. He kept the conversation light, continuing with his teasing banter, which he also enjoyed, especially when Angie, who usually gave as good as she got, wasn’t intimidated by him as women often were.

“Ready to try it?”

Again, she bobbed her head in agreement, remaining surprisingly silent. She seemed pensive, no doubt concentrating on all she had learned, but to lift the mood, he couldn’t resist a dig.

“What? No questions, comments, or wise-ass remarks?”

She released her lip and wrinkled her nose at him then promptly stuck out her tongue.

He laughed. “Okay, detective sassy britches. Here comes round two. Remember, grip, focus, follow through...let’s see how you do.”

She got into a ready stance and waited for the lights to flash as the countdown started.

“One other thing about following through. From now on, you'll get a swat on your sassy ass for every miss.”

---