Page 90 of You Saw the Best In Me

“You okay, Angel?” Karina asks, the wind blowing her hair all around the truck.

“I’m great. Are you excited?” I ask, taking her hand in mine and locking our fingers together.

“I am. I can’t believe I passed,” she smiles, the happiness radiating off her.

We pull down the dirt road that leads to the cabin, and Tony’s perched in his rocking chair, waiting for us on the porch.

He opens the passenger door for Karina, helping her down and hugging her.

“You ready for this lil lady?” he asks, and she tells him to lead the way.

I’ve lost my mentor to my girlfriend, but I don’t mind. Tony is the best, and I knew he’d be there for us.

When Karina opened up about why she was learning to shoot, he went into protective Papa Bear mode, vowing that he’d lock him up in the bomb shelter and teach him a few lessons if he came around again.

“Alright, darlin’, these are the pieces I set aside for ya. Go on and test ‘em out,” Tony tells her, and she marvels over each one before choosing.

“Thanks for everything, Old Man,” I place a hand on his shoulder, both of us watching Karina shoot.

“Oh, it’s no bother. She’s a natural,” he wears a proud smile.

“I think this is the one,” she says, joining us.

“It’s yours. No charge,” Tony tells her, and she tries to argue, but that old man is stubborn as hell.

“Relax, Karina. He gave me my first on the house, too. It’s his way of saying you did good,” I say, hoping she’ll accept his gift.

“Okay, fine. Thank you, Tony,” she hugs him, and he pulls out a small matching case.

We spent a lot of time showing Karina everything she’ll need to know about her new weapon, and she absorbs it all with ease.

Before long, we’re heading back to town, and Karina’s smile is bigger than the whole sky.

It’s Sunday, so we’re going to Grams’ for dinner. She's played nice the last few times we’ve been over, but I know that can only last so long.

My phone rings in my pocket, and it’s Harper, so I let Karina answer while I drive.

“Are you almost here?” she cries, and I immediately take the phone.

“What’s wrong, Harp?” I ask, the muscles in my body tensing with every passing second.

She’s crying, and I can hear the chaos in the background.

It has to be Grams.

“She fell. Going down the stairs to the garage. It’s bad, Mav. There’s blood everywhere,” she screams, and we’re only a few streets over, so I hit the gas.

“We’re coming, Harper. Stay on the phone,” I instruct, and Karina tells her to control her breathing.

“Will you stay with her? I think she’s seen enough today,” I whisper, and she nods.

“Absolutely,” she assures, and I’m so lucky she’s here for both of us.

As we approach the house, the ambulance pulls away, and Harper stands alone in the doorway.

I rush out of the truck, scrambling to get to her.

Karina’s right on my heels, and we both scoop Harper in for a hug. I leave the girls on the porch to see what happened, and she wasn’t kidding.