21. Aiden
Imust admit, I’m enjoying the sensation of Anna wrapped in my arms, even though I shouldn’t under the circumstances. I know what’s going on and start laughing, but because Anna is on top of me, the sound doesn’t escape. When she feels my body spasming, she lifts herself off of me and immediately checks for any injuries. I should stop her, but I’m too enamored with the care and compassion in her eyes.
“Are you hurt, Aiden, or are you laughing?” she asks. “If it’s the latter, I’m about to make it the former Shaw.”
“I’m sorry. I should have warned you that the guys like to challenge Swank or me in skeet once the scavenger hunt is finished. But it was really sweet that you prayed for me. That meant more to me than you tackling me to the ground. It hurt a lot less, too.”
She helps me up and begins looking around the area to verify that everyone is safe. I observe as Jerry helps my mom get to her feet while Roger does the same for my dad. I have to assume that my family explained to them what the shots actually were. Penny is trying her best to tackle Jessie back, thinking whatever happened was a game. I stand at the edge of the patio and announce, “I apologize for not warning you about the skeet shooting that occurs after the scavenger hunt is over.”
Roger shakes a few blades of grass from his khaki shorts and pale white legs. “Mr. Shaw, are there any other surprises we should be aware of? I’d really like to avoid getting grass stains on my knees unless it’s absolutely necessary. I know they need a little color, but green is not the look I’m going for.”
“No. Since we have a game tomorrow in Maine, the party will end after the skeet shooting is done.”
“That’s dandy, and my knees thank you,” he says.
Anna sidles up next to me, “Want to help Swank lose some money and have a little fun at the same time?”
Curious, I ask what she has in mind. Once she tells me her plan, I wave over my mom, dad, and Penny to make the trek across the lawn toward the water where the skeet is set up. Anna whispers into her com, requesting that Scott, Jeremy, and Jack stay back and maintain vigilance while her team joins us.
Jessie rubs her hands together, “Ooh, this is going to be good!”
A few more loud bangs from the shotgun go off, and cheering follows. Whoever is shooting managed to shatter one of the clay pigeons.
“PULL!” Two more clay pigeons launch and both are shattered.
“That’s most likely Swank who just took those shots. Other than me, no one has beaten him. Not from a lack of trying, mind you, but Swank and I started shooting skeet when we were ten,” I say to the group.
As we get a little closer, Deacon sees us first. “Finally, someone who can put this guy in his place.” He motions his thumb toward Swank, who yells, “PULL!”
“Boom!...Boom!”
I wave to the men and yell, “I’m not shooting today, but Anna wanted to give it a try! Are you guys all right with letting a lady invade your ‘guy’ time?”
Swank removes his eye and hearing protection and lies the over-under double barrel shotgun on the table so that the barrel faces toward the water. “So, you want to let your fiancée play with the big boys. Do you think she can handle it?”
“I don’t know, Swank. That’s why she wants to try,” I retort.
Everyone’s eyes widen in surprise when they hear the news. “You’re engaged? Congrats, Man! It’s about time you moved on,” Berkowitz says, truly happy for me.
“When’s the big day? You’ll make sure to have it in the off-season so we can attend the wedding, right?” Deacon asks.
Anna slips her arm around my waist and smiles wide enough that all her teeth show. “We haven’t set a date because we want a long engagement. I know that we haven’t known each other long, but it was enough time to recognize a good thing when we saw it. We didn’t want to wait to commit to one another.”
Swank grins when he hears that. “It’s nice to know you aren’t rushing into anything. A long engagement is a wise decision. I thought you would be walking down the aisle next week at the rate things were going between you two.”
I give him a little shove. “You don’t have to worry about that. We may have rushed into an engagement, but we plan on taking our time getting to know one another before we get married.”
“Well, let’s see what she’s got!” Swank shouts.
I go through the mechanics of the gun quickly, even though Anna is more than capable. I can’t wait to see her in action, but we have to lull Swank in first.
When Anna picks up the gun, she swings it around toward the guys, forcing them to all jump backward. They ignore the fact that the gun is pointed at the ground or that her finger is nowhere near the trigger.
Jessie sniggers, “Aiden, maybe you should give Anna a lesson on gun safety! I doubt she’s ever held a shotgun before.”
I load the weapon for Anna, and she watches intently, pretending to soak up the information like a sponge. Once that’s done, I explain that you don’t aim at the target but a little in front. “This is just a single-station skeet range, but the machines are automated and can rotate to mimic all the positions for competition. We usually keep it set to one station since most of the guys only shoot when they come here. Are you ready to give it a go?”
“I think so.” Anna stands on the pad, holding the gun like an amateur. “Is this when I’m supposed to say ‘pull?’” she asks.
Penny yells, “Yes!”
Anna readjusts her stance, although it’s still awkward. “PULL!” The first clay pigeon goes flying, and she takes a shot, missing it by a mile. Then, the second, which she also misses.
After failing to hit the clay disks a few more times, I approach her and “help.”
I press my body against her back and move the hearing protection off her ear. Then, I take my time as I slide my hands slowly down her arms until they reach her wrists. I caress her fingers as I guide them into the correct position. I give her instructions using a husky tone, smiling when her body trembles. She might be faking a lot right now, but her reaction to me isn’t one of them. “Ready?” I ask.
“Uh-huh.”
I turn away so I don’t yell in her ear, even though I’ve replaced her hearing protection. “PULL!”
Anna once again misses the clay pigeon but hits the second. “I think I’m getting the hang of this!” she shouts.
Swank crosses his arms, “Beginner’s luck.”
Anna slowly reloads and stands on the pad again, ready to fire. Once again, she hits one of the two disks. “I bet I could take you on, Swank.”
Swank guffaws, “You can certainly try.”
I pull out a one-hundred-dollar bill and slap it on the table. “I’ll wager on it.”
This gets everyone involved, and the next thing I know, over $2,000 is sitting on the table. Swank reluctantly adds his Benjamin to the pile.
“You’ll each get a dozen shots, six from the high position and six from the low.” Anna hits all the high shots but doesn’t shatter a single disk from the low, whereas Swank hits eight of his targets.
“That was the easiest money I’ve ever made. I got to hand it to you, Anna. You picked up shooting skeet quicker than most. Maybe next year, you’ll be an actual challenge.”
She cocks her head toward Swank, and the corner of her mouth quirks up. “Aiden’s a pretty good teacher, and I feel confident I can beat you if we have one more go. Are you up for it, or are you scared to be beaten by a girl?”
Swank is a sucker for a good challenge, and he doesn’t hesitate. “I’m in, but let’s make this worth more than a few extra bucks in my pocket. How about $5,000? The winner takes all. It’s time for you to put your money where your mouth is, Anna.”
Anna’s eyes open as big as saucers, “Wow, that’s a lot!”
I kiss her cheek, “I have every confidence in you, Baby. I’ll cover the wager.”
Swank raises an eyebrow, “I can’t take your money, Bro!”
“Then how about this? I’ll put in the $5,000, and you do the same. The winner will pick a charity to receive the funds. This way, everyone wins, and it’s all in good fun. Anna, do you want first pick of the guns or to shoot first?”
“I’ll take guns for $200, Alex,” she teases. Swank is all smiles, but it quickly disappears when she picks up the Krieghoff K-80 Parcours X—a championship-level 12-gauge shotgun with a 32” barrel.
Swank picks up the Beretta A-300 and offers it to her, “This is a much better gun that’s suited for a girl. I’ll trade you.”
She loads the Krieghoff like a pro who has done it a thousand times before. “I’m good. You’re up, Swank.”
Swank steps on the platform and quickly destroys three of the first four targets. Smirking, he tells Anna, “That’s going to be hard to beat.”
She swaps places with him and winks, “But not impossible.” She gets into her stance, which is far more professional than the one she had been using. “PULL!”
Anna hits one target after another, decimating all four. The team starts laughing raucously while Swank’s face drains of color. They go back and forth, but Anna outclasses Swank, hitting every single one of her targets, while Swank manages to hit nine.
Swank faces me, looking forlorn. “I just got played, didn’t I?”
Deacon walks by, still amused by the situation, “Like a fiddle, Buddy. Like a fiddle.”