Logan always vowed to be different.
I sigh, wondering if he’ll become a father as soon as he says, “I do.”
George coughs loudly. “Mace? Why don’t you start the lesson, huh?”
I jump. “Right. Sorry. Okay, so where were we? This is a shotgun. They’re not dangerous if you know what you’re doing. And I’m going to teach you safely.”
“Don’t they shoot bullets?” Gigi says. “And the bar’s so close.”
“These aren’t lead bullets. Plus, you’re outside in the middle of nowhere, and that over there is a bulletproof wall. Isn’t that cool?”
I pick up my shotgun and tell Gigi to step back before I unlock, aim, and kill the top beer. I shoot the next row down, then lock the shotgun and tell Gigi it’s her turn.
I show her how to square her body to the target, how to hold the gun, how to aim, and how to unlock the safety. I tell her to never, ever put her finger on the trigger until she’s ready to shoot. “Never. You get it? Not ever. Even if it’s locked. Too risky.”
Gigi nods and flares her nostrils. Normally, this would drive me crazy, but even that looks cute on her. She takes her mark, does everything exactly as I taught her, then pulls the trigger.
And…she hits her target.
“Wow,” I say. “You did it.”
She’s so excited she asks if she can do it again. And she does. She hits the next beer. And the next.
She doesn’t miss for four beers. And that’s only because the fifth can falls off the pyramid before the bullet reaches it.
“Beginner’s luck?” George offers up with a glance at me.
I take the shotgun out of Gigi’s hands and lock it down.
She can do anything. She can nearly outshoot me, even.
Gigi giggles and reminds me that I told her we’d go shopping together before her engagement party.
“Since the party’s coming up soon, how about we go right now?” she suggests.
“Um.” I’m already walking away from her to set up more beers for myself plus a cork on top of each one to increase the level of difficulty. “I guess now would work. You should step back inside the bar, though, while I shoot a round.”
As soon as I return to the spot, I set my feet and bring the butt of the gun into the pocket inside my shoulder and rest my cheek against the stock. I release the safety, slide my finger inside the trigger guard, and slow my breathing down. Then, I start to squeeze the trigger.
I wait until the moment between the beats of my heart, and then I shoot. The bullet hits the leftmost cork straight on. Dye cheers, and I immediately slide back the pump and line up to go for the next target. I don’t stop except to reload until I’ve hit all eleven of the remaining corks.
“Wow, Macey.” George whistles. “You’re definitely gonna win again this year. Nobody in town can shoot like that.”
I better win the Hunt County Target Contest because I’m losing the Logan contest to Gigi by a mile.
The contest isn’t between you and Gigi, Macey. It’s between two couples that have nothing—nothing—to do with you.
I turn to Gigi with the fake smile God surely gave me so I could get through this summer. “Ready for the mall?”
* * *
I lead Gigi through the mall in San Antonio, but after two hours of looking with no luck, I’m worn out. I’ve learned far more about Logan’s fiancée than I ever cared to, and it’s all made me feel like shit. She’s fluent in French, she went to a private all-girls school since the third grade, she’s in a sorority, blah, blah, blah.
And she’s so much pickier about this gift than I’d anticipated. I pick up a gift for the two of them while Gigi’s in the restroom—a salt and pepper set that I know Logan will hate, but I figure Gigi will like.
As we wander through the last section of the mall, she complains that there’s nothing here that’s right. And then, she sits down on a bench and starts to cry. I sit down next to her and pat her leg uncomfortably.
“I’m sorry we haven’t found anything,” I say. “But it’s okay to wait. Logan will understand.”
