"I really don't know how to shoot an arrow. Really, I don't. It was just a fluke." I insisted vehemently as Lettie just shrugged while smiling secretly to herself. I sighed. That's what I get for opening my huge, unforgivable mouth.
"Well, then, what a better time to learn than now, right?" Lettie asked as I just shrugged in the universal 'If you say so' gesture. I really envied Sadie's job at the agency right now. Lettie smirked at my expression before handing me the bow and arrow lying beside her on the ground.
"Just cock the arrow like this, aim, and then let go. Simple as that." Lettie remarked matter-of-factly as I watched her shoot an arrow easily as if she had practiced the art consistently growing up. I heard footsteps behind us, and I turned to see Tommy edging up on us cautiously.
"Our mother insisted we learn when we were growing up. She felt that fencing and archery were key to learning discipline. I think it's just because she was tortured with it in boarding school as a girl so she felt compelled to do the same with us." Tommy remarked as he reached us—grabbing Lettie's bow as he did. He strung it, settled the arrow along it efficiently and then released it. I watched in amazement as it found its mark dead center in the distant bulls eye. Damn! Lettie raised a brow.
"You should see him fence." Lettie muttered under her breath as I shrugged casually.
"Show off." I stated whimsically as his cell phone suddenly started buzzing. He looked down at it, read a message displayed there, and then looked over at me with a self-satisfied smile plastered across his face. Uh oh!
"I spent most of the morning talking to a man here in France about releasing your number one hit internationally. No more small tours of Canada, Jude. I'm talking global interest. He likes your sound, and he's agreed to release it here in Europe." Tommy revealed as I just stood there stunned. Wow! I looked up into his face with that silent 'you're being serious?' expression. He nodded, and I hugged him excitedly—probably standing in his embrace longer than was actually necessary because Lettie cleared her throat from behind us.
"You want to try this?" Lettie asked as she held out a bow and arrow. I just shrugged. I needed the distraction anyway. I wasn't completely ready to let Tom back into my life yet even if he produced amazing results as my producer. Copying Lettie's movements, I strung the bow before releasing it—only to have it fly wide, almost hitting a gardener on the other side of the range. I winced as Tommy laughed.
"I hope the employees here have liability." Tommy mused as I threw him a dirty, annoyed look. It's not like I had training or anything. Geez!
"Don't be so uptight, Jude. Pretend it's the strings of your guitar. Treat it as gently as you would treat them." Tommy remarked as I focused on the bow in front of me. I could do this. Releasing it, I watched in morbid fascination as I scared off a group of pigeons this time. Yep, such athletic achievement. Tommy said something about Catholics and blessing the quiver as Lettie pushed him playfully in front of me just as I was trying to string another arrow. My hand slipped and the arrow shot outward only to be met by a surprised grunt from Tom. Oh my God! I didn't! Tom looked up at me in shock as I dropped the bow before covering my mouth with both of my hands in utter horror.
"You shot me! You friggin' shot me!" Tommy proclaimed as I just raised a brow apologetically.
"I'm so so sorry. Are you okay?" I asked pathetically as Lettie broke out into raucous laughter from behind us. I stared over at her in disbelief. I, for one, missed the humor in the situation. Tommy threw her a scathing look as he swore under his breath when he tried to move.
"You think this is funny, Lettie, because it's not your skin this jagged piece of metal and wood is hanging out of right now!" Tommy cried out as he winced again at the throbbing pain. God, I felt so bad.
"I really am so so very sorry." I said again as I edged closer to Tommy—reaching out to try and touch him on the arm. Lettie just laughed harder—wiping the tears from the corners of her eyes as the range's hired nurse (trust me, you need one at these types of places) suddenly made an appearance on the field.
"Oh don't be such a baby, brother. Look at it this way. It gives a whole new meaning to having someone tell you to kiss their ass." Lettie gasped out between gulping chuckles as she sat down heavily on the grass to catch her breath. The first initial shock wore off, and I started to see the humor in the situation as my lips began to twitch unmercifully. Tommy must have noticed my futile attempt at trying to keep a straight face because he pointed a finger at my chest as the nurse rounded his backside.
"If you even think about laughing, Jude Harrison, I will personally seek out vengeance on your poor, tormented soul." Tommy commented warningly as the smile won out over my raging internal battle—leaving me a rocking basket case of sniveling giggles. Tommy waved a fist at me.
"That's it!" Tommy exclaimed as I joined Lettie on the ground across from Tommy and his wounded tush. He yelped as the nurse pulled the arrow out before throwing it on the ground, and his painful gasp made me wince again as guilt invaded the dark recesses of my mind. Either Tom was really good at dealing with pain or he was used to these type of familial occurrences in his life because he barely made a peep as he limped off the field toward the car waiting in the parking lot while nodding to the nurse that followed him with instructions on how to care for his wound. Okay, that was it. I just plain felt bad about the whole thing now. Lettie was still laughing when I stood up to make my way over to where Tommy now sat docilely. He shook his head at me as I approached.
"I knew you held a grudge, Jude, but geez!" Tommy stated wryly as I looked up into his face despairingly. I really hadn't meant to do it.
"I told you guys I didn't know how to shoot." I remarked defensively—really starting to feel beyond horrible until I noticed the slight twitch of his lips denoting that he was fighting to keep from smiling. He eventually lost the fight, and he smiled. The little bastard! I swiped him on the arm in mock anger as he shifted away from me before groaning.
"Just don't ask me to move too much right now." Tommy mumbled as I grinned at his discomfort.
"Should I wonder why you're not angrier at me?" I asked quietly as he shrugged before looking over my shoulder to where his sister was talking to a friend of hers.
"If you knew how many times my two sisters shot me while trying to learn to shoot for the first time, then you'd understand my rather peculiar defense mechanism." Tommy replied sardonically as I covered my mouth to keep from chuckling.
"I'd think you would have at least developed a phobia by now." I stated with an amused grin as Tommy quirked a brow up at me. Tom perused me suddenly before tapping me gently on the nose.
"Don't worry, ma petite, you owe me one now. There's a couch calling my name back at the loft, and I'm suddenly trying to keep myself from envisioning you in a French Maid's uniform." Tommy remarked with a nonchalant shrug as I rolled my eyes up at him.
"Why do I suddenly wish I had shot you in the head instead." I replied sarcastically as he laughed at my winsome expression. When I didn't laugh back, his face suddenly fell into an expression that reflected his own serious concern at my reply. His statement from earlier had suddenly brought forth images in my head that I wished desperately to avoid.
"Should I wonder why you suddenly look so dejected, Harrison?" Tommy asked quietly as I leaned over close to his ear while his sister approached us from the side.
"Have you ever wondered about the arrow you left in my heart when you left?" I asked on a whisper before walking around him to climb into the car. Tommy just sat there thoughtfully—looking out into space as if lost in it's infinite void.
"Well, that proved to be very interesting." Lettie stated in amusement as she approached us warily. Neither one of us said anything as Tom climbed into the car with a wince. Lettie shrugged before climbing behind the wheel. I'm sure something clued her into the fact that it probably wasn't wise to ask questions. At least not yet.