She paused when they passed a shooting arcade. "Richard, you’re FBI, so I guess you’re supposed to be a good shot. Win me a stuffed animal."
Richard groaned. "Those guns are probably all sighted wrong so you can’t win. Couldn’t I just buy you one instead?"
"No, that won’t do at all. Never mind. It’s okay if you don’t think you can do it," she replied with no hint of a smile whatsoever. Would he try to win a prize for her or not?
"Okay, I know a challenge when I hear it." Richard stepped up to the counter and inspected the row of guns provided by the arcade. "I’ll win you an animal if I have to stay here all night."
The attendant, a wizened gnome of a man with a sour expression on his face, wandered over to them as though he was conferring a great honor on them. "Win a prize for the
lady, mister? Dollar a shot."
"Yeah, I’ll give it a try."
He selected the gun he wanted and shot, but he missed. "Just as I expected. The sights are off, and it pulls to the left." He adjusted for the bad sights, aimed, and squeezed the trigger. This time he hit the target dead center.
"Hooray," cheered Elizabeth. "I want that big white cat over there. How many does he have to hit to get it?"
"Ten in a row," the man sourly replied.
A few minutes later Richard and Elizabeth walked away, carrying the big cat with them.
Elizabeth tucked her arm through his and squeezed. "This is so exciting! Nobody ever won anything for me before. You are such a good shot. I bet you’re one of the FBI’s best marksmen." Is he blushing? thought Elizabeth. I bet it’s been a long time since a woman made him blush.
Nice snippet, Elaine--thank you for sharing! I'm curious to find out whether Richard is blushing because of the situation (winning the cat at a fair) is beneath him, or because Elaine is becoming special to him in some way. Happy Saturday!
ReplyDeleteI bet it is hard to make an FBI man blush! But he must care about her if he'd shoot in an arcade just to win her a prize. Sounds like love to me. :)
ReplyDeleteVery sweet Elaine. Love that she made him blush.
ReplyDeleteWhat a fun excerpt! You did a great job of depicting the scene, including the attendant with the sour attitude and the rifles that weren't sighted correctly. I especially like the blush at the end. Good writing.
ReplyDeleteThat was lovely. I always enjoying little moments like this where we learn more about the characters. Thanks for sharing it!
ReplyDeleteI love it when a man blushes! So cute. I loved this scene. It's got the right amount of teasing and challenge. Loved your description of the game manager -- "wizened gnome of a man with a sour expression". Great imagery, and great sampe!
ReplyDeleteThanks to everyone who stopped by. I appreciate all of the comments. Stop by and see me anytime.
ReplyDeleteWhat a delightful sweet excerpt! I love that he figured out the gun.
ReplyDeleteFun scene! The blushing made me think of my old buddy Philip, who was always blushing when we were in junior high!
ReplyDeleteGreat snippet. The intereaction between them is fun and releaxed even when she challenges him to win her a stuffed animal
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