𝗝𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗙𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗸𝗶𝗲

10. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗧𝗶𝗺𝗲𝘀 𝗪𝗲 𝗥𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿

*first part, not the flashback
Stef's POV

"Are you and mama still gonna go on the road trip you guys were planning?" I heard Frankie ask me.

"Well, now we're not sure because of you over there."

"C'mon, I'm not gonna do anything. Please, you guys seriously need a break." Frankie urged.

"Oh, were going alright. You get to go to your dads house when we are gone." I said with a smile.

I saw Frankie stare ahead.

"I know, you forgot he existed. You still have to apologize to him." I said scolding her.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean it. I was just in the heat of the moment and I didn't ever want to hurt his feelings."

"Tell that to your dad, not me." I said as I turned into the parking lot.

"A shooting range? Are you crazy? Does mama even know were here?" Frankie asked as she seemed a lot more hesitant than I expected.

"Well, you said you knew the code to my safe, and it got me thinking, maybe you should know how to safely use a gun in case something happened." I said to her as I parked in a spot.

"Something happened, like what?" She asked as I noticed she scooted herself in the far corner of her seat.

"Well, what if an intruder was to come into our house and we were gone. I think you should know the code to the safe and know how to use a gun." I said as I saw her face grow even more confused by each word I said. It was working.

"You are going to tell me the code to your safe?" She asked looking over at me shocked.

I kept a straight face and nodded. Her jaw dropped. I couldn't hold it in any longer.

I then started laughing. She looked freaked out at this point.

"Mom." She said wanting an explanation.

My laughs slowly came to an end as I said "You really thought?"

"Thought what, just tell me!"

"It was a joke. Frankie, the last thing I would do is tell you the code to my safe. I wanted to see if you would actually say yes to it." I said as she still looked dazed.

"Another lesson?" She said rolling her eyes and leaning back in her seat. I saw her body relax.

"Yes. You don't joke around like that with me about the safe. I'm glad you were hesitant about wanting to know the code. It gives me some more closure." I said.

"But we are still going to the shooting range?" She asked as I saw her body tense right back up.

"If you want to, then I guess. I don't mind teaching you about gun safety."

"Can we please not. I just don't feel comfortable around guns." Frankie said looking over at me.

This didn't surprise me. I had a feeling she wouldn't want to go and I wasn't going to push her.

"You said you don't feel comfortable around guns. But you are in hands reach of the gun on my hip right now. So do I make you uncomfortable in uniform?" I asked thinking back to last night and wondering if I did seem more intimidating with my uniform on. Did she have a bad experience with guns when she was little, before I had found her? Did she remember more than she was letting on?

"Well, I'm not really scared of your gun because you are a trusted person and my mom. And you are trained and mentally stable and it's only for work and you keep it in a safe and you are really cautious and take it seriously. I feel like it isn't as scary as one just sitting around in a house for anyone to use at anytime."