Page 36 of Protecting Andie

“Oh, I didn’t know that you already knew.”

“It’s probably weird having a stranger know stuff, but I can tell you that you aren’t alone. Every day, I help people in need. It gives me purpose. I could have crawled into a shell and hidden after the bomb, or I could have become bitter and taken my pain out on everyone else. Instead, I decided to take down people who hurt others.”

“That’s really cool.”

He shrugged. “It may be cool, but it also keeps me from being a drunk who is bitter. I could see myself turning into the worst kind of person who hates everyone. Instead, I focused and decided to share my abilities for good.”

Andie reached out and squeezed his hand. “Thank you for helping me.”

“You’re welcome. I hope we can figure out where he is. I’ll keep looking, and if we find him, I’ll make sure you both know.”

The pizza arrived, and they ate as Thario told stories of Frog being funny while they were in Virginia. The dog huffed a few times as Thario told a story about Frog making a friend with another service dog. They wouldn’t break their work ethic, but when they went outside to go pee, they made sure the other dog went, too, and they would play together for a few minutes.

Rider laughed. “They sound cute together.”

Thario shrugged. “It was. It’s kind of sad they won’t see each other again for a while.”

“Will they get to see each other again?” Andie asked.

Thario nodded. “Yes. The person is coming out here for training in January.”

“That’s really cool for Frog. He’ll be so surprised.”

Thario nodded. “He’s smart, but sometimes I forget he’s just a dog. He remembers stuff and can comprehend my moods, but he has limits. I’m glad guys like Rider and his buddies come around. It gives me the chance to talk to another human in person.”

Andie stood and moved to Thario, giving him a quick hug. “I’m glad you have people around. It must be tough having your life changed so much so you don’t even have the same job as you did before and everything is different.”

Rider was proud of Andy and how she got it. It wasn’t just that Thario got injured, he lost his place in a structure that he valued.

“It was very difficult at first, but I’m better now. I actually like the freedom, and I get to have Frog. Now then, how about we look at the information I have on Tony so you can add anything I need to know.”

Thario showed Andie what he had, and they talked for about five, maybe ten minutes before Thario turned to him.

“I’ll keep you updated. I have some processes running in the background. We should know more in a day or so. If he’s headed this way, we’ll figure it out. From what I’ve learned about him, he may have no clue where Andie even is.”

Rider nodded. “I hope he never figures it out.”

Andie stood and wrapped her arms around his waist. “You and me both.”

He worried about Andie. She may be a grown woman, but Tony was out to get her. Having the jerk track her down and try to kill her had to be hard for her to deal with. He would do everything possible to keep Andie safe.

23

Andie felt better knowing Thario was in her corner. She and Rider chatted about Thario and what he was doing to help her on the way home. She liked that Rider didn’t tell her to be quiet once. He said he enjoyed listening to her, which was refreshing.

She felt like she was really coming into her own. Living with Rider gave her confidence. “You know, moving here with you makes me feel more like myself.”

“That’s good.”

“I’ve been living afraid, feeling like I’m just on the verge of doing something wrong. But with you, I feel like I’m back to my old self. I have confidence, and I like it.”

He glanced over and nodded. “I know you said you’d stay here for four weeks, but I don’t think that’s long enough. I don’t want you to leave.”

She placed her hand on Rider’s thigh. “I don’t want to leave. I was thinking about that earlier tonight as we ate with Thario. I love Portland, and I think one reason I love it is because of Emily.”

“She’s moving.”

“Exactly. I think I should move, too. It’s a beautiful city, and I don’t want to say it has nothing for me, but with you here, Portland has little to offer me.”

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