soul survivor

mackenzie jones. thirty. reality tv personality. psychologist. sunshine.

tldr; mack is a local girl that’s a big ball of energy and positivity, which you would never know from watching her on tv. plays up being a villain for the cameras, but in person is so lovely. big time advocate for a lot of important causes and just wants to use her platform to make the world the best place it can be.

tw; depression mention

Amy waited with bated breath until she felt her shoulders relaxing with relief. Though most of her work had been done remotely, she still found herself on the receiving end of Madison’s messages requesting that Amy give it a look over to confirm that Mack would be over the moon about it. “How do you manage your time by the way? Especially when you’re getting inundated with producers begging you to add some spice to their programs these days?” Mack encompassed so many traits that Amy idolized and though she had courage and confidence in how she handled things, her self confidence was starting to dwindle as of late. It was then that she noticed Mack was giving her a look, one that didn’t require the woman to ask questions but she knew what it meant. “Do I seem a little off today?” Amy asked honestly, “It’s just one of those days Mack, I’ll bounce back.” She offered before they settled into the meeting as planned. Presentation after presentation, Amy found herself taking notes until eventually her mind drifted. Had she remembered to turn the thermostat appropriately for her mother? It wasn’t until she heard her name being repeated did she blink and find herself to the snickering of her colleagues. “Sorry I-, could you repeat? Travel you said? I just have a commitment at the hospital, but I’m sure I can ask for spare days.” 

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Time management was one of the hardest parts of Mack’s work. She had to balance filming with MTV, running her company, and most importantly being a dog mom to three wonderful babies. It was hard, but it was doable. “I ask myself that all of the time. It’s just about prioritizing what matters most and making sure that I don’t take on too much. I’ve hired a lot of help around here to take over a lot of the day to day, so I just have to make sure the direction and vision of the company is still what I want it to be. Plus, you know, as long as you love what you do, it’s hard to see it as work, so I just...enjoy it all,” Mack shrugged, giving the simplest answer possible. It required a lot of shifting things around and staying on top of it all, but it was worth it at the end of the day. What she did made a difference and she never wanted to stop finding ways to do just that. Sighing softly, Mack reached over and rested a hand on Amy’s arm. “A little off, so...if you need to talk at all, you know I’m here. Or if you need anything at all.” Mack never pried, never wanted to step too far with people unless they wanted her to dig. She let the offer linger as the rest of the staff shuffled in for the meeting, everyone starting to present their small bits of what was being done around the various departments of the company. Mack got up and went through her quick spiel and pep talk before launching into the planning for the events they had coming up all through the month. “All good, we’re all starting to lose focus. This’ll be the last thing for today and ya’ll can get back to doing your thing. We’re just getting travel schedule set up for the Pride events. If you can get the time, we’ll get you on the schedule, but no worries if you can’t. I can always shift my things around to get to them.”

No surprise the most daring of her recent ideas is what stood out to Mack the most, for one she’d technically accented on it, however the other woman was nothing if not as, or possibly more intrepid than, herself. ❝ Please, you know me, if I had that thing already I would’ve been taking it around town, ❞ Stating pointedly while finishing up getting all the gear on herself sorted. ❝ I just made a deposit, but the guy who created it is gonna start production soon. Once I actually do have it in hand though, you’ll be the first to know, promise. ❞ Unable to help the amusing grin that displayed across her lips, she knew that on the chance her wife said no at the idea, it came purely from a place of concern for her well being, and of course she loved her for it. But that ever present thrill seeker within was firmly all for this happening one way or another. ❝ Deal, remind me to give you the guy’s info later, if it all works out we’ll both be flying through town. ❞ Snorted laugh escapes her throat, nodding in agreement. ❝ All’s fair in paint and war right. ❞ Responding mostly in jest, while unsure about being quite as no mercy, it was simply all part of the game. Slipping the helmet on finally as a ding echoed through the air, signifying the start. The dancer certainly less graceful in her movements here as she ran for a spot to the closest cover, alcohol largely to blame, glancing over at Mack not far motioning her to follow. Making a break for it, a whiz of paintballs rushed by her, miraculously not hitting yet a solid thud banged against the barrier now protecting both from the rest. ❝ Pretty sure there’s a few in front of us – maybe if we each take a side we can get ‘em ? ❞ 

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Even just the idea of being able to hover board around had Mack beaming with excitement, a glint of trouble surfacing in her eyes. It would be something incredibly easy for the both of them to do something stupid with, but also something that Mack would consider worthwhile. “I better be the first to know. If there’s anyone that deserves to be hoverboarding around town with you, it’s me,” Mack grinned, reaching over to nudge slightly at Sanem’s shoulder. Mack could already see them now, the new terror of the streets as they haphazardly zipped around on their boards. “I’m pre-challenging you to a race around downtown once we get our boards because you know I’m absolutely going to buy one the second that you send me that name.” It was possibly a stupid purchase, but one that Mack would be making regardless. Giving a goofy salute to Sanem as they both slid their helmets on, Mack was fully in the game then. As much alcohol as she had in her system, it was easy to let herself get caught up in the fun and games of it all. She was rolling around looking like a complete fool, though in her head she was pretty positive she looked like she was right out of an action movie. Keeping posted at the edge, Mack watched a few paintballs fly by her, nodding as Sanem made a plan. “Deal. Count of three we both charge out there and start firing?” she suggested, eagerly bouncing and ready to start catching people up in her crossfire. Plan set, Mack started the countdown from three, two, and one... Immediately she flung herself out there, spraying paintballs in every direction wildly. Most of them went to nowhere, but the sheer volume of the attack hit at least two of the guys on the other team. The rest of their squad had shifted up with them, all of them running and putting themselves right in the middle of things. “Let’s fucking go!” Mack yelled out loudly, hollering with excitement as she rolled down to the ground, army crawling up towards where she thought another one of the enemies were hidden.

Amy had always considered herself a hard worker, in fact she found that she thrived in any setting where she could throw herself into any sector of what made a project thrive. But now with everything that was privately going down with her family, she wasn’t so sure she was able to remain a Jacqueline of All Trades the way she’d tailored herself to be for years now. With Mack coming in and out of the office for her other endeavors, she realized she hadn’t had a chance to let the woman in on what had changed with her, but she could tell that Mack was able to read her like an open book. She pressed her temples and let her hands fall to the nape of her neck. She could handle whatever Nick had to represent, but if he overused his 15 minutes of time, she wasn’t sure if today would be the day she could stop herself from snapping pencils. Amy perked up at Mack’s statement about the new June initiative, another project she could throw herself in. “That’s right that is coming up isn’t it? Are the social media posts queued up and ready to go? Graphics are fine? Did Madison cross-check references so we don’t get hit with another Twitter travesty?” 

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Mack let her gaze shift and linger on Amy, observing the woman as best as she could to get a sense of where her head was at. There was obviously a lot going on there and Mack made a mental note of it to keep in mind when assigning people out to various tasks within the company. Amy was the type of worker that would take on more and more and the last thing Mack wanted was to overwhelm her. “Hell yeah it is. I’ve gotten a chance to look over most of the social media stuff and it all looks fantastic. I put in some notes for a few changes, but it should be a good campaign to put out there,” Mack confirmed with a proud grin. It was one of the few times of year that she had a hand in just about everything that went out from social media posts to email blasts, wanting to make sure that the messaging was on point. “And I’ve got Madison checking and double-checking everything before it goes out every day, so we should...hopefully be in the clear from any big hiccups. In theory.” It was something that happened, they were still a young company and finding their voice, but Mack was confident enough in the team to put it all together. “I’ll be putting together the travel list for the events later today. Mostly we’re partnering with a lot of local organizations for a lot of the manpower to run them, but I figure at least two of us from the office will fly out for each one. Did you want to travel out for any of them or is your schedule here filled up?”

It’d taken a while but Amy had finally gotten her mother to rest after a frightful few hours of confusion. She looked at the fine lines that creased around the edges of her fast, her heart ached at the sight while she simultaneously felt some type of relief to know she was finally experiencing some form of peace, even if it were laden in her dreams. Her phone buzzed in her pocket, an alert for an upcoming meeting at good vibes inc. within the next hour shined blatantly in her face. Shit. Quickly, she tore herself from the ruffled button down shirt and switched to a blouse, deemed her jeans still wearable for the environment and tossed her hair up in a pony tail, strands of hair framed her face. Before she knew it she was rushing to the office space, thankfully having at least 10 minutes to spare and catch her bearings. Like clockwork, she had her notes, her laptop out, and a familiar array of post it notes with passwords, ramblings, and whatever else that could help her through the day. She looked up perplexed when she saw Mack until she broke out in a gentle smile. “It’s one of those days,” She admitted. “But I’m managing, is the meeting long today?” 

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Just the response and look in Amy’s eyes told Mack everything she needed to know and a sympathetic smile creased her lips. “I get ya,” she nodded softly, letting her chair swirl over closer towards the other woman. Kicking her feet up to rest on the table in front of her, Mack leaned back and got comfortable, adjusting her hat around to the front of her head. “That is a very good question. Nick’s on point with it today, I’m still catching up from being gone. I’ve got maybe ten minutes of stuff on my end to present, so hopefully not too bad,” she shrugged. It always took her awhile to get readjusted to the workings of everything once she got back, leaving most of the leadership to others in her stead. Mack was happy to be a background leader, there to help any way that she could, but not necessarily on top of every little detail. “I think we’re going over some end of the month wrap-ups stuff with the numbers and then plans for some events next month. I think we’re hosting a Pride events all across the country that should be...super cool.”

Coming into the office was always something Mack loved being able to do. It was a small space, but it was a warm space. Everyone on staff was hand picked to be there, creating a work environment that was hard to beat. The fact that they were all there for a reason and fighting to make lives better all across the globe only made it that much sweeter. Rolling into the office space, Mack headed back towards the larger staff lounge area, smile widening when she saw Amy in there. “Ames, hey, glad I caught you in today,” she greeted, plopping down into one of the rolling chairs to slide across the room towards one of the tables near Amy. “What’s good with you?” Mack had plenty of business related things to catch up on with a lot of her co-workers now that she was back in the swing of things after a stint away filming, but it was always more important to her to catch up on a personal level first.

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Some people got their best ideas going for a run or even in the shower — and then others, like herself, tended to have them while half drunk. It could probably be argued that this wasn’t entirely one of her finest, though at the current moment and with the greater enthusiasm coming from Mack, she’d surely say it was. It hadn’t taken long after the suggestion before the duo found themselves at paint of heart, vision peering through the younger crowd around them, before dark hues land back on her friend. ❝ Hey, I think I’ve had some other pretty great ideas lately,  like getting tattoo right after walking into the shop, expanding the business… investing in an actual flying hoverboard, ❞ Stating pointedly with a smirk, while throwing on the jumpsuit they gave out all the players, and securing her gun as well. ❝ Don’t tell Alli about that I still need to figure out how without her immediately getting the deposit back. ❞ Snorted laugh falls then, no stranger to the other woman’s very determined competitive side. ❝ And I love where your head’s at, I’m with you. Think some of them might take my classes.. hopefully they don’t hate me too much after this. ❞ She joked, as they were being told the rules and such before heading out onto the course itself. 

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As Sanem listed off some of her other recent great ideas, Mack nodded at each, lifting a finger with every one as if tallying up all the brilliance. “Whoa, whoa, hold on now. You’ve invested in a flying hoverboard and we haven’t gone out to use it yet?” Mack accused, head whipping towards Sanem with wide, excited eyes. It sounded like just the kind of stupid, reckless thing that she would have a blast doing. Mack got to do a lot of crazy, insane things with her job when she was out filming, leaving her feeling bored to death half the time when she was home. It led to Mack finding new and increasingly more ridiculous ways to find that same level of thrill. “If Alli finds out and fusses, just let me know and I’ll buy it myself. We’ll have a hoverboard one way or another, girl. I got you.” Rubbing her hands together eagerly, Mack followed out to the course, eyes already darting around to find a good place to move to when the bell sounded the start of their round. “Little fuckers won’t know what him them, San. They can’t be mad that we’re just better than they are,” Mack shrugged, tossing her hands up in the air, one hand curled around the paintball gun. When the bell chimed and signaled the start, Mack took off at a wild sprint, the drunken energy fueling her forward in a zig zagging pattern until she reached the edge of one of the barriers. Flinging herself to the ground in a slide, she came to a stop right behind it, signaling that it was clear for Sanem to join her. Not that she actually looked to check, but she was willing to assume she got there before anyone from the other side could get anywhere close.

The fact that her and Sanem were the only two adults amid a crowd of teenagers didn’t at all deter Mack from being ready to rumble when it came to their paintball shenanigans. Afternoon drinks had gotten them well and drunk enough to think it was a great idea to up and head over to the paintball course for a round of fun. “Girl, this is the best idea you’ve had in a long time,” Mack grinned, bouncing eagerly as they suited up in the pads that they’d rented for their adventure out into the paintball course. They’d been placed in a team with a few others, but Mack wasn’t there to play on a team, she was there to crush anyone and everyone. The competitive flair was already coming out as she loaded up the paintballs into her gun, eyes flickering towards their competition with a steely gaze. “I’m going to absolutely fucking destroy these kids. San, I love this and I love you. Drinks were great, but this? Peak entertainment.” 

Riley didn’t remember exactly how she had ended up drinking with Leslie Bowman at a bar downtown, but many drinks later she didn’t care to ask either. Whatever had brought them together to get drunk, Riley was just glad for the company. Already probably much drunker than they needed to be, they’d left from their first location and barged their way into the wine art building, settling in for more drinking and a very sloppy attempt at some art. The instructor had started showing them the steps to paint through a picture of a sunflower, but Riley had quickly discarded that idea and instead was intensely focused on Leslie to paint a portrait of the other woman. When Riley was drunk, everyone was her best friend for life, and right now that was Leslie. “I have never seen you more than I do right now in this painting,” Riley spoke after a stretch of silence as she let the brush strokes sloppily splash along the page. Even if it was her job to be good at reading people, Riley was just naturally very perceptive with people. She understood them, could tear apart their inner workings and figure them out. Drunk, however, she was mostly just talking out of her ass with the occasional intelligent insight popping out. “There’s just...so much inner turmoil in your eyes.”

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A night out with Riley had always been a fun time, more than happy to make plans once she was back in town. Sanem would be the very last person to judge anyone’s alcohol intake, especially with her own eyepopping track record, in fact the first few rounds she was readily matching her friend shot for shot. However it came to a point where the glasses were emptying faster than the bartender could get the refills going and though she seemed to be in good spirits, the dancer couldn’t help but feel a twinge of concern. Decidedly pacing herself, in a turn of events from the norm, at least one of them had to be coherent enough to walk them out and home, or the other’s place, wherever the evening had them end up. Watching her vibe to the melody, flick of amusement on her expression, attempting to get her attention, Riley then interjected with a statement that only made her chuckle. ❝ You think, huh, ❞ She teased with a smirk, head shaking in a lighthearted manner, as the other woman instantly listed off various possibilities. ❝ Okay – I mean I’m on board for all those, is the aquarium open right now ? What about drunk bowling, or even make our way to the beach… We could definitely grab food on the way… ❞ Humming thoughtfully, before she polished off her current jack and coke. ❝ North Star should give us pancakes to go, but I could also really go for some donuts. ❞  

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It was late in the evening and odds were the aquarium was decidedly not open, but that was a fact lost on Riley in her fervor for the idea. She was, for all of thirty seconds, dead set on the idea, ready to dig her heels in and insist on it, but Sanem listing other ideas off had her bouncing on to the next idea with just as much excitement. “Bowling! That’s brilliant. They serve beer there, right? We can get beers and get proper drunk,” Riley mused, as if her eyes weren’t already glassy from the alcohol coursing through her system. The idea brought not just a fun time, but also a bit of friendly competition, which was appealing. Riley loved anything she could win, even more so when she was drunk. Her excited chattering at least kept her from drinking down her current glass as quickly as the others had gone, the drink set to the side momentarily as they made their plans for the rest of the night. “Pancakes and donuts to go, bring them to the bowling alley. Get more beer. And then...let’s wager on it.” Riley’s eyes were lit up with a drunken gleam of challenge in them, already planning out her victory in her mind. “I’d bet like...at least five hundred dollars that I’ll win. I’m great at bowling.” Riley when locked in and sober was pretty good at bowling, but drunk was more likely to toss every ball two lanes over and backwards.

Belamy laughed. “I’ll try to find you,” they teased. They thought for a moment. “Uh, nine years? Or maybe ten? It’s definitely getting to the point where it’s starting to blend together.” They smiled softly and nodded. “Yeah, it can definitely be difficult,” they said. “For the most part, I’m a GP, so I’m the one they come to for, you know, check-ups and strep and that sort of thing. But sometimes…” They sighed softly. “All the kind of stuff that ends up in oncology or whatever, that starts somewhere, you know? Usually in a normal doctor’s office.”

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“Oh, wow, so a good while. Settled down some roots here, then,” Riley nodded. She loved it in the town, had missed it the entire time she was off traveling around for college, and was glad that she was back for what she figured was for good. Riley’s lips pursed, a soft frown settling in her forehead as the other spoke. It was similar to her own experience with what she did. She kind of saw her practice as the GP of mental health, the first step to start exploring people’s needs before, in some cases, they needed to be shifted towards other avenues of help. “Medical field isn’t easy, that’s for sure, but...worth it. When you get to make a difference, it’s hard to complain when things get tough.”

With the wedding over and Sanem back from the honeymoon it hadn’t taken long before the two had made plans to hang out. While Riley hadn’t started out the evening intending to get completely hammered, that’s exactly where she’d ended up. A shot between games of darts and pool had turned into two...into three...and eventually Riley had just stopped counting. Sitting at the bar next to Sanem, Riley was zoned out, head bobbing to the beat of the music. Blinking for a moment, she turned back to her friend, realizing that Sanem had been saying something. “I - think I am drunk,” Riley blurted out with a laugh, her head spinning a bit from the quick turn towards Sanem. Slumping down a bit, she leaned over against the bar, blinking her eyes rapidly. “We should go...somewhere. Dancing. A strip club. I have dollars. No. Food. Pancakes. Wait. Better idea, we should go to the aquarium.” Riley’s words were tumbling out at a mile a minute, her brain jumping from one thought to the next on a whim. She went through phases when she was drunk, oscillating between zoning out and bursts of energy that just left her excited before eventually she crashed down into a weepy mess at some point in the night.

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The very last thing she wanted to do tonight is get to the point of being wasted and possibly sully their beautiful day by even the smallest means. More so to be seen in such a state by her father or family from Turkey. Mortifying to say the least. ❝ I’m absolutely all for it, we can plan for something after the honeymoon. ❞ She agreed with a bright grin, already imagining the night to be a fun one indeed. Unable to help the snorted laugh that vibrated out of her throat at Riley’s words about her wife putting Landon in his place, frighteningly so. Sure that if anyone in the world would be able to, it was the lawyer. ❝ For that outcome only, I’d be willing to accept a tiny amount of nuisance from him. ❞ Her tone had been in jest, as entertaining a sight as it’d likely be, she was happy that the ambience throughout kept hold of a contended serenity. Deciding to order her signature cocktail then, dark hues bounce from the server back to her friend on the possible theme for her birthday. ❝ I do see where you’re coming from, but, you could also think of it as a way to show off exactly why you’re a two-time champ. Besides we’d be able to bend the rules a little otherwise and say since it’s your day you automatically win. ❞ Suggesting with a shrug, and soft chuckle. ❝ A camping weekend would be perfect and I’m willing to bet there’s a ton of places around this can all be set up at, especially to mimic some Survivor challenges. If you’re really for it, let me know cause I’d be more than happy to help plan this for you. ❞

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With all the whirlwind of the wedding and then the upcoming honeymoon, it was kind of crazy to think that there would be an afterwards when all of the events were over and everything just went back to normal. Riley sighed softly at the thought, not eager to be past all of the big events going on, but nodded towards Sanem to confirm she was in. “Deal. After the honeymoon, maybe a bonfire at my place. I can grill out, we can invite a few people just to hang out and get highly intoxicated,” Riley smiled, not hating the thought. She loved having people over and entertaining, especially now when she was looking for anything to keep herself occupied. Chuckling in agreement, Riley took another quick look around to try and spot Landon, hoping that he was still sticking to staying in line. Things felt like they were going smoothly, almost too smoothly, but she was glad for it. Sanem and Allison deserved the perfect day and, so far, she hoped that was what they’d had. “I mean, you make a fair point. I didn’t win twice by being lucky,” Riley laughed. It had been unexpected for her, seeing how easily she was able to maneuver in a game of social constructs like that. Toss in the fact that she was quite fit and good at puzzles and it had turned into a perfect storm of things working in her favor. “I’ll think about it and let you know. It...would be super fun. Kind of like one of those obstacle course marathons or something just...less insane.” People did things like that all the time and Riley didn’t see why they couldn’t figure out how to organize something small for her own upcoming birthday.

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Bellamy gave a soft chuckle. “You know what, you’re right. Next time I go out to get myself a coffee I’m putting on something nice.” They would probably forget to do that but it was a nice thought to have right now. Belamy grinned at her. “Oh, really? That’s wonderful. How long have you had your practice here?” They smiled softly. “Yeah, it’s really great,” they said. “It’s not just kids, it’s the whole family. And a lot of the time they come back to me as their kids’ doctor for checkups and stuff, so I really get to watch them grow up.”

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“Here’s to hoping I get to see it. If it’s anywhere near as good as you look tonight, it’ll be a sight to see,” Riley smiled back with a brightness in her eyes. Her lips pursed together in thought before she slowly nodded. “Mmm, it’s been a few years now. How long have you been working out of here?” As much as Riley’s job allowed her to change lives and make a big difference, it had to be rewarding to do what Belamy did. They got to see people grow up and guide young kids through their early years in life to some degree. “That’s kind of awesome. I get kids now and again that I get to work with, but...that’s always hard. Those are...usually some of the toughest for me.”

Open to: Everyone Location: Somewhere Downtown

It has been three months now, three long and annoying months without his brother, and now with Niall taking over the family business. The Waltons were old money, with their multiple farms around the area, and even with all the ignorance Niall has been getting from his dad, he still is trying his best to keep things going. Sometimes is still hard for him, he had a life out of Crescent Harbor and had to give up on almost everything to come back to town after so many years. He was tired, but as usual, there he was, enjoying his weekend by a local bar, having a couple beers with his suit hanging by the chair and enjoying some moment of social, it has been a while since last time he went out, his party boy side was begging for some alcohol and good conversation.

There were this Baseball game going on apparently, all the tvs were streaming the game and more than half the people by the bar had their eyes focused on it, Niall didn’t knew much about baseball so he was mostly on people watch, the person sitting nearby apparently were doing quite the same as some guys celebrated something about the game and they didn’t even looked at the tv. “You don’t seem to be watching the game, thanks, that actually made me feel like I’m not the weirdo here.” He nodded at them with a short smile. “Don’t know a thing about baseball.”

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Riley was a sports girl. She could sit in a sports bar all day and watch whatever sport came up on the screen, but more so she enjoyed it for the camaraderie that it brought to a community. Rallying together behind a team to support them and yell over bad calls and everything in between was something she loved. Give her a football game, a soccer game, a hockey game...but baseball was a struggle for her to watch. She’d hang out at the bars when they had games on and even would cheer a bit if something exciting happened, but she wasn’t at all invested in watching the game itself. 

She was sipping on a beer and people watching for the most part, eyes scanning around for anything of moderate interest. Hearing a voice next to her pointed in her direction, Riley tipped her head to the side, a grin toying at her lips. “God, I love sports, don’t get me wrong, but sitting and watching nine innings of baseball is...not my deal,” she chuckled, shrugging her shoulders. “I like to come be a part of it all, though. Don’t much care for the sport, but it’s fun. People get excited, buy free rounds for everyone when they get a little too drunk and excited. Baseball fans are fun, even if their sport is not.”

location: somewhere near hemlock docks

when: may 8th, early evening

status: open | @crescentstarters​

                — If Victoria knew that they’d have to handle their car breaking down right in the middle of the street during rush hour, then they would’ve probably taken an Uber to this meeting. Thankfully, they were already on their way home, but, their car breaking down postponed their plans for a bit. And to make things even better, their phone had died literally five minutes ago, so they couldn’t even call their partner and ask them to pick Victoria up. Stepping out, they popped up the hood and sighed while waving off the smoke coming out from that bunch of metal. Upon noticing someone approaching, they ran their fingers through their hair, and swallowed their pride in order to ask for help.

“Do you know anything about cars? Think you could help me?”

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Riley was out for a long walk with her three boys, letting them get their exercise in before they went down for the evening. They didn’t stray terribly far from her house, sticking to the area of the docks to get their nightly exercise in. The three dogs were sniffing around eagerly, playing with both each other and Riley as they made their way down the path. Spotting a bit of smoke coming up in front of her, Riley quickened her pace, moving towards the car to check and see if everyone was okay. When she saw who it was, a smile lifted at her lips. Victoria was someone she knew fairly well and her hand lifted to greet them as she approached. “You know, I’m pretty handy, so yeah, let me take a look,” Riley offered. Her dad was a handy guy and had taught her more than her fair share of fixing things up since they’d never had the money to hire someone else. “Can you hold on to the boys for a second while I get up under the hood?”