munching on fried food and trying to bowl. Kieran couldn’t remember the last time he’d laughed so hard. They were both ridiculously bad, rarely keeping the ball out of the gutter. There was one high point, though. Maddie slipped as she released the ball and rolled a perfect strike. Of course, she couldn’t do it again.
It amazed him they could enjoy something so simple. He’d always assumed that the whole purpose of dating was to impress a woman with how cool and sophisticated he was. He’d never approached it as a chance to have fun. Maybe he’d just been dating the wrong kind of women.
“This is for the game,” Maddie said, pointing to the score projected above the lane. “It’s 31 to 29. If I knock down three pins, I think I’ll beat you.”
She rolled her first ball down the alley and it clattered into the gutter. Dejected, she returned and plopped down next to him. “You win,” she conceded.
“You get another ball,” he said, pointing to the scoreboard.
“Really?”
Kieran nodded. “And when you throw, try not to twist your wrist as you let the ball go. I think that’s why it always goes in the thing.”
“The gutter,” she said. Maddie held the ball up in front of her face. “See, this is how you do it.” She took three steps and rolled the ball down the lane. To Kieran’s surprise, it stayed in the center and knocked down nine pins.
Their celebration was short-lived. Jake appeared a few moments later with his offer of a ride and Kieran and Maddie gathered up their things and hurried outside.
“So, you folks want the Enterprise out at the airport or my buddy with the used-car lot?”
“We should probably stick with Enterprise,” Kieran said. “Then we can return the car anywhere we want.”
Jake nodded. “I see your point.”
They drove down a long avenue, lined with commercial buildings and restaurants. Kieran glanced back at Maddie who sat in the backseat of the extended cab. She stared out the window, her brow furrowed, her expression unreadable.
“We really appreciate this,” Kieran said. “We sort of got off the train, not knowing what was—”
“Stop!” Maddie cried.
Jake slammed on the brakes and the pickup skidded to a stop. “What?” he shouted.
“We’ll get out here,” Maddie said. She grabbed her bag from beside her and pushed on the back of Kieran’s seat. “Here. Right here.”
Kieran looked around. “There’s nothing here but a couple of used car—”
“I’ve decided against renting a car,” Maddie said. “I want to buy one.”
“Well, if you’re lookin’ to buy a car, then I got to take you to see my buddy. He’ll give you a real good deal. His place is just a mile down the road.”
“All right,” Maddie said. “Let’s go.”
A few minutes later, they both hopped out of the truck. “You just tell Ernie that Jake sent you. He’ll give you a good deal.” The bartender waved as he drove off, leaving them both standing on the sidewalk.
“What the hell are we doing?” Kieran asked.
“I don’t have a car. I want to learn how to drive. So I think it’s about time I buy one.” She smiled at him. “Good plan, right?”
“A used car?”
“Hey, you’re starting to rub off on me. A new car would cost too much. A used car costs less.” She grabbed his hand and pulled him along across the street.
“Maddie, you don’t just buy a car on a whim. You have to shop around, especially with used cars. A new car would be more dependable, it would have a warranty and be more fuel efficient and—”
“Stop,” Maddie said. “Look at all these cars. I’m sure I can find something I like here.”
A crazy mixture of cars littered the lot. Kieran didn’t know where to start. “Are you sure you have enough money—”
“Stop worrying about money!” Maddie cried. “I have enough to buy a used car.”
“Do you have any idea how much one of these costs?”
“Less than a new car. And I suppose it would depend upon how used the car was. I’ll know what I want when I see it.”
Kieran pulled her to a stop and took her guitar from her hand, setting it at her feet. “Here’s the deal. Buying a used car is a risky proposition at best. You don’t know anything about cars. So, this time around, rather than buying whatever strikes your fancy, I want you to take some advice. Do you think you can do that?”
“Yes,” Maddie said, nodding in agreement. “I’ll let you do all the talking.”
The salesman introduced himself and Kieran mentioned they were looking for a good deal on a car and that Jake had directed them here. Maddie had already wandered off to look on her own. “We’re looking for something that gets good mileage, easy to drive. It has to have air and a decent sound system. Maybe an SUV. Or a sporty sedan. I’m not—”
“I want this one!” Maddie shouted. “Right over here.”
He and Ernie both turned to find her pointing to an old Cadillac convertible in a startling shade of bubblegum-pink. Kieran walked over to her, Eddie hard on his heels.
“This is the one,” Maddie said. “How much is it?”
“Why, that’s fifteen thousand,” Ernie said. “Now that’s a real nice car. Vintage, low miles. It was owned by a nice young lady from over in Crown Point. Her boyfriend, an older gentleman, bought it for her and had it all tuned up and painted. They broke up and he sold it to me. It’s a classic Caddy. Convertible, tail fins, smooth ride.”
“I love it,” Maddie said, her eyes bright, her smile infectious.
Kieran grabbed her arm. “Could you excuse us for a moment? We just need to discuss a few things.”
“Right,” Ernie said. “I’m just going to go get the keys so you can take it for a test drive. You’re gonna love it.”
Kieran watched him leave, then bent close to Maddie. “I thought you were going to let me do the talking.”
“I was. But then I saw this car. It’s a sign. I have to have it. It’s a pink Cadillac.”
“I can see that.”
“You know. The song, ‘Pink Cadillac’? I sang it on my first album. This is the car for me. I want this one.”
“It’s pink, it’s forty years old, it probably gets about five miles to the gallon and it’s got rear wheel drive which will be impossible on ice and snow.”
“Well, I like pink, it’s vintage, I’m not going to drive it cross
