"Then… okay." She nodded her acceptance of his terms.
In one swift movement, he grabbed the sheet with the carefully written lines and ripped it out of the notebook. Folded it up and shoved it in the pocket of his jeans. "The plan is that there is no plan."
She quirked an eyebrow, so it kissed the bottom edge of her bangs.
He waited. Poised and ready for whatever zinger she prepared to toss at him. Finally, she pinched her lips together. "I don’t really like that plan."
"Isn’t that the point?"
The buzz of the landing gear coming down marked the real start of their adventure. He watched the airport roll into view, excited for the first time in a long time about something other than music.
"How’s the water out here?" she asked. "Is the tap good or should we stop for bottled on the way?"
"Water’s fine. It’s water," he replied, since he’d never given any thought to it.
"See that’s where you’re wrong," she said, talking with her hands. "Not all water is created equal. I love Denver water, not so much the tap water in Orlando, but Portland was fine when I visited there." Damn, but the way she scrunched up her nose was cute.
"You can have whatever water you want," he promised.
They deplaned and a black Mercedes-Benz drove up to meet them on the blacktop. Bags were unloaded, they got settled into their seats, and he asked their driver, Rick, to drop them at the nearest new car, truck, or motorcycle dealership.
"No scooters," he clarified.
"Aren’t we going to the apartment?" Darla asked, nervously. "It’s almost night."
He nodded. "Yes it is, and not unless you want to. Is that what you want to do?"
"I mean, not really. It’s just what you do when you land in a new city—go get settled wherever you’re staying."
"I’m having a hankering to buy a new car or something." He rubbed his hands together. "You ever get that?"
"Can we do the honest thing for a second?" she asked. "I have a question."
He tapped his foot, his knee bouncing with the movement. "Sure."
"You don’t even know what the honest thing is."
Didn’t seem too complicated. "I figure it’s where we’re honest with each other."
"I guess you do know what it is."
He stopped a chuckle and leaned forward in anticipation. "What’s your question?"
"Can a person just go buy a car without planning it?" she quizzed, her eyes sparkling with a little sizzle of excitement like she didn’t believe it was actually possible.
Without hesitation, he draped his arm around her shoulders and scooted closer to her, drawing her into his side. He looked down at her and smiled mischievously before confidently replying, "Hell, yeah."
She glanced up as he did this, her pupils dilating.
"I vote for a used car, then," Darla said. "You can get a nice one in good condition that won’t leave you destitute if something goes wrong and you can’t make music anymore."
"We get to do whatever we want," he said. "I have the urge to make a big purchase, and I’m not feeling the pre-owned today."
He glanced out the window as the car jostled over the lip of the drive and they rolled into the Ducati motorcycle dealership lot.
He grinned because this was even better than he thought it might be. He’d figured they’d end up at a Ford or maybe a Honda dealership. But this, nowthiswas better. He gave Rick the directions to drop their luggage at the apartment and grab some bottled water for Darla, too.
Then he helped Darla out of the back seat.
