With the trip to Tyler planned for the next day, Mike was eager to get home and wait for his daughter.
Sensing Mike's urgency, the idea of an early evening quickly appealed to Steve as well. "I'll take the Galaxy, Mike, and drop you off and then pick you back up in the morning."
"Don't you want to see Jeannie's new ride, Buddy Boy? She'll be home by 7. I just heard from her an hour ago."
Steve grinned and nodded his head. "Oh, you bet. But I thought I'd let you two have your time. I can see her new car tomorrow morning."
"You still think that way, don't you? She loves seeing both of us at any time, but I know for a fact that she's particularly interested in seeing your reaction to the car. After all, this is a big step for her."
"It's a big step for you, too." Steve added. "No more rides to the bus terminal, for one."
"That will be replaced by worry for her driving safety. She's a good driver, but it's the other guy I worry about."
"She'll be fine. You taught her everything you know about driving and I also took her out a few times in the Porsche to teach her stick shift." Steve remembered those few Sundays that were filled with laughs and a few tense moments as she graduated to driving on the highway. "If I got any grays over the past few years, I think it was from crossing our bridges with her at the wheel."
"You and grays, I hardly think yet, Buddy Boy. And not anywhere the number of grays the two of you have given me," Mike chuckled.
"Well, it will still be light out when she gets here…okay, I give. I'll hang around your place this evening. What did she buy anyway?" Steve asked.
"That is for you to find out, detective." Mike answered mysteriously.
"Are there clues?"
"Not necessarily, but consider my daughter's personality…" Mike added.
"Usually bubbly, so something kind of cute," Steve said as he saw Mike raise his eyebrows. "The car, I mean, of course."
"You don't think she's cute?" Mike said seriously.
Steve stood with his mouth open for a second. "That's not for me to say…" and then grinned mischievously. "But of all the girls I have known to where making a comment would get me into heaps of trouble with their fathers, yes, she is cute."
"Well played, Buddy boy," Mike said.
"She does have that Stone temper and I have been on the receiving end of her occasional Stone glare. The Ford Mustang Boss?"
Somewhat annoyed, Mike answered, "No…you'll have to try again."
"She can be a little devil. A Dodge Demon?"
Mike shook his head. "You are hopeless. Let's go get some carry out and then get back to my place. You'll have more time to think it over."
