There were thousands of cars on the large dealership lot. I didn’t let it overwhelm me. I’d come with a plan. I was going to buy a newer model Jeep. It was sporty, dependable, and reasonably priced. All I needed Trina’s dad to do was point me in the right direction.
When I arrived inside the dealership, the first thing I saw was a huge, poster-sized picture of Trina hanging on the wall under the name of the dealership. She was in her soccer uniform and was giving a thumbs-up to the camera.
“I know, right?” Trina said, appearing beside me.
I raised my eyebrows at her.
“My dad paid me for my endorsement or I wouldn’t have come close to agreeing.”
“Soccer stars are experts on cars, who knew?” I smiled her way.
“My dad is balder than a baby or he probably would’ve used his own big head up there.”
I laughed.
“Speaking of the bald baby.” She nodded toward an older man who was walking our way. “And despite what I’ve said, I actually really like the guy. You will, too. Come on, I’ll introduce you.”
Her dad was already extending his hand out to shake mine. His face was filled with a friendly smile.
“Maddie. This is my dad. Dad, Maddie.”
“Great to meet you, Maddie,” Mr. Saunders said.
“Hi,” I said as he pumped my hand a few times.
“Trina told me you’re looking for a car. Did you have something in mind?”
“I do, actually,” I said. “A Jeep.”
“Okay, what kind of Jeep? Hard top? Soft top? Automatic? Four door?”
Before I could tell him all the specifications I had decided on, Trina said, “A Jeep? Why?”
“Because it’s both sporty and practical,” I replied.
She laughed. “Why do you need to be practical? You can totally afford to be impractical.”
“Now, Trina,” her dad started.
“Seriously, Dad. Let’s show her the shiny cars before we take her to the Jeeps.” She looked at me. “Just to give you options. Options are good, right?”
“Options are good,” I conceded.
I let Trina pull me by my arm to some cars on display. I wondered how they got the cars inside like that. I could also tell that these cars were way more than I wanted to spend. I could tell by the thing that caused their paint to look glimmery, the way every curve of them seemed to shine brighter than the sun. Their windows were just the right amount of tint and there were more chrome accents than on anything I’d seen outside.
I couldn’t deny how beautiful the cars in front of me were. I ran my hand along the fender of the shimmering red car to my right. The label on the back said it was a Jaguar. It seemed too … old for me. Like something some rich old man would drive. I would never drive a car like this.
That’s when I saw a car across the way up on a pedestal. The car was tilted, its doors open.
“What kind of car is that?”
“You like the Corvette?” Mr. Saunders asked. “That’s a loaded Z51.”
“It’s pretty.”
He squinted. “That car is not pretty. It is powerful. You like to drive fast?”
“I don’t know. My entire car shakes when I hit fifty-five miles per hour.”
“You should take the Corvette for a test drive.”
Trina, who had been quiet, let out a little squeal. “Can we?”
“I will let you because you are Trina’s friend.”
“Thank you.” I was sure the car was way beyond what I wanted to spend, but it wouldn’t hurt to test it out. I had all but talked myself out of a sports car before I had come, but how did I know I really didn’t want one until I drove it?
I wanted one. Very badly. Driving this car felt like I was gliding on top of the road, wheels not touching. Not just because of how fast it went, but because of how smoothly it handled. I’d found the nearest freeway and was testing the speed. Trina’s dad had been right, this car was powerful.
From beside me Trina said, “What does this button do?” When she pushed whatever button she was referring to, the small screen in the center of the dash lowered, revealing a storage space behind it. She giggled. “This is so cool.” She closed it again, then started pushing other buttons. The air blasted, as did the radio, and a voice came online asking if I’d like to connect a Bluetooth device.
“You’re going to make me crash,” I said, distracted by all the … distractions. I checked my side mirrors to make sure I was still centered in my lane on the freeway.
“Sorry, sorry.” She clicked everything off one by one. “Tell me you want this car. This is the coolest car I’ve ever been in.”
“This car is probably triple what I want to spend.”
She tilted her head sideways and studied a sticker on the outside of the passenger window. “Seventy thousand? That’s not bad for a car like this.”
She was so casual about it that I tried not to let my sticker shock make me stutter. “That’s a little too much.”
“Why? You have it. What, you’re going to get a more reasonable car for half that price, and why? Because it’s more reasonable? You can afford this. To you, this is reasonable. And I can tell you love it.”
Live a little, Seth’s voice said in my head. How had he become my voice of irresponsibility? He was responsible and I’m sure a $70,000 car wasn’t what he meant when he’d said that. But Trina was right, I did love it. And she was right, reasonable was relative. Reasonable for me was different now. Plus, Mr. Saunders told me I had three days after purchase to change my mind.
These were the internal thoughts that had me signing paperwork and buying a car I hadn’t intended to buy. But as Trina’s dad handed me the keys, an excited flutter jumped around in my chest and I didn’t regret it. I had money now. Why was I still thinking like I didn’t? It was time to change my mind-set.
“You need a new look to go along with your hot new car,” Trina said. “We should go shopping this week.”
“Yes! Can we? Will you go with me?” My excitement at this idea surprised even me.
“Of course.”
I nodded. I knew nothing about fashion and having a style queen guide me through a shopping day would be a good life skill. It was time to ditch my baggy jeans and ratty cardigans. And who better to help me than Trina Saunders?
“Oh!” I said, as I stood by my car in the parking lot of the dealership, absentmindedly petting it. “I forgot to tell you about the party this Friday. I’m going to text you the address. People need to be there at eight o’clock sharp or they won’t be able to take part.”
“Why?”
“Because it’s on a yacht.”
“A yacht?” Trina’s eyebrows rose almost to her hairline. “As in a big ship in the ocean?”
Why was everyone feeling the need to define what a yacht was? Was it that shocking? And was that a good thing or a bad thing? “Yes, a yacht. Is that … cool?”
“That is unreal, Maddie.” She gave a bounce and hugged me. “I’ll get to spreading the news.”
“Thanks.”
“So, shopping trip on Wednesday after school?”
“Sounds good.” I wondered for a fleeting second if I should invite Blaire and Elise. Blaire would hate it and Elise couldn’t afford it. And we didn’t have to do everything together.
My dad walked once around my car when he got home. I could tell he was trying to hide a pleased smile, trying to be a responsible parent by pretending to be disappointed. “This wasn’t exactly the car I thought you’d pick,” he began.
“But … ” I said, waiting for his smile to break loose.
“It’s just, you should be careful with your money. Have you talked to a financial advisor yet?”
“No, I will, but a few big purchases won’t kill me, right?”
“No, of course not. Can I give it a try?” That last sentence he said so quiet that I wasn’t sure I had heard him right.
“What?”
“Is it okay if … ”
Then it hit me what he was asking and I laughed. “You want to drive it?”
“Yes.”
“Of course.” I handed him the keys. Now he couldn’t control his smile and seeing that giddiness in him made me swell with happiness. I hopped in the passenger seat and watched him start the car with an excited yelp. I could get used to this. Maybe I already had.
Monday morning started weird. My mom came into the bathroom where I was brushing my teeth and held out her cell phone to me. “It’s your Uncle Barry.”
“I have an Uncle Barry?” I asked around my toothbrush.
“It’s really my uncle, your great-uncle.”
I spit my mouthful of toothpaste into the sink. “What does he want?”
“To say hi and congratulate you.”
“Oh.” I rinsed my mouth, then took the phone from her and pushed it against my thigh. “Wait. Do we like Uncle Barry?”
My mom laughed. “Yes, he’s nice.”
“Okay.” I put the phone up to my ear. “Hello?”
“Hello, my great-niece.”
“Hi, Uncle Barry. How are you?”
“I’m amazing. I just wanted to say congratulations on your big win.”
“Thank you … How did you find out?”
“From the family newsletter.”
“Right.” I had no idea we had a family newsletter. “Of course.”
My mom held up her finger as if to say she’d be right back and left me alone in the bathroom on the phone with her uncle that I’d never met before.
“Has your mom told you that I’m a real estate investor?”
I didn’t know you existed before two minutes ago, was what I was tempted to say. “Um … no.”
“Well, I am, and I can talk to you about that some if you’d like, but what I really wanted to tell you is that it’s important for you to diversify your investing. Sure, put some in the market, but also make sure you have some real estate and other investments, too.”
Had my mom called her uncle after I’d bought the car? She was probably concerned that I hadn’t seen a financial advisor yet, just like my dad. “Oh yeah, that’s probably important,” I replied, putting down my toothbrush.
“It is important. I think you should start off small for now. I have a property I’m looking at that I’d love to go in on with another investor. I’d like you to be that investor.”
“Me?”
“Yes, my dear. You could be a real estate mogul at eighteen years of age.”
“How much would I invest?” I asked cautiously.
“We’d each put in five hundred grand. The property is very undervalued right now. It’s the perfect time to buy. I’d like to fix it up, then turn around and sell it. You could make a twenty percent return on your investment in a couple months.” Uncle Barry sounded proud.
“Why don’t you just buy the whole thing yourself?”
“That’s the thing. I have some money tied up in other properties right now.”
Where was my mom?
“Can I send you over some paperwork to look at?” Uncle Barry was asking.
“Sure.” Paperwork was harmless.
“Great.”
We said our good-byes and I set the phone on the counter. I’d have to find out more about real estate stuff. But if my great-uncle Barry already knew the business, why not invest with him? It would probably make my parents feel better, too.