The Mighty Quinns: Dermot-Dex

Kieran jumped over the seat and settled next to her. She patiently went through the parts of the guitar, the neck, the frets, the strings, the sound hole.

“Each of the strings is a different note. When you press the string down against the fret, it shortens the string and makes the pitch higher. So, when I put this combination of fingers down, it’s a D chord.” She handed him the guitar and put his fingers in the correct spots. “Now strum everything but the top string.”

He did as she asked and a pleasant sound vibrated off the strings. Kieran ran his thumb across them again. “Don’t move your fingers too close to the frets. Now shift your index and middle finger up a string and strum them all. That’s an A-seventh chord.”

Before long he was able to move back and forth between the two chords quite easily. “Now what?”

“Now we’re going to sing a song,” Maddie said. “Something simple. ‘Jimmy Crack Corn.’ Do you know that one?”

Kieran shook his head. “Nope.”

“‘Row, Row, Row Your Boat’?”

“That one I know.”

He strummed the D chord and Maddie showed him where to change. Though he’d never been much of a singer, she seemed to bring out the best in him. After they mastered the first song, she sang “Jimmy Crack Corn” with him and then followed it with “Pink Cadillac.”

“See, you’re good already.”

He pulled her into a kiss. “You’re the one that’s good. You’re amazing. I know people tell you that all the time, but it’s true.”

Maddie met his gaze, searching his eyes for the truth in his words. A smile spread across her face. “For the first time, I think I believe it.”

“Put your guitar away. I think the engine’s cooled down enough that we can make it into town.”

He slipped back behind the wheel and when she jumped onto the seat behind him, he started the car. They found a discount store with an automotive department on the edge of town and Kieran left the car parked outside one of the garage doors.

He locked their things in the trunk before they walked inside. As he was filling out paperwork, Maddie wandered off, looking for a couple of cold drinks for them both. He watched as she walked away, smiling to himself.

In a lot of ways, he hoped it would take a day or two to fix the car. He didn’t want their road trip to end. He wasn’t sure what awaited them at her grandparents place, but he liked having her all to himself.

“Pretty lady,” the guy behind the counter said.

“Yeah, she is.”

“You know who she looks like?”

Kieran nodded. “Yeah. Everyone says that.”

“My wife loves that Maddie West.”

“So do I,” Kieran said. “So do I.”

Kieran took a seat in the waiting area and grabbed a magazine sitting on the table next to him. It was a brand-new issue of a tabloid and he scanned the front page looking for Bigfoot stories. But instead, his gaze fell on a headline with a familiar name.

“‘Desperately Seeking Maddie West,’” he read.

“I bought us snacks, too.”

He glanced up to see Maddie approaching with a bag. She plopped down beside him and pulled out a package of red licorice. “I’ve been craving red licorice.” She pulled out a bottle of soda. “I got you root beer. And a Coke. And a fruit punch.”

He held out the tabloid to her. “I think your mother has gone to the press,” he said, pointing to the headline.

Maddie stared down at the paper, then grabbed it from him, flipping through the pages until she found the story. “‘Country star Maddie West took off for parts unknown after the final concert of her tour in Denver. She’s been missing for four days and though her manager and mother, Constance West, has been worried, she doesn’t believe that Maddie has come to any harm. West says her daughter has been suffering under the stress of touring and recording almost nonstop since the age of fourteen. But sources say the problems may run deeper and could include drugs or alcohol. Maddie West is due to begin work on her newest album in a week.’” She drew a ragged breath. “Great. Now everyone thinks I need to go to rehab. You know, my mother once said that a star isn’t a star unless they’ve gone through terrible times in their lives. She actually said people become more popular if they’ve been knocked down a few times. The ‘Comeback Effect’ she called it. I can see her mind working right now. If I want to take time off she’s going to spin it as some kind of breakdown. And then, I’m going to make a comeback, triumphing over my troubles. Oh, it’s going to sell millions of records.”

Maddie threw the tabloid on the floor. He grabbed her hand and gave it a squeeze. “This doesn’t change anything,” Kieran said. “You’re exactly the same person you were ten minutes ago.”

“I—I need to take a walk. How long is it going to be for the car?”

“They haven’t told me yet.”

“I’ll be back,” she said. “I just need to clear my head.”

“I’ll go with you,” Kieran said.

“No. I’ll be fine. This is kind of new for me, having time to myself. Time to think without someone following me around asking if I’m feeling all right.” She bent down and kissed him, then pointed to the bag sitting beside him. “Have some treats. And throw that magazine away before anyone sees it.”

She walked out the door and Kieran stood. He rang the bell on the counter and the manager appeared a few seconds later. “I’m just going to take a little walk. I’ll be back soon.”

“No problem,” the man said.

Kieran followed Maddie out the door, keeping a safe distance. If she needed him, he’d be there for her. And if not, then at least he wouldn’t be stuck sitting in the automotive department wondering where she was and if she was safe.

“I must be in love,” Kieran muttered. “Either that or I’m going a little crazy.”

WITH A NEW thermostat and a new lease on life, the Cadillac pulled into the long driveway of Serenity Farm around suppertime. Maddie felt her excitement grow as Kieran pulled the car to a stop.

He glanced over at her. “Are you all right?”

Maddie nodded. “My mother and I have never really settled down. We moved all the time. This is the closest thing I’ve ever had to a home.”

The sprawling white clapboard house was exactly as she remembered it with its wide porch and deep green shutters. Her grandmother’s flower gardens were lush with late-summer blooms and Maddie closed her eyes and inhaled the scent, oddly familiar.

She hadn’t seen her grandparents for almost two years. And though she spoke to them on the phone once a month, it wasn’t the same. She stepped out of the car at the same time that the front screen door opened.

“Hi, Ninny,” she cried as she ran up the steps and embraced her grandmother. “Pawpaw, you look as handsome as ever,” Maddie said as her grandfather emerged from the house. She gave him a fierce hug, then stepped back.

“You’re home,” her grandmother said.

“I’m home,” Maddie repeated. She turned and motioned to Kieran. “This is Kieran Quinn. My friend. My … boyfriend.”

Kieran took the front steps two at a time and held out his hand to her grandmother. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.” He shook her grandfather’s hand. “Mr. Westerfield. Mrs. Westerfield.”

“I’m Sarah,” her grandmother said. “And this is Joe.”

Kieran nodded. “Sarah. Joe. You have a beautiful place here.”

“Joe, get the bags. Come in, you two. We’re just finishing dinner. Are you hungry?”