Fred Munson likes his job as a traffic cop. He’s good at it. It’s his personal life that could use some improvement. With no friends, and being too shy to talk to anyone while out of uniform, when Fred is forced to use some of his vacation time, he has nothing to fill his days. At least not until he comes home to find his driveway blocked by a stranger with car troubles. A month after losing his father, Zen Zeppelin Cave has also lost his place in the world. The only thing holding him together is focusing on a charity junk car race to raise money for cancer research. And he's crossing that finish line even if he ends up replacing every part of the car along the way. Zen had planned on completing the race on his own, but a spur-of-the-moment decision changes that when he invites the adorable, blushing police officer whose driveway he’s blocking to tag along. Going with a stranger on a road trip is completely out of Fred’s comfort zone, so when he accepts the invitation, no one is more surprised than himself. Together, Zen and Fred head south. But will the old junk car hold together long enough to reach their destination? And will crossing the finish line mean the end of the road for a budding romance, or will they find there’s more to their journey?

Banger Challenge

“I can give you a lift to get coolant, or, I have some at home you can use for now.” He pointed at the road leading into the woods, his heart beating hard. He waited for Zen to sneer or say something unpleasant, but he didn’t.


Instead, he squinted at Fred and looked down the road. “How far is it to your place?”


“Not far. It’s just down the road to the turn, about the same distance past it, and you’re in my yard.” It wasn’t far. It would take about six minutes to walk, at a leisurely pace. The forest blocked the view of his house from the freeway, and Fred pulled in a deep breath, smelling the calming scent of the forest, listening to the twitter of the birds instead of his thudding heart.


“Sweet! I could do with a walk.” Zen pushed the rag he’d been holding into his back pocket and began walking.


Fred forgot how to breathe. What had he done? Invited a stranger to come to his home? He never brought anyone home. His home was his safe place. The place where no one judged him.


Chapter 6