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

“Fine. I might have taken a soup ladle when I moved out of Mom’s house.”


Zen slowed down, checked the rear-view mirror, and then ahead before looking at Fred. “You stole a soup ladle from your mother?” Disbelief colored his every word.


“She had more than one! And this one belonged to my grandmother. She used to make me tomato soup with pasta in it when I was a kid. I loved that soup.”


Fred slapped his arm. “Focus on the road.”


“What was the last thing you stole?”


Zen shrugged. He couldn’t remember the last thing he’d taken, but if someone left good tools lying around, they had no one to blame but themselves.


Zen spluttered. “Of course not! I might give them stolen goods, but I’d never take from them.”


Fred shook his head. “I fear you’re a little crazy.”


Chapter 21