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

“You’re driving me insane.” Zen nipped at his lips. “I’ll go help Scott. There was a broken starter motor coming in, and I need to do something if I can’t do you.”


“I never said you couldn’t.” Just not with Scott within hearing distance.


Zen groaned and adjusted himself in his jeans. “Evil man.”


The day had dragged and yet time went by too quickly. Zen didn’t do well sitting idle, so he helped Scott out in the garage whenever Scott let him. Fred read on his phone, and at one point he’d gone off to have coffee with Debra, leaving Zen torn between going with him or staying and fixing the brakes on the old Volvo that had come in.


He decided Fred might need some time on his own without Zen constantly checking to see what he was doing—not that Fred ever complained or appeared irritated with him.


But, now it was time to leave. The master brake cylinder had arrived yesterday afternoon, and he and Scott had replaced the old one in the jiffy.


Chapter 32