Page 34 of Lemon Crush

Was it affecting him as intensely as it was me?

Because that area had suddenly become a new erogenous zone that Wade’s touch had activated without even trying. And if he kept doing that, I might embarrass myself in front of Rick and Lucy.

I swallowed hard and attempted to keep track of the conversation. “According to my sister, it’s very expensive and it all counts.”

Lucy held out his hands in a helpless gesture. “If Gene wasn’t my friend and I wasn’t already married to a beautiful woman, I’d sweep your sister off her feet. But sadly, she’s a frugal soul who’s never understood that our commitment to whimsy is priceless.”

When I turned to Wade and mouthed the wordwhimsy, his eyes got darker as his attention zeroed in on my lips.

My heartbeat went a little erratic. What exactly was happening here?

“Lemons requires that commitment,” Lucy declared, unaware of my problem, “because it’s a lifestyle.”

“I wouldn’t say lifestyle,” Rick countered.

“I would.” Wade looked away from me with a frown but didn’t remove his hand. “Think about the amount of time it takes to prepare for a single race. Not only adding the roll cage, but getting whatever piece of junk you decide is going to be your car roadworthy.”

This is why Jiminy is their best option. He’s already roadworthy.Tellthem.

“It is a lifestyle, because there are rallies and races all over the country all year long,” Lucy continued before I could open my mouth. “It’s good wholesome fun for the whole family. Kids love it. Seniors love it. Even Sam loved it.”

Rick sat up straight and tense, eyeing me with concern, and Wade squeezed my knee again in comfort, but I knew this was it. This was the opening I’d been waiting for. I couldn’t have asked for a better segue and I needed to take it.

I smiled. “I know she did. And I’m about to solve all your problems and save Gene’s fragile heart in the process. You need a car? I’m volunteering Jiminy as tribute. For exactly five hundred dollars.”

“What the hell?” Wade snatched his hand from my knee like the flesh beneath my pajamas had turned into lava.

I didn’t have time to theorize why because Lucy was grabbing my French fry hand and smashing a handful between us without noticing. Which…gross.

“Sam’s mint condition, sunshine yellow, 1979 Volkswagen Beetle that’s currently parked in your driveway?” he breathed. “ThatJiminy? Don’t play with desperate men, August.”

He was staring into my eyes as if searching for the joke.

“I would never do that.” I took my hand back and thoroughly wiped it with a napkin. “I’m serious.”

“Gene’s never been a big Herbie guy, but he did like the idea of Sam’s car for some reason. I think he even offered to buy it once.” Rick’s brow was furrowed in thought. “Good thing we don’t care about winning though. A car like that would barely hit eighty-two on the straightaway.”

They weren’t laughing me out of my own backyard, so things were already going better than expected. Except for Wade, who was slowly shaking his head and making me suddenly grateful I hadn’t confided in him before this conversation. It didn’t look like he was on board with my brilliant plan.

“You don’t gut a car like that for this kind of race,” he said. “You get a trash heap and dress it up.”

“It’s only a bug, man,” Rick said under his breath.

“It’s a bug with a Porsche motor, thanks to Wade and his tinkering,” Lucy corrected, his cheeks ruddy with excitement. “Sam told Gene about it years ago. That’s why he wanted to race it. A big guy in a little bug, blazing down the track at what I’d say is closer to one-twenty or better.”

Rick leaned forward, more alert now. “That might be good for a sprint, but a marathon like Lemons? We’d need to plan for problems in advance. An extra engine would be pricey. And we’d have to sandbag the front end for stability.”

Wade shot him down. “That’s a safety hazard. The suspension was already upgraded, but you could tighten the springs. Maybe add a wing to the back and widen the tires. I can’t believe we’re even talking about this.”

“The cooling system for your suits could go in the front,” Lucy threw in. “That’s almost a hundred pounds of water weight and it saves on space.”

It all sounded like gobbledygook to me. Encouraging gobbledygook.

“I don’t know what any of you are talking about,” I said. “But people drive cars like that in this race all the time. I looked it up.”

Wade turned to me. “When did you look it up?”

His eyes made it more an accusation than a question.

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