Page 6 of Race to the Beach

“Wha… What did you do?”Aunt Bonnie stepped into the middle of the kitchen.

Maxi gripped the rag in both of her hands.“I hope you don’t mind, but I wanted to clean up after the fire this morning."

“But I told you I would get to it later.”

“I know.But you’ve done so much for me.It’s the least I can do.”

“Oh, you.You’re so thoughtful.”Aunt Bonnie’s gaze pivoted around the room.When her attention settled on the new microwave, she asked, “Where did that come from?”

Maxi shrugged.“In town.”

“That was so sweet of you.Thank you.Now I don’t have to figure out how to get it home and in the house.How much do I owe you?”

“Nothing.”

Aunt Bonnie shook her head.“I can't have you paying for it.”

“Don’t worry about it.And I wiped off everything in the kitchen, mopped the floors, and moved the old microwave next to the outside garbage can.Is there anything else you need me to do?”

Aunt Bonnie shook her head.“I feel like I need to do something for you.”

Immediately, a thought came to mind.“I love my heart broach that belonged to my mother, but I lost it today.”Just the thought filled her with great sadness.It was the last gift her mother had given her before she’d gotten sick and died.“If you find it, could you send it to me?”

“Certainly.”When Aunt Bonnie’s eyes glistened with unshed tears, Maxi rushed to her side.“What’s wrong?”

Aunt Bonnie shook her head as she swiped at her eyes.“I was supposed to be taking care of you, and here you are taking care of me.I’m going to miss you so much when you leave.”

“I’m going to miss you too.”Maxi hugged her aunt.

After Maxi’s mother died, her aunt had shrunk the distance between them by phoning every Sunday evening to check in.She’d make sure to send little presents for every birthday and Christmas.And she would visit in the summer.Her aunt had never let her down.

And when Maxi’s dad had taken her out of school because she was struggling with her dyslexia, her aunt for the first time had stood up to her father and told him it was a bad idea.Her father had been a very stubborn man.He was certain he was doing the right thing by taking Maxi under his wing and teaching her how to work with her hands.

Maxi blinked, sending the memories of the past to the back of her mind.When she turned her attention to her aunt, she found her admiring the new microwave.If only she were capable of doing more for Aunt Bonnie.

Her thoughts turned to the flyer for the upcoming race.The grand prize was cash.It was a lot of money.Her aunt could do a lot of things with that money.

And there was that old 1959 MG A Roadster that her father kept in the back of the shop.Her father had always said that one day he would fix it up.Sadly, his heart gave out before that day came.

But she could do it.It would take a lot of work both with rebuilding the engine as well as doing some body work to it.She rolled the thought around in her mind.The more she thought about it, the more certain she was that this was a challenge she wanted to take on.

If she succeeded in restoring the car, it would be a way to help her aunt.It would also be a way to honor her father’s memory.With her mind made up, she excused herself and rushed upstairs to her room to pull up the website to read over the rules and regulations for the race.

Chapter Four

Threemonths.

Thirteen weeks.

Ninety-one days.

That was how long it had been since Maxi had last stepped foot on Bluestar Island.The time had flown by.She’d been busy from the time she got up in the morning until she fell into bed at night.

It felt good to be back on the island.The summer sun was hot, but the sea breeze made it comfortable.She lifted her face to the August sun.It had been a long time since she'd spent some leisurely time enjoying the summer.The past three months had been spent scraping by in order to buy car parts, working long hours, and restoring her father's old MG.

There had been a few—okay, it was more than a few, more like plenty of—moments, when she reached a point where she was so tempted to give up on restoring the car.She'd told herself that three months wasn't long enough to find all of the specialty parts and make the necessary repairs, but she wouldn’t let herself stop working.And then by some miracle, it had all worked out.

She was now officially entered in Bluestar’s Vintage Grand Prix.The prize money would be just what her aunt needed to make some necessary repairs to her aging home.Of course, she hadn’t mentioned to her aunt what she intended to do with the prize money.Maxi didn’t want to disappoint Aunt Bonnie if she didn’t win the race.

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