Read The Meltdown Match (A Romance Novella) for Free Online Page B

They spent the rest of the evening snuggling, talking, and kissing.
    When the sun finally approached the horizon close to midnight, Mitch took Courtney outside to the front porch. He stood behind her and wrapped his arms around her shoulders, pulling her close as the sun slowly disappeared behind the mountains, marking an end to one of the longest, and now best, days of the year.
    “This is the most perfect ending to any day I’ve ever had,” Courtney whispered.
    Mitch couldn’t agree more.
     

Mouth-watering smells of homemade cinnamon rolls filled Courtney’s senses as her eyes blinked open. She stretched her body and smiled at her bedroom ceiling. With dreams of Mitch and a new plot for a book fresh in her mind, it was easy to leave her bed behind and make her way to the kitchen, where her parents and Hannah were already eating breakfast.
    Her father eyed her from over the top of his paper. “What time did you get in last night?”
    “Around one.”
    Hannah wiggled her eyebrows. “Was Mitch trying to make a new Guinness record or something, because that had to be the longest June solstice date ever.”
    Courtney only smiled. She dropped a huge cinnamon roll on her plate and slid her chair next to her mother’s. “Thanks for breakfast, Mom.”
    “You look happy this morning,” her mother commented.
    A giddy feeling zipped through Courtney’s body as she pulled apart the roll and popped a piece into her mouth. Morning had never been so cheery and bright, and cinnamon rolls had never tasted so good. “Probably because I am happy.”
    Hannah and her mother gave each other knowing smiles, and Hannah started chanting, “Courtney and Mitch, sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G—”
    “We were in his house, not a tree,” Courtney corrected.
    Hannah burst out laughing while her father lowered his paper once more, giving Courtney a you’ve-got-some-explaining-to-do look.
    “You went out with Mitch Winters?” A man of few words, he’d always been a little behind when it came to keeping up with his daughters’ social agendas.
    “We won The Meltdown Match.”
    Her father harrumphed as her mother asked, “So... you and Mitch...”
    “Will be spending a lot more time together,” Courtney finished. “In fact, I’m heading to his house this morning to get some writing done. Since he’s got to work, it will be quiet there, and wow, you should see his new place. It’s gorgeous.”
    Her mother nodded, lips twitching. “I take it you’ve settled on a plot for your next story, then?”
    “I won’t know for sure until I get it down on paper, but yeah, I think so.”
    “Let me guess,” Hannah said dryly. “Mitch gave you the idea.”
    Courtney couldn’t help the grin that sprang to her face as she nodded. She felt like a silly, twitterpated teenager who couldn’t control her emotions. “Let’s just say he’s definitely inspiring.”
    Hannah and her mother exchanged another look, making Hannah giggle. “Somebody’s in love,” she said in a singsong voice, swirling her juice.
    Although Courtney rolled her eyes, a warm feeling spread through her chest, making her wonder if her sister was right. What she felt for Mitch was definitely stronger than anything she’d ever felt before, but was it the always and forever kind of love? The kind she’d written and dreamed about?
    It sure felt like it.
    An hour later, Courtney knocked on Mitch’s front door. When no one answered, she pulled out the spare key he’d given her from her pocket and let herself inside. Her footsteps echoed off the hardwood floor as she made her way to the kitchen, where she put a bag of groceries in the fridge and set a plate of her mom’s cinnamon rolls on the counter. Adjusting the strap of her bag with her laptop on her shoulder, she walked to the den. The double doors were already open, the blinds raised, and the chair beckoning. Courtney inhaled the smell of paper and ink, mixed with a hint of Mitch, and smiled. Then she sat down