The Meltdown Match (A Romance Novella) by Rachael Anderson

The air smelled woodsy and fresh, exactly how Courtney remembered. A light breeze tickled her face as she walked. This was exactly why she loved coming home—to smell this smell and feel the wild, untamed feeling that made Heimel, Alaska the perfect place to return to for the summer.
    And only for the summer.
    An uncomfortable pit settled in Courtney’s stomach, the same way it did every time she thought of leaving again in a few months. Would she ever be able to stay?
    Hannah’s arm nudged hers as they headed down Main Street, sipping strawberry smoothies. “Glad to have you back, sis, even if it’s only for the summer.” She sucked the last of her smoothie with a slurp. “Where next? Oregon? South Dakota? What about Canada? You haven’t been out of the country yet.”
    “Who knows?” Courtney shrugged. “It all depends on the setting of my next book. Which is why I’m here—to get inspired. And to catch up with my favorite sister, of course.”
    “How nice to be an afterthought,” Hannah said dryly.
    Courtney laughed. “I didn’t mean it like that.”
    “Yeah, yeah.” Hannah swished her long, ebony hair behind her shoulder and lifted her face to the sun. “If you feel so inspired here, why not move back for good?”
    It was a question Courtney had asked herself many times, but as much as she’d love to move back, she couldn’t. It would ruin everything. She sipped the last of her smoothie then tossed the empty cup in a nearby trashcan.
    Hannah would laugh and call her superstitious, but each of Courtney’s four published, and two soon-to-be published books were born in Heimel—but not until after she’d left and returned.
    The feeling of coming home was like magic, permeating her soul and leaving her rejuvenated. In only a matter of months, she could outline a story and pound out a rough draft. It was like gliding through the skies and seeing everything stretch beneath her in a large and beautiful, interconnecting pattern. But eventually, she’d inevitably find herself back on the ground, completely uninspired.
    So Courtney had developed a foolproof system to keep her writing going strong: Return to Heimel, outline and write a rough draft, and move to the place where the book was set for research and revisions. Several months later, after she’d handed over the completed manuscript to her agent, she’d return to Heimel and start the process all over again.
    Although moving around was exhausting, Courtney had lived in New York, Virginia, Texas, Colorado, Maine, and, most recently, California. She’d met different people, experienced new cultures, and had become a better writer. But every time she came home, Courtney couldn’t help but look around with a feeling of longing, wishing things could be different and she could finally stay put. What she’d once considered an adventurous life was getting old.
    With a sigh, Courtney pulled a leaf off a nearby bush and ran her fingers across the smooth, silky surface. “Maybe someday I’ll move back for good. Just not yet.”
    “I’ll believe it when I see it.” Hannah stopped to look at a banner that spanned the road in front of them and pointed. “Hey, you’re going to be here for the Solstice Days this year.”
    “So?”
    She turned to Courtney, and a slow, almost devious, smile spread across her face. “So... that means we can both enter The Meltdown Match.”
    Courtney shook her head.ann “No way. That contest screams desperation, and I’m not desperate. Neither are you. Don’t you already have a date lined up for Friday?”
    “And Saturday.” Hannah grinned. “But who cares? This isn’t about looking desperate. It’s about doing something spontaneous and having fun.” She grabbed Courtney’s arm, tugging her along, and Courtney’s gaze dropped from the banner to the empty field across the street, where a moose stood grazing—the first moose she’d seen since her return. A sign.
    Courtney smiled. Truth be known, she’d always