The Meltdown Match (A Romance Novella) by Rachael Anderson Page B

meaningful glance. “Hear that, Court? Looks like Mitch can enter The Meltdown Match too.”
    He leaned against the wall and folded his arms. “No I can’t, and neither can you, if that’s what you’re here to do. Deadline was yesterday.”
    Hannah cocked her head and gave him a sultry smile as she moved closer and adjusted the collar of his navy and grey plaid shirt. “I’m sure Mr. Big-Wig City Engineer can find a way to sneak our names in.”
    “Leave me out of this,” Courtney said. “I don’t want my name anywhere near those ice vases.”
    “She’s lying,” Hannah said. “Ignore her.”
    “If I could get you in?” Mitch said. “What’s in it for me?”
    “A plate of my mother’s to-die-for-cinnamon rolls,” Hannah said. “Straight from the oven.”
    Mitch nodded as if mulling over the offer. “Consider it done.” He pushed away from the wall and pointed a finger at Hannah. “But those rolls had better be hot.”
    “They will be.”
    He moved to walk away, but Courtney stopped him with a hand on his arm. “If my name ends up on one of those sticks, there’s going to be a lot more than cinnamon in those rolls.”
    “Like what?”
    “Like, I don’t know, salt maybe? You do like it better than cinnamon, right?”
    Mitch leaned close, giving her one of his mischievous smiles. “Actually, I like salt better than a lot of things.”
    With a wink, he was gone, leaving Courtney’s heart beating like a flock of geese taking flight. He always had been a flirt and she’d always liked it.

    Mitch jogged up the stairs, feeling like his day, and possibly summer, had taken a turn for the better. Courtney was back in town and had handed him a golden opportunity.
    He rounded the corner, stepped into a small cubicle, and planted his hands on Alyssa’s desk. As the administrative secretary, she had the unlucky responsibility of being in charge of The Meltdown Match and wasn’t too happy about it.
    “Hey, Lys, I have a few more names to add to the contest.”
    She continued her typing without a glance at him. “Sorry. Deadline’s passed. They’ll have to wait until next year.”
    “But I’ll be thirty and can’t.”
    Her stubby fingers stopped typing, like Mitch knew they would. She looked up and studied him through thick, black-framed glasses. “I’m sorry, did you just say you want to enter?”
    “Sure, why not?”
    “Because last week you called The Meltdown Match an embarrassment to Heimel.”
    Mitch shrugged. “Let’s just say I’ve had a change of heart.”
    Alyssa pursed her lips as she continued to watch him. Although she only had about five years on him, the way she peered at him made him feel like he was back in elementary school, in trouble with his teacher.
    “You said a few names. Who else?”
    “Courtney and Hannah Spaulding. I ran into them downstairs.”
    The wariness in her eyes disappeared, replaced by a slight, knowing smile. “Ah. Everything just got a lot clearer. You do know we have over 100 entries, right? Your chances of getting matched with Courtney aren’t that great.”
    Mitch pushed off the desk regained his full height. “I was thinking we could increase my odds.”
    A brown eyebrow lifted. “And how are we going to do that?”
    “With salt, obviously.”
    “To you, maybe.”
    Mitch smiled, more than a little satisfied with himself. “You should have paid more attention in your chemistry classes. If you had, you’d know that salt lowers the freezing point of water.”
    Realization dawned in Alyssa’s slightly magnified eyes. “Well, aren’t you a regular Einstein.”
    “You mean Pasteur. Einstein was a physicist, not a chemist.”
    “Whatever.” Her expression turned calculating, making Mitch suddenly wary. “I’ll help you on one condition.”
    “What?”
    “I need you to take the burger-flipping shift from eleven to two tomorrow.”
    Mitch hesitated. It would be much less complicated to pick up a phone, ask Courtney out, and avoid the hassle