Returning Home

I swore I’d never move back to Alder Creek.

Not after losing Dad at sixteen, when grief turned every familiar corner into a reminder of what I’d lost. Not after building a successful career at one of Chicago’s top architecture firms.

But when Mom traded Colorado winters for Florida beaches, someone had to deal with our family home. Three weeks should be plenty. Renovate, sell, move on.

I definitely didn’t plan on Evan Spencer—my best friend’s handsome older brother and my secret high school crush. Back then, he was the star football player with a million-dollar smile. Now he runs the town’s most successful construction company alongside his sister.

When he offered to help renovate the house, I couldn’t say no. Not when he speaks about Dad with such genuine respect.
Between his quiet understanding, his adorable dog’s enthusiasm, and friendships that picked up right where they left off, Alder Creek is making me question every reason I had for leaving.

But I have a plan, and it doesn’t involve falling for my old crush or letting Alder Creek feel like home again.

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