Cottagecore with Benefits

She inherited a crumbling lakeside inn. The only thing more difficult than fixing it is ignoring the infuriatingly hot local contractor swinging the hammer.

Thirty-two-year-old Sophie Kim is running on empty. After a brutal battle with corporate burnout, she flees the city to claim her unexpected inheritance: a dilapidated rustic inn on the shores of Havenwood Lake. Armed with color-coded spreadsheets and a desperate need for control, Sophie is determined to flip the property and get her life back on track. There is just one problem: she does not know the first thing about renovations.

Enter Riley Ortiz. Havenwood Lake's resident contractor is stoic, incredibly competent, and deeply guarded. She is also exactly the kind of distraction Sophie does not need. Riley knows better than to get involved with a stressed-out city girl who is just passing through. She has been burned before by people treating her town as a scenic detour, and she is keeping her walls firmly up.

But as the two women are forced into close quarters, sanding pine floors, painting walls, and sharing a chaotic, messy space, the slow-burn tension between them becomes impossible to ignore. Amidst the sawdust and the sweat, Riley's steady competence and low-voiced praise start breaking down Sophie's carefully constructed defenses. Sophie begins to realize that she isn't just rebuilding a house; she might be building a home.

Can they finish the inn without breaking their hearts, or will the heat between them burn down everything they have built?