Christmas Fixer-Upper Home

Christmas in Holly Ridge was never part of my plan, yet my grandmother’s house became both an inheritance and an unexpected place to begin again.

Career setbacks had left my writing stalled, and I hoped this small town might help me recover the spark I needed.

Contractor Eli Barton arrived with a toolbox and a professional reserve, talented and dependable even as he kept his distance.

Side by side we chose colors and restored the woodwork, and something warmer than renovation began to take hold.

The closer Christmas came, the more fragile my hopes felt.

I cannot tell whether Eli and I will turn this house into a home, or whether my stalled career and his guarded history will keep love out of reach.