A Fresh Start

Grace Montgomery arrives in front of an old and neglected cottage tucked between a lines of tall pines and the endless blue ocean which she inherited from her grandmother.

She never imagined herself living in a small town. But life as if often did as it own plans. She decided to escape the chaos of her past life in the city. After a painful breakup of six years with her ex-financé, she's determined to start fresh and rediscover herself.

Taking a deep breath, she walked to the front door, she unlocked the door and the door creaked open. The cottage was in despair, with peeling paint, broken shutters and creaky floorboards.

She muttered to herself "This is it Grandma. A fresh start... I hope I don't mess this up".

She then explored the entire cottage wondering how she would transform this old cottage to her new home.

After so much thoughts she decided to head outside to the backyard, her heart lightened by the sight of the ocean in the distance. It was the perfect setting for her art, her escape from the overwhelming life she had left behind. While staring at her beautiful and relaxing view, a truck pulled up Infront of her. She stared curiously at the truck wondering who that might be.

A tall man with broad shoulders, dark hair, and the kind of confident stance that spoke volume even before he spoke a word. He was dressed in worn jeans and a flannel shirt, a tool box slung low around his hips. He walked towards her before said a word,out of curiosity Grace asked "Can I help you?" While raising an eyebrow.

The man smiled, a little sheepishly. "I'm Ethan Walker" he said, holding out his hand. "I'm the contractor your grandmother hired to do the renovations. I was just coming to take a look at what needs fixing".

Grace shook his hand, feeling an unexpected warmth from his firm grip. She found his presence immediately striking.

"Grace Montgomery", she said. "I...I didn't realize anyone was coming in today."

"I can come back another time if you would prefer", Ethan offered, but there was an edge of curiosity in his voice. "But the sooner we get started the sooner we can get this place in shape."

Grace hesisted. She didn't know if she wanted to be around a stranger on the first day of her inheritance. But since he was hired by her grandmother then he had to be good.

"No, it's fine. We can start today."She said.

Ethan nodded, looking around the front yard. "Looks like there's a lot of work ahead. The foundation's solid, but the roof would need replacing, and the plumbling's probably outdated. We can start from the basics and move on from there". Grace nodded. She had no other what to do when it came to renovations but she knew she could trust Ethan.

There was something about his steady presence, the way he talked very confident, clearly he knew exactly what he was doing.

"I've never done anything like this before" Grace admitted. I'll need your guidance.

Ethan gave her a reasoning smile. "No worries. I'll walk you through everything. We'll get this place back to it's shape in no time."

There was a pause, and for a moment they just stood there looking at each other. Grace couldn't deny the feeling that stirred inside her, something both comforting and unsettling. She quickly pushed it aside telling herself that it was just the stress of the situation.

So Ethan, she said, trying to lighten the mood, "I guess I should start by figuring out where to put my art supplies"

Ethan smiled softly. "Sounds like a plan."

They went inside the cottage together. Ethan begins to discuss what needs to be done and what he'll be working with. Grace listened carefully but she kept getting distracted by his chiseled jawline, deep-set eyes, his broad shoulders and his voice that sends shivers through her spine.

She pushed the thought aside. He was just a contractor. She had bigger things to worry about.

But deep down, Grace knew that this was the begining of something more than just fixing up her grandmother's old cottage. It was the beginning of her new life. One full with unknowns, yet, with a quiet resistant hope to actually get a fresh start.