Chapter 5: Coastal Haven
Three days later, Clara arrived in Oakhaven. The town was nestled between rugged granite cliffs and dense pine forests, its harbor filled with weathered wooden fishing boats and salt-crusted docks.
She met with Marcus Vance, the head of the Oakhaven Municipal Board, in a drafty office smelling of cedar and old paper. Marcus was a man in his late fifties with calloused hands and an earnest demeanor.
""Your portfolio is extraordinary, Ms. Evans,"" Marcus said, laying out Clara’s prints on the table. ""Frankly, we were surprised someone with your commercial pedigree applied for a small-town project like this.""
""I am looking to build things that matter, Mr. Vance,"" Clara replied honestly. ""Spaces that serve the people who use them, not just the portfolios of developers.""
Marcus studied her for a long moment before offering a warm, weathered hand. ""We don't have corporate banquets or galas here, Ms. Evans. We have town hall meetings where the local carpenter will tell you directly if your roof pitch makes no sense in a snowstorm.""
""That sounds like exactly what I need,"" Clara smiled, shaking his hand.
May you like
She rented a small apartment above a second-hand bookstore facing the harbor. That evening, as the tide rolled in against the pilings below, Clara unpacked her drafting tools, pinning fresh sheets of tracing paper to an old wooden easel.
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