Down Home

Name: Down Home
Author: Cristina Santos

83 pages

Peter Darcy thought he left “Elizabeth” behind in Halifax. Three unforgettable nights together—first names only, no strings, no future—and then he went back to Toronto and the finance job that was slowly killing him. But when a panic attack lands him on medical leave, he escapes to his cottage in Balsam Bay to figure out who he is when he’s not working eighty-hour weeks.

Billie doesn’t do second chances. She’s spent years rebuilding her father’s construction company and proving herself in an industry that didn’t want her. Love doesn’t last—her parents’ ugly divorce taught her that. The last thing she needs is complications with a client.

Except she shows up to his house covered in mud and realizes her client “Darcy” is actually Peter. The guy from Halifax. The one she hasn’t stopped thinking about for weeks.

Now they’re working together on a town project, and pretending that weekend never happened isn’t an option. Darcy’s all in from day one—he doesn’t know how to do anything halfway. But Billie’s spent her whole life protecting herself from heartbreak, and falling for a guy who’s leaving? That’s the kind of risk that could destroy her.

She doesn’t believe love lasts.

He has to choose between the life he built and the one he wants.

Tropes:
Vacation Fling
Forced Proximity
Small Town Romance (Nova Scotia, Canada)
Hidden/Mistaken Identity
Sunshine/Sunshine
Friends with Benefits (to Lovers)
Meddling Best Friends
Bonus: Mental health representation (anxiety/panic attacks, ADHD, PMDD)

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