Page 3 of Finding Home

For Cole, retirement had sounded like surrender.

But standing here now, seeing the moon linger in the brightening sky, he wondered if his doctor had a point. He was tired in a way that sleep didn’t fix. Tired of packing and unpacking. Tired of rentals and hotel rooms. Tired of never having a place that felt like home.

More than that, he was tired of relationships that lasted for as long as a project, then faded into holiday cards and occasional texts. He’d built a good life by never staying long enough to be tied down. It had worked for thirty years.

Now it felt hollow.

Another set of headlights swung across the site. Noah’s silver SUV pulled in beside Cole’s truck.

At forty-nine, Noah still carried the kind of energy Cole remembered having once—optimism edged with ambition, the belief that every problem had a solution.

They’d met a few years earlier at the launch of one of Cole’s projects, and after stepping back from his own company, Noah had joined him on two developments. His financial sense and calm under pressure made him the ideal partner.

“Morning.” Noah crossed the frozen ground and handed him a takeout cup. “I figured you’d need coffee.”

“Thanks.” Cole wrapped both hands around the warmth. “How did yesterday’s budget review go?”

“We’re under by three percent.” Noah grinned. “Most of the savings came from the fast-tracking of the county approvals, the local contractors underbidding the California firms, and solid planning. When’s the last time that happened?”

“Never.” Cole’s eyebrows rose. “What’s the catch?”

“No catch. The county wants us here.” Noah pulled up the renderings on his tablet. “The planning commission liked the environmental study. Hiring locally helped too.”

Cole studied the images as Noah swiped through them: the main lodge, six cottages, the spa, the restaurant with panoramic windows. It was all elegant, expensive, and carefully fitted to the land. But what made this project different had nothing to do with the design.

It was that he meant to stay.

Noah shifted to another screen. “Any luck finding an executive chef?”

Cole shook his head. Susan Timms would have been perfect, he thought, but she’d turned him down. She’d chosen her cooking classes and her life with Paul over the resort. He couldn’t blame her. She’d already built one successful career and walked away from it. Why start over again when she’d already found something and someone who felt like home?

“We’ll look for a chef in a few months,” Cole told Noah. “Once construction’s underway and people can see we’re committed, the right candidates may surface.”

“That makes sense.” Noah studied him. “Do you still want to live here?”

“I do.” Saying it aloud steadied something in Cole. “I’m tired of moving, Noah. Tired of building places where other people make memories while I’m already chasing the next project. I want this one to be different. I want to be part of what we’re creating.”

Noah was quiet a moment. “I’ve been waiting for you to say that. Having you here full-time could be the best thing that happens to this development.”

Relief loosened Cole’s shoulders. “Good. Because I’ve got a community meeting tonight, and I need to convince people I’m not just another developer who’ll take what he wants and disappear.”

“You’ll be fine.” Noah checked his watch. “Do you want to go over the geotech report? Dave McGuire should be here soon.”

Dave was a local contractor a little older than Cole who’d built half of the county. When he spoke, you listened.

Before he arrived, Cole and Noah spent the time reviewing drainage, access roads, and utility connections.

When Dave arrived, he didn’t waste time telling them what they needed to know. “The soil’s better than expected,” he said, pointing to the test pit locations. “You won’t need as much foundation work as the California engineers planned. Adjust what’s in the specs, and you’ll save a good amount of money.”

Cole appreciated the honesty. Plenty of contractors would have stayed quiet and billed the extra work anyway. “What about local suppliers? Can we source much of this regionally?”

Dave’s expression shifted. “High-end finishes will need to come in from out of state. But structural materials? We can source a lot of that here.”

“I want to use local suppliers wherever we can.” Cole pulled out his phone to take notes. “Can you put together a vendor list? I’d like to meet them.”

Dave’s eyebrows rose. “Most developers only care about the lowest bid.”

“I care about more than that.” Cole held his gaze. “I’m going to be living here. If Sapphire Bay’s being asked to make room for this resort, the least we can do is support local businesses.”