Common Ground

Two architects. One spectacular house. And absolutely no agreement on what to do with it. Clara Mercer and Julian Hart have spent years as professional rivals, each convinced the other is brilliant, infuriating, and usually wrong. Then their late mentor leaves them opposite halves of the same extraordinary house. The arrangement is impossible. The heating is shared. Renovations on one side affect the other. One bedroom sits directly across the property line. And neither of them is willing to sell. What begins as a battle over walls, kitchens, and thermostats slowly becomes late-night conversations, shared dinners, reluctant admiration, and the dangerous realization that the person who challenges you most may also understand you best. But Clara has built her life around independence, while Julian is facing a career decision that could take him away for good. Falling for each other is one thing. Finding room for two fully formed lives is another. The House Between Them is a warm, witty adult contemporary romance about professional rivalry, competence, ordinary intimacy, and learning that making room for someone does not mean losing yourself. Approximate length: 80,000 words.