Offices and Orchards (A New Adult Sweet Romance)

The world changed on September the 11th, 2001. And so did the life of Autumn Barnett, who keeps the tragic events that happened to her that day a secret from everyone she meets. Time has passed, and life goes on, and Autumn finally begins to feel a sense of normalcy, like she fits in where she is: at her dream internship as a financial advisor in Harvest Hills, Vermont. And for the first time in a long time, things are going perfectly, as long as she ignores her conceited, condescending colleague Harvey McIntosh, who seems intent on doing all he can to prevent her from getting the business trip to Australia and the summer job up for grabs to the best intern. But a chance encounter on the lakefront leads to an afternoon of apple picking at Harvey's orchard, and the start of something great between Autumn and Harvey. But Harvey has a secret too. A different kind of secret. Will what brought them together also tear them apart?

Autumn eventually comes to feel like she is living separate lives: from Monday to Friday, a stress-filled, fast-paced, high-pressure corporate one, and one of tranquility, contentment and happiness at the orchard on the weekends, but both of them, she learns, are helping her deal with the immense grief which intensifies each fall.

In this new adult sweet romance, the warmth and brilliance of New England fall foliage and the outdoorsy freshness of a cool apple orchard are contrasted with the neon lights and concrete jungle of a corporate desk-based work week, mirroring the inevitable passage of time and changing of the seasons, and Autumn and Harvey's struggle as to whether they should each follow their heads or their hearts in their personal and professional lives. (76000 words)