Against the Grain

When Avery Ross left Maple Falls at eighteen, she swore she’d never look back. The small Midwestern town had given her nothing but whispers, slammed doors, and the humiliation of being driven out for who she was. In Chicago, she built a new life—celebrity chef, acclaimed restaurateur, and far from the narrow streets of home.

But a single phone call shatters that distance. Her father is dead. His legacy: a crumbling, debt-soaked diner already in the crosshairs of foreclosure. Worse, the man circling to claim it is Tommy Brant—her old high school rival, now backed by a corporate franchise and an old grudge that’s only festered with time.

The town hasn’t changed. The same church that once condemned her now fuels a boycott. Anonymous threats arrive. Hateful graffiti scars the diner’s walls in the dead of night. Someone wants The Welcome Table—Avery’s bold new vision for the diner, a safe haven for outsiders—shut down before it ever finds its voice.

Then Sarah Miller walks in. Avery’s first love, her heartbreak, and maybe her last ally. Together, they fight to keep the doors open, but every win comes with a sharper backlash. The sabotage escalates. The danger edges closer.

In a place where tradition is weaponized and silence is survival, Avery must decide how far she’s willing to go—and how much she’s willing to lose—to protect the only home she’s ever dared to make hers.

Sometimes the most dangerous battle is the one fought in your own hometown.