Two weeks after the project redistribution at Apex, the late-summer heat over Atlanta broke into a crisp, cool autumn breeze.
Inside the 1920s Craftsman home on Piedmont Park, the chaotic noise of heavy demolition had transformed into the precise, rhythmic sound of skilled craftsmanship. The interior subfloors had been leveled, new electrical conduits spanned the open timber walls, and the custom heart-pine floorboards from the coastal warehouse lay stacked and drying in the center of what was now a vast, sun-drenched master wing.
Maya stood near the floor-to-ceiling glass doors of her drafting studio, holding a warm mug of roasted chamomile tea. She wore a soft cream knit sweater pushed up at the elbows and dark trousers, her caramel-gold skin radiant in the morning light.
Her dark bro
