The Houseboat Exchange

When seventeen-year-old Priya Shah inherits her grandmother’s battered houseboat in a floating marina outside Seattle, she plans to sell it before the money disappears into someone else’s emergency. The offer is generous, the deadline is six weeks, and college is close enough to feel possible. Then Priya finds a forgotten cooperative agreement hidden in Anika’s navigation atlas. Her title is tied to shared access, a failing common ramp, and dozens of residents facing a developer’s polished promise of safer waterfront living. To understand what she inherited, Priya must work with Mateo Reyes, the marina manager’s son, who has every reason to distrust her and no interest in letting her choose alone. As inspections, signatures, repairs, and family pressure narrow their choices, Priya has to decide whether staying means surrendering her future. The marina does not need a savior. It needs a plan, a public record, and someone willing to be seen making a difficult choice.