On a 90s afternoon in Port Larkin, two strangers duck under the same black-handled umbrella—and an old photo booth catches the moment they don't quite dare to name. Cal keeps Salt & Silver, a stubborn little photo-lab where the darkroom smells like fixer and second chances. June, a hand-lettering artist fresh off a heartbreak, can turn a window into a promise. Together—plus Pixel, a matchmaking mutt with union rules—they begin to stitch a town back to itself: zines, Civics darkroom classes, and a pay-what-you-can jar labeled INK & LIGHT.

But a glossy chain across the street and a landlord's letter threaten to shutter the shop just as June's big-city offer tempts her away. When a hidden door in the north stair reveals a long-forgotten greenhouse and a decades-old plea to "improve on me," Cal and June are handed a mystery, a key, and a chance to save more than a lease—they can rewrite what home means.

Warm, funny, and full of rain-lit chemistry, When It Rains, We Develop is a slow-burn small-town romance about found family, creative work that matters, and the ordinary miracles we choose—one print, one Saturday, one yes at a time.

Perfect for readers who love: cozy 90s nostalgia, creative-arts/workplace romance, found family, dogs with agendas, and communities that rally when the weather turns.

When It Rains, We Develop

★★★★★