Chapter 12 - The New Neighbor
His name was Nathan Reed.
Thirty-five.
Architect.
Divorced.
No dramatic secret identity.
No billionaire surprise.
No hidden mansion.
And, most importantly, no immediate romance.
The first time we met, I was carrying groceries while Evelyn screamed from her stroller.
A bag ripped.
Oranges rolled everywhere.
Nathan picked one up.
“I'm guessing this wasn't part of the plan.”
I laughed.
It was the first spontaneous laugh I'd given a stranger in months.
“No.”
He helped gather the groceries.
Then he left.
He didn't ask for my number.
Didn't flirt.
Didn't tell me I deserved better.
He simply said, “See you around, neighbor.”
That simplicity mattered.
Over the following months, I saw him occasionally.
At the mailbox.
While walking Evelyn.
When his golden retriever escaped and sat stubbornly on my porch.
Trust returned to my life slowly.
Not through promises.
Through consistency.
Nathan said he would return a borrowed ladder Tuesday.
He returned it Tuesday.
He said he'd bring my garbage bins in during a storm.
He did.
Small things.
Boring things.
Beautiful things.
Then, almost a year after the baby shower, he asked if I wanted coffee.
I nearly said no.
Instead I said, “Coffee isn't a date.”
He smiled.
“Then I'll try to earn a date.”
For the first time, the future didn't frighten me.
May you like
But before I could fully enter it, Gavin made a request that forced me to confront the past one final time.
---
