Chapter 5 COMFORTABLE DISTANCE.

The week passed in quiet rhythm. Isabella arrived at the Blackwood penthouse each day, her steps confident now, her nerves less sharp. Elliot greeted her with a growing ease, his grumpy demeanor softening, and Nathaniel... well, Nathaniel was proving just as complicated as she suspected.

He didn't ask questions she wasn't ready to answer. He didn't comment on her past. He simply observed, listened, and occasionally offered small words that lingered longer than intended.

One afternoon, Isabella arrived to find Nathaniel already in the study, his fingers resting lightly on a leather-bound notebook. He looked up as she entered.

"You're early," he said.

She smiled faintly. "I like to be early. It keeps me from overthinking."

He raised an eyebrow. "Overthinking is dangerous."

"Only if you do it wrong," she replied.

For a moment, they just looked at each other, a quiet pause that carried more meaning than words. Nathaniel's gray eyes softened slightly, and Isabella felt an unfamiliar flutter in her chest. She reminded herself firmly: this is just a client. Just a job. Nothing more.

Elliot appeared shortly after, his backpack slung over one shoulder. He had finished his homework ahead of schedule and looked up at Isabella with a tentative smile.

"Ready to start?" she asked.

He shrugged. "I guess."

As they worked, Isabella noticed something subtle. Nathaniel wasn't just watching his son; he was watching her. Not in an intrusive way, but in a way that made her feel seen, like her presence mattered beyond the work itself.

"Elliot is improving," Nathaniel said quietly, not directing the comment to her, but to himself.

"You're doing a good job," she said softly, her voice almost a whisper.

He looked at her then, and something passed between them. Not recognition. Not guilt. Not expectation. Something gentler, an acknowledgment that she had, somehow, made a difference.

The afternoon stretched on. Laughter came easier now. Elliot asked questions, argued points, even teased her once. Nathaniel's lips twitched with a faint smile, and Isabella felt a strange warmth in seeing him softened by his son's mischief.

When the session ended, she began to gather her things, but Nathaniel spoke before she could leave.

"Sit," he said.

She hesitated. "I should"

"Sit," he repeated, softer this time.

She obeyed, curiosity outweighing caution. Nathaniel poured two cups of tea from a silver kettle, setting one gently before her. The aroma of chamomile filled the quiet room.

"Why tea?" she asked.

"Because coffee doesn't fit this afternoon," he replied lightly, though his eyes were serious. "Tea is slower. More thoughtful. Like this moment."

She smiled faintly. "Thoughtful moments are rare."

"Exactly," he said, and for a brief second, his guarded demeanor softened further.

They sipped in silence. The city outside moved fast, oblivious, but inside the room, time seemed to pause. Isabella found herself noticing small details: the way his fingers rested lightly on the table, the curve of his lips when he glanced at her, the subtle lift of his brow when he considered her words.

"It's strange," he said finally. "How comfortable you are with Elliot."

"I've always liked helping," she replied. "He's... easy to care about when you notice what he needs."

Nathaniel studied her closely, then nodded. "And yet you hide things easily."

She stiffened slightly. "I don't hide things. I just... choose what to share."

"Careful choice is... understandable," he said, though she sensed he wasn't just speaking of the tutoring.

A quiet moment passed. She tried to focus on her tea, but she felt his gaze follow her every movement.

"You're good at reading people," he said suddenly.

She laughed softly. "I've had plenty of practice. People tend to leave... a lot of traces behind."

He didn't respond immediately, but she saw the corner of his mouth twitch, the faint acknowledgment that he understood more than he admitted.

Later, as she walked home, the city lights reflected off the rain-slicked streets. Isabella hugged her coat around her, thinking about the afternoon.

It wasn't just the tutoring. It was Nathaniel, his attention, his quiet presence, his way of noticing things without demanding explanations.

And she hated how much it affected her.

Her life had been about rebuilding. About survival. About making sure no one had power over her heart again. Yet, somehow, Nathaniel Blackwood was slipping past all of that without even trying.

The following evening, Isabella arrived at the penthouse again, slightly nervous despite her confidence.

Elliot greeted her with a shy smile. "Can we read a story today?"

"Of course," she said, ruffling his hair.

Nathaniel appeared as she entered the study, holding a stack of books. "I selected a few for you," he said, his tone neutral but deliberate.

She blinked, surprised. "For me?"

"For Elliot," he corrected, handing her the pile. "But you'll be reading to him."

She noticed the subtle care in the selection, stories that were challenging, engaging, but also thoughtful. He didn't just buy books. He chose them. For them.

As the afternoon passed, Isabella found herself laughing more than she had in months. Elliot's excitement, Nathaniel's quiet attention, it was a world far removed from her modest apartment, her careful budgeting, her guarded life.

And yet, she found herself enjoying it.

When the session ended, she packed her bag slowly, not ready to leave.

"You're staying longer than necessary," Nathaniel remarked, though he didn't sound disapproving.

"I... like it here," she said honestly.

"Why?"

She hesitated. Should she tell him? That it was the warmth, the ease, the way he didn't demand she be more than she was? Or that it was the first time in years she hadn't felt completely alone?

"Because it's... peaceful," she said finally.

Nathaniel studied her, quiet, then nodded.

"Peaceful is good," he said. "Even if it's temporary."

She glanced up at him. "Temporary?"

He didn't answer immediately. Instead, he offered her a faint, enigmatic smile and turned away, as if the conversation was finished.

That night, Isabella lay awake, her thoughts tangled.

There was something in Nathaniel, something careful, something protective, something... unknowable.

She didn't trust herself to name it. She couldn't.

And that made her pulse quicken in a way she didn't like.

For the first time in years, she realized that rebuilding her life wasn't just about surviving anymore.

It might also be about... choosing who she let in.