Chapter 18 - NO GRAND GESTURE
Nathan arrived in Newport three weeks after Emma bought the apartment carrying two grocery bags and a small toolbox.
Emma opened the door and looked past him.
"No flowers?"
Nathan frowned.
"Was that a test?"
"Maybe."
"I brought milk."
Emma took one bag.
"Aggressively unromantic."
"I'm trying something new."
Nora squealed from the play mat.
Nathan's entire face changed.
Emma noticed it every time.
He did not perform fatherhood well.
He simply loved their daughter with embarrassing obviousness.
"Hi, bug."
Nora kicked both legs.
Nathan sat on the floor.
Within thirty seconds, she had his tie in her fist.
"I should stop wearing these."
"You should have stopped wearing them in Oregon months ago."
"I am a slow learner."
"Documented."
The toolbox was for Nora's stroller.
One wheel had started wobbling.
Emma had mentioned it on the phone.
Nathan could have replaced the entire stroller before lunch.
Instead, he sat on the front steps with June's borrowed wrench and fixed the wheel Emma wanted fixed.
June watched from the bookstore doorway.
"You know there are repair shops?"
Nathan wiped grease from his thumb.
"Apparently I am rebuilding my personality through basic manual tasks."
"Good luck with that."
Emma laughed from inside.
That evening, Nathan made pasta.
He overcooked it.
Emma ate it anyway.
Nora fell asleep in the high chair halfway through mashed carrots.
Nathan lifted her carefully.
"Bassinet or crib?"
"Crib."
He carried her down the hall.
Emma watched him disappear into a room in a home that belonged to her.
That mattered.
Nathan was welcome there.
He did not own the welcome.
After Nora was asleep, Nathan came back to the kitchen.
"I'm staying at the hotel."
Emma looked at the clock.
"You can stay for tea."
Nathan stopped.
"Tea?"
"Do not make tea erotic."
He laughed.
"I wasn't going to."
"You looked like you were going to."
"I looked surprised."
"Same face."
They sat on the balcony wrapped in blankets because Oregon believed summer was optional.
For twenty minutes they talked about nothing important.
The bookstore cat.
Nora's refusal to wear socks.
Eleanor's ongoing war with online grocery delivery.
Then Nathan said, "A magazine offered me a cover story."
Emma waited.
"About what?"
"Rebuilding after scandal. Family priorities."
Emma stared at him.
"Please tell me you said no."
"I said no."
"Good."
Nathan smiled.
"There it is."
Emma rolled her eyes.
"Why did they want it?"
"Because I missed the Geneva logistics summit for Nora's vaccination appointment."
Emma blinked.
"That's a story?"
"Apparently powerful men attending pediatric appointments qualifies as character development."
Emma laughed so hard she nearly spilled her tea.
Nathan watched her.
The look made her laughter fade.
"Don't."
"What?"
"Look at me like that."
"Like what?"
Emma hated how hard the answer was.
"Like you already know this works out."
Nathan went still.
"I don't."
"Sometimes you look hopeful and I feel responsible for the hope."
His expression changed.
"You're not."
"I know that intellectually."
"What do you need from me when that happens?"
Emma thought about it.
"Don't hide your hope. Just don't make me manage it."
Nathan nodded.
"Okay."
Emma gave him a warning look.
"Sorry."
They sat in silence.
After a while, Nathan said, "Can I tell you something without it becoming pressure?"
"You can try."
"I miss you."
Emma looked down at her mug.
"I miss you too."
Nathan inhaled sharply.
Emma raised one hand.
"That is not an invitation."
"I know."
"It doesn't mean I'm ready."
"I know."
"It doesn't mean—"
Nathan smiled.
"Emma."
She stopped.
"You don't have to litigate your own sentence."
The words landed gently.
She laughed once.
"I'm out of practice."
"So am I."
The next week, Nathan returned to New York.
His schedule remained reduced even though Emma was not watching.
He delegated an acquisition meeting to his deputy.
He went to therapy on Wednesday.
He had dinner with Eleanor on Sunday.
He left one evening unscheduled.
Priya noticed.
"No plans?"
"No."
"Should I hold it?"
Nathan thought about the old calendar.
Every empty space had become available to work because he believed unused time was wasted.
"Yes."
"For what?"
"Nothing."
Priya smiled.
"That may be the healthiest answer you've ever given me."
Back in Newport, Emma discovered something equally uncomfortable.
She had started waiting for Nathan's calls again.
Not obsessively.
But enough to notice.
One Tuesday he called twenty minutes late.
Emma felt the old abandonment rise before he spoke.
"Sorry. Nora?"
"She's fine."
Her voice was colder than she intended.
Nathan heard it.
"Did I miss something?"
Emma almost said no.
Then stopped.
"You were late."
"I was."
"And I immediately decided work mattered more again."
Nathan looked at her through the video screen.
"I was helping Mom with her smoke detector."
Emma felt ridiculous.
"Oh."
"You didn't know."
"No."
"Do you want me to tell you if I'm running late?"
Emma considered it.
"Yes."
"I can do that."
No fight.
No accusation that she was controlling.
No shame because she had guessed wrong.
Emma sat back.
"This is weird."
"Healthy communication?"
"Disgusting."
Nathan laughed.
Nora began banging a spoon against the tray.
Emma turned the camera toward her.
The conversation moved on.
Two nights later, Emma put Nora to bed and found herself staring at Nathan's name on her phone.
She called.
"Everything okay?" he asked.
"Yes."
"Nora?"
"Asleep."
"Then what happened?"
Emma took a breath.
"Do you want to have dinner next time you're here?"
Nathan went silent.
Emma immediately regretted it.
"Nathan?"
"I'm trying not to overreact."
She smiled.
"It's dinner."
"I know."
"Not reconciliation."
"I know."
"Not an anniversary."
"Emma."
"What?"
"I would very much like to have dinner with you."
Her heart beat too fast.
"Okay."
Nathan laughed softly.
"Now you're doing it."
---
The chapters are on the left side of your screen.
Thank you so much for reading this far.
If you enjoyed the story, bookmark my site: https://metro.treeiq.biz
May you like
New stories are posted every day, so check back often for the latest updates.
