ago. He was immediately attracted to her, and wanted to get to know her. He bought her a cup of coffee and they were inseparable after that. They fell into a relationship, without even thinking about it, without stopping to take a breath.
They slept together almost immediately, and moved in together soon after. He’d been certain Kim was the one. She fit his ideal completely. But he couldn’t have been more wrong. He couldn’t have been a bigger fool.
And now, here was Isabella. Damn. She didn’t fit his type –
But beautiful…she was definitely that. And, God help him, he was more drawn to her than any woman he’d ever met. Blonde hair, blue eyes, fragile. And the way she looked at him with those eyes, so full of disapproval when she’d first met him…then lit with desire tonight. She was a complete surprise to him. She was dangerous. It would be so easy for him to start up with her, as he had with Kim. But he wouldn’t repeat the past – it would only end badly. And he wouldn’t go down that road again.
Isabella was just another woman. Despite her thoughtful words and gestures, despite the fact that she didn’t have to do any of this, yet she agreed to, for Tyler – despite it all, she was still a woman. And when it came down to it, they were all the same…
His mother left him first, dying on an Aspen slope when he wasn’t much older than Tyler. Then, years later, Kim left him for Derek. If he allowed Isabella in, she would soon follow suit. After all, their tentative agreement was only until Christmas.
In the end, they all left. So, this time, he wouldn’t give a damn when it was time for Tyler’s beautiful teacher to go.
***
Isabella had spent her Saturday and Sunday as she’d originally planned, getting caught up on her student files and preparing for class on Monday. She’d purposely waited to read Tyler’s file last. Even though she was aware of the reason Tyler was transferred to Snow Pass, actually reading the circumstances surrounding his situation only cemented her determination to convince the school administrator to allow her to spend more time with him.
It took some compelling persuasion from her and approval from the school psychologist to bring the administrator around, but finally he relented, saying that Tyler should have whatever support they could offer him – as long as Isabella kept to basic ethics of conduct and she wasn’t actually living in the same house as Tyler. That was a relief.
“Good morning, Isabella.” Jordan’s voice brought the inevitable goose bumps and Isabella looked up from her desk, a ready smile for the two people she’d spent most of the weekend thinking about. She swept her gaze to Jordan’s face then purposely focused on Tyler, ignoring her skittering pulse.
“Good morning.”
Tyler mumbled ‘morning’ then shyly shuffled off to the blocks in the corner. “I drove my nephew today, in the hopes you’d have an answer,” Jordan said quietly.
Isabella waited until a few of the other students entered and sat at their desks before stepping up next to him. “I hope Tyler’s weekend went smoothly.”
He nodded. “He woke a few times last night, but Emily was there. Thankfully.”
Isabella looked at him. She wondered why Jordan had such a hard time comforting his nephew. It was like there was a wall around him.
“I spoke to the administrator. He’s fine with my living in your guesthouse, as long as I stick to the school tenets.” She met Jordan’s stare, her underlying meaning understood.
The change in his demeanor was instant. “I wouldn’t have it any other way. You’ll be there for Tyler, that’s all.”
His cool reassurance should have eased her mind, especially after their heated moment on his patio Friday afternoon. But strangely, it left her feeling hollow. “After I finish here for the day, I can have my things packed in no time. Shall I come over tonight?”
“That’s fine – perfect, in fact.” He forced a smile. “I’ll ask Emily to prepare dinner – you’re welcome to join us after you’re settled.”
“Oh – okay. Thank you.” She absently tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and dropped her gaze to the floor.
“See you tonight then,” he said, his voice taking on a gravelly edge. “Have a good day.”
“You, too,” she said quietly, glancing up again as Jordan left the classroom.
Isabella went through the morning motions but, even after the lunch break, she was still distracted by thoughts of her new living arrangement. She felt strange, detached from her recent life. Just four days ago, she had planned to spend Thanksgiving – and Christmas – alone. And now she was moving next door to this small family, whom she felt a personal obligation to. Though the stay was only temporary – she had a new purpose, outside of school. And she tried to convince herself it was a good thing, despite her perplexing attraction to Jordan.
Difficult as it was, she hoped that thinking about Tyler and working on his relationship with Jordan would take her mind off her failed personal life. Phillip had discarded her. Made her wary of men. But Tyler needed her. And, as much as she hated to admit it, Jordan needed her, too. She just had to remember that her only goal was to convince him to open his heart to his nephew. And the thing between the two of them was just their personal frustrations coming to the surface – period.
“Miss Stevens, can I go first?” Marty Showeiler raised his hand and spoke up, breaking into Isabella’s thoughts. The class was patiently waiting for her to begin their show-and-tell.
Isabella smiled warmly at her student. “Of course, Marty. Come to the front and share what you have with us.”
Marty began their afternoon with a display of animal pictures, mostly dogs. He explained how they didn’t have owners, and were in need of good homes. He added that his mom worked at the local animal shelter, and informed the class that if they wanted a pet for Christmas, they should ask Santa to rescue one. Marty finished with a photo of a yellow Lab with big sad eyes, who’d been at the shelter eleven months.
Isabella ventured a glance at Tyler. His attention was glued to the picture of the dog and she recalled his wish from a year ago. He looked down at his desk as Marty returned to his seat, not glancing at the board of pictures again while waiting for his turn. After all the other students had given their presentations, Isabella called his name.
“Tyler Butler?” She spoke gently, and smiled encouragingly toward the student she’d unexpectedly taken under her wing. “Do you have anything you want to share with us?”
Tyler slowly walked to the front of the class. His head was down and he held a picture in his left hand. He waited a few moments before he started to speak, quietly at first. He avoided eye contact with anyone, but held up the photo, focusing on it instead. Isabella was relieved when he introduced the person in the picture as his friend Emily. His voice was low and Isabella asked him to speak a bit louder. He looked at her, uncertainty clouding his eyes. Isabella nodded and Tyler held the photo in front of him, as if to hide behind it.
“I just wanted to show you this picture,” he began slowly. “She’s my friend – Emily.”
He stared at his shoelaces, though speaking loudly enough for everyone to hear him. “She’s my uncle Jordan’s neighbor, and the nicest person I know, because she helps people who don’t have
