Y/N has spent her whole life taking care of herself. Working double shifts, carrying every problem on her own shoulders, and insisting she’s fine even when she’s falling apart. Then Nathan Hayes walks into her restaurant. Successful. Protective. Older. The kind of man who notices things she’d rather keep hidden. What starts as casual conversations and stolen smiles slowly becomes something neither of them expected. Because Nathan isn’t interested in fixing her. He just wants her to stop carrying everything alone. And the more time they spend together, the harder it becomes to remember she was ever supposed to keep her distance.