Book request: I read this about a year ago.The guy is living alone and takes in the girl. It is from his point of view. I believe she is homeless or is living in an abandoned apartment in his building. He helps her get her life back together, gets her back into high school, get a job, etc. There are several time skips throughout the novel and the two characters do not get together until she is much older. He sees her as a younger sibling and she is the first to develop feelings for him. At some point, I believe a little after she graduates high school, she tells him that she likes him and he doesn't believe her so shes try to play it off as a joke.

Matching book description: Ethan Parker gets up every day, surviving the only way he knows how — alone. Orphaned as a child and forced into the child welfare system, he knows better than to depend on anyone but himself. He’s learned trust is a word used all too often, but rarely earned. Ethan believes that his best chance for maintaining a simple and solitary existence is to live by a simple mantra: Ethan Parker gets up every day, surviving the only way he knows how — alone. Orphaned as a child and forced into the child welfare system, he knows better than to depend on anyone but himself. He’s learned trust is a word used all too often, but rarely earned. Ethan believes that his best chance for maintaining a simple and solitary existence is to live by a simple mantra: Don’t get involved. Keep things simple. Take care of yourself! When a young woman moves in next door, Ethan is forced to reevaluate his beliefs. He tries to keep his distance, but his new neighbor’s infectious smile and outlook on life leave him struggling with the decision of living the life he knows, or taking a chance on the unexpected. As Ethan develops a relationship with his new neighbor, Emily, he realizes nothing is simple and learns that life is about more than just surviving... it’s about living. ...more