Page 17 of Just a Heartbeat Away

The room emptied, and Sadie came up. Via was still gathering her thoughts about what she’d just seen. She wasn’t sure why it had surprised her so much to see him ask for help like that. But it had moved something. She just wasn’t sure what.

“I’m warning you, though,” Sadie said, her engagement ring sparkling as she adjusted her bag on her shoulder. “I don’t know squat about soccer.”

Sebastian laughed. “Well, that pretty much makes two of us.”

“But you’re the coach,” Via said, buttoning her light fall jacket.

“Yeah, but only because I wanted to be involved in whatever sport Matty wanted to play. I was a football player as a kid, but honestly, I was relieved that he didn’t have any interest. Dorners have thick skulls—” he knocked on his own “—but I wasn’t ready to watch my boy become a stain on the field.”

Via blinked at him. She’d really, really stereotyped him. She’d thought, from his size and presence, that he was some machismo-filled gorilla. But here he was, an artist, unashamed to ask for help when he needed it and steering his son away from football because of brain injuries?

“Well, I guess I’ll just Wikipedia soccer later tonight. Practice starts at 3:45 tomorrow?” Sadie said.

He nodded. “Seriously though, thank you, Sadie. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate it. I think these last few weeks of soccer practice have given me even more gray hairs.”

He scraped a hand over his head and smiled down at the two women who were smiling up at him. His squint lines deepened, and Via realized that she was letting her eyes wander all over his face. Via cleared her throat and took a step back.

Time to go.

“DOYOUTHINKI’m judgy?” Via asked Serafine as the two of them lounged on the balcony of Fin’s apartment the next night. She had a partial view of Prospect Park, and both of them liked the glimpse of the newly changing leaves.

This was the same place that they’d lived together up until last year, but Fin had made it completely hers since Via had moved out. Crystals and sage, the walls painted in deep jewel tones and hung with mosaics and local art. An old Victorian-looking sofa sat in one corner, and she’d separated the large living room into two rooms with nothing more than three gilded hanging mirrors.

“You?” Fin’s dark brows slashed across her pale forehead as she raised them up to her hairline. “God, no. You’re the least judgmental person I know.”

Via humphed and took a sip of the cheap red wine that neither of them minded drinking out of juice glasses. They’d just gorged on Indian food, and the cool early fall breeze was heaven on Earth as they sat with their feet up on the rail.

“I’ve been feeling judgy lately, and I don’t like it. First with Evan and then with this guy at work, Sebastian.”

“You mean because Evan quit his job with no notice and no backup plan? I think that one deserved to be judged, sister.” Serafine set her wine aside to braid her wavy black hair, her many rings catching the light from a streetlamp and giving the illusion that she was sort of sparkling with energy.

Via frowned at her tone. “I don’t know. He really wasn’t being treated well there.”

“Most people don’t like their job, Violetta.” She used Via’s full name only when she was trying to infuse some love into whatever bitter medicine she was about to spoon over. “But most people aren’t comfortable with hitting up their parents for money when they’re willingly unemployed.”

Via frowned into her wine. She was about to defend something that she kind of didn’t want to defend. But he was her boyfriend, and they loved each other. “It’s not his fault his parents have money. And why shouldn’t he take it if they want to give it?”

Serafine sighed and tipped her head back toward the sky. When she spoke again, her Louisiana accent was syrupy smooth and threaded out into the night like smoke from the end of a cigarette. “There’s nothing wrong with that, Via, really. I’m not judging him for having a different kind of family than we had. I’m just saying that quitting his job with very little thought and then relying on his parents to fill in the gaps isn’t something that I thought you’d ever be attracted to.”

Via froze. She blinked and saw barely any of the view in front of her. Leave it to Fin to hit the nail on the head. The very same nail that Via had been scrupulously avoiding. “I don’t have to be attracted to every single part of him to want to be with him. He doesn’t have to have every part of his life figured out to be a good partner.”

Serafine sighed again, and this time, she laid a hand on Via’s arm. “I’m not trying to shit on your boyfriend, Via. I’m just trying to put words to something that’s been confusing me. And you’re right, you don’t have to love every single thing Evan does or says. But stability and independence are so, SO important to you. I never thought I’d see you with someone who didn’t really value either.”

CHAPTER SIX

SEBASTIANWONDEREDIFhe was coming down with something. His head was spinning and he felt all clammy as he parked his truck on Court Street, a few blocks away from where he was heading.

Tell the truth, Seb, he told himself as he drummed his knuckles against his forehead. He wasn’t coming down with something.

He just felt weird as hell because he’d slept with someone for the first time in almost three years.

Matty was spending a nice fall weekend upstate with his grandparents on Cora’s side, so Sebastian hadn’t had any reason to turn down the brunch date from Valerie. He’d let Emma down easy the week before, and he’d caught coffee with Valerie last weekend while Matty was in karate. He’d liked her enough to go on a second date with her. And he’d apparently liked her enough to sleep with her.

A brunch date. Seb hadn’t even known that was a thing. But eggs Florentine had turned into a walk through Prospect Park had turned into checking out her apartment had turned into a sunny afternoon tour of her bed and her body.

He stepped out of his truck and jammed his hands in his pockets as he walked to the store where he was headed. It had felt good, he had to admit, to get some release after all these years. And it had been interesting to sleep with someone new. He’d missed sex. He’d definitely missed sex.

But the conversation directly afterward had knocked him for a real loop.

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