Page 21 of Just a Heartbeat Away

CHAPTER SEVEN

“ISTHATTHEPSYCHIC?”a low voice muttered from beside Via.

She turned and blinked in surprise when she saw Sebastian squinting toward the stands of the softball field. She hadn’t realized he was on the team, as he hadn’t been at any of the other games. And sure enough, he was looking right at Fin with her long black braid and purple pants. She was patting Sebastian’s dog on the head and sharing a snack with Matty. Seemed they’d already made friends in the forty-five seconds that they’d shared a bench.

“How’d you know?” Via asked, amazed that he’d guessed.

Sebastian shrugged. “She’s just got a, you know...” He waggled his fingers and widened his eyes. “Spooky vibe.”

Via laughed and cocked her head to one side, her hair kissing her shoulder and reminding her that she needed to pull it up into a ponytail for the game. “I see what you mean. I think it’s all the silver jewelry.”

“What’s the psychic’s name, again?”

Via wondered for one vibrating second if he was interested in her friend. “Serafine St. Romain.”

“Wow.”

“Fin, to her friends.”

“That’s a lot of name.”

Via raised an eyebrow. “You’re one to talk.”

“Hey! Sebastian is a classic name.” She felt him eye her as she put one foot up on the bench to tie her running shoe. “So, you play softball?”

She tied a crisp little knot and moved on to the other shoe. “High school. And then a little in college.”

“Oh. Wow. Now I’m nervous.”

“You’re not good?” Via squinted up at him; he was standing right in the sun. He moved a few inches to one side, and she dropped her shading hand.

“Eh. I can run. But I was wooed here.”

Via looked around at the other members of the softball team, stretching and organizing equipment. Sadie was kissing Rae at the other end of the dugout. “Well, even if you’re not stellar, nobody cares. It’s a good group.”

Seb knocked some dirt out of the treads of his shoe with the fat end of a softball bat. “You’ve been playing with them all season?”

“Just the last three weeks. Sadie talked me into it that first happy hour.”

“Hey!” Sebastian called over to Sadie. “You didn’t even get me drunk before you smooth-talked me. I feel cheated.”

“I pulled a soccer ball out of Casey Dane’s soccer shorts for you. You owed me,” Sadie called back, and Sebastian immediately burst out laughing.

“Do I even want to know?” Via asked, waving at Matty and Fin in the stands when they caught her eye.

“She’s been helping out with soccer practice, and it’s occasionally a little...unruly. Seriously, pump ’em full of Capri Sun, and those kids go rabid.” His eyes were on her as she tied her hair back into a ponytail. A frown line appeared between his eyebrows. She glanced up at that plain, wide-featured face, those light eyes so still and so bright, like they were backlit. Her dark gaze skittered away when he spoke again. “So, you’re sporty, huh?”

“I’m lots of things,” Via responded before she jogged out toward where the team was gathering around Sadie.

SEBASTIANCOULDN’THELPbut grin as he gripped the chain-link fence. He was surprised she hadn’t broken the bat with that last hit. The ball was going, going, gone. And so was Miss Via DeRosa as she rounded first, gunning for second.

He tried to wipe the smile from his face—he was sure it was bordering on dopey—but he found it wouldn’t quit. It was a joy to watch her play softball. She was powerful and light all at once. Actually, she made the rest of them look like they had their shoes tied together. Also, it didn’t hurt that she looked so damn good with that cap pulled low over her eyes and those leggings that showed two perfectly hollowed ankles.

She was cute. It wasn’t a crime to think she was cute, he reminded himself. It wasn’t like he was going to do anything about it. This game had been all the reminder he’d needed of his age. His knees were already sore from the triple he’d managed to hit last inning. He could only imagine how they’d feel in the morning.

And there she was, bulleting around each base like a little midtwenties hummingbird. He knew she didn’t worry aboutherknees. She was probably gonna swipe on some lipstick and go dancing with her hair model boyfriend tonight. She was young enough she probably still smoked cigarettes and didn’t worry about the cost. She probably drank sweet drinks out of fancy glasses and showed up hungover to yoga the next morning.

Sebastian, on the other hand, was going to ice his knees while his kid fell asleep duringTurbo.

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