Page 79 of Just a Heartbeat Away

“And what do you see? Do you see a kid in your future?”

“No.” Her voice was rigid and brittle. “I see a man. And I love him and hate him at the same time.”

“Who is he?”

“I don’t know. If I knew, I’d be running in the opposite direction.”

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

THATFRIDAY, VIArushed into Cider for happy hour. She was ten minutes behind everyone else and she looked like it. Her messenger bag was overflowing with paperwork she had to do this weekend.Fuck you very much,Mr. Tate.That particular incident just wouldn’t die. Also, her hair was flying in nine different directions, she could just feel it, and she’d lost a button on her favorite peacoat. Not to mention she was pretty sure her scarf was only over one of her shoulders right now. With her luck, the other end was trailing on the ground.

She spotted the teachers’ crew in their usual corner and bypassed them straight for the bar instead.

“Hi, Christian,” she called. She and the silver fox of a bartender had become pretty friendly over the last few weeks. She hadn’t bothered to tell him that she and Evan had broken up, mostly because she never wanted to get his number on a receipt again. She liked him, though. He was a casual flirt, pretty funny and very easy on the eyes.

“Gorgeous,” he said as he coasted a hand down the bar counter. “You look...a little disheveled, to be honest.”

She barked out a laugh. “I believe it. Hell of a day.”

“Apparently.” He grinned at her. “Your usual?”

“Please.” She waited obediently by the bar, attempting to dig out her wallet without upending everything else. She could only imagine the show she was putting on for all her teacher friends across the room. She was sure she was in for some healthy ribbing from Sadie the second she sat down.

“Darlin’, go sit your cute ass down at the table. I’ll bring it to you.”

“Are you sure? You don’t have to serve me, Christian.”

He rolled his eyes. “It’s either that or help you pick up all those papers that are about to come tumbling out of your bag when you try to carry your beer.”

She laughed again, shaking her hair back. “Fair enough.”

She tossed him a friendly wave and then made her way over to the teachers’ table.

“Good Lord, Via, did you encounter a tornado out there?” Sure enough, Sadie was the first person to say something.

Via hung her messenger bag over the back of the only free chair, whipped off her coat and scarf, and smoothed her hair as she plunked down into the seat. She let out a deep breath as she looked around at her friends. “So predictable, Sade, that you’d be the first person to make a joke.”

Via’s eyes stalled halfway around the table when her gaze landed on Sebastian. He never came to happy hours. Like, ever. But there he was, not four feet away. Via blinked at him. He took a swallow of beer and then raised his eyebrows, taking the corners of his lips with them.

She couldn’t help but give him a surprised little smile back. Via scanned the rest of the table. Of course, Rachel was sitting on Sebastian’s left, already pawing at his arm and trying to get his attention back.

Grace was on his other side. Sadie, Cat and Shelly were in the other spots. And on Via’s right was a substitute teacher Via had seen around but never been introduced to before. He was cute, in a totally geeky kind of way. Severely parted blond hair and thick rimmed glasses. He looked like he could probably have fit into Via’s size two trousers without having to suck in very much at all.

“Hi, we haven’t met.” He held out one hand. “Greg Hauser.”

“Hi, Greg, Via DeRosa.”

“You’re the school counselor, right?”

“That’s right, for third through—”

“Gorgeous.” Christian leaned across her, setting her dark beer in front of her.

“You’re a godsend.” She flashed him a quick smile, not too flirty, and tried to hand him the cash she’d tucked into her hand just a moment ago.

He waved her off. “On the house.”

She frowned after him. That had been a little presumptuous. He’d basically just bought her a drink. She hoped none of her teacher friends had let it slip that she was single.

---