Page 43 of Just a Heartbeat Away

“So,” Serafine began as she tore her bagel up into little pieces and dipped them in the nearest tub of cream cheese. “How do you all know one another?”

Sebastian had been about to sit at one end of the table, between Mary and Via, but he realized, with a little jolt, that this was supposed to be a sort-of date with Serafine. It felt a little strange to sit down next to her, at the head of his table. Public and a little declarative. But whatever. He wasn’t going to be an asshole and pretend like he hadn’t made a coffee date with her. Seb glanced around the table as he settled himself in his chair and saw Mary’s curious gaze, Via’s eyes steadfastly on her plate, and strangely enough, his gaze clashed with Tyler’s. His best friend since childhood had an expression on his face that Seb had never seen before. What the hell was wrong with him? Sure, Fin was pretty, gorgeous even. But Tyler was acting like Cleopatra herself was gracing them with her presence.

“What’s that? Oh.” Seb tried to focus himself to answer the question. “Ty and I met in kindergarten. We’ve been best friends ever since. And Mary...”Was best friends with my wife? Was Cora’s friend from college? Helped scrape me off the sidewalk after my wife died?“...and I became close a few years ago when she moved to Brooklyn.”

“I own a little shop in Cobble Hill called Fresh. It’s a home goods store. Furniture and kitchenware and things like that. Design-y stuff.”

“Oh! I love that shop!” Via’s eyes lit up, and Seb had to hope that this was the point when this breakfast hang became a little less awkward. Everybody besides Serafine was acting like they were here against their will. “You had a window display there a few months ago that I lusted after.”

“With no shame,” Fin added in that deep Southern lilt of hers. It was musical, like a slow-moving river descending into waterfall. “She was a real home goods hussy for a while.”

Mary and Seb laughed.

“Which window display was it?” Mary asked.

“You’d set up the front room like a little living room. With that lavender suede couch and the metallic pillows. Oh! And the—”

“Peacock-green copper-based lamp. Oh, I remember. I had trouble parting with that set. Everybody wanted to buy it, but I wanted it for myself.”

“As I recall,” Seb cut in, “you ended up keeping that lamp for yourself.”

“Not true!” Mary was outraged, gesturing toward him with the melon at the end of her fork. “I just had you make me another one exactly like the first.”

“You made that lamp?” Via’s eyes were wide and amazed. “I thought you only did furniture.”

“I made the base.” Seb waved his hand through the air. “Mary chose the shade. I’ve made a few lamps and chandeliers. But I don’t love all the electrical components. Shocked the shit out of myself a few times while I was working on the wiring.”

“Can I—we—see your workshop after breakfast?”

“Oh. Sure. It’s not much to look at, but yeah.”

Mary was opening her mouth, probably to smoothly introduce another line of conversation—bless her—when a bell tinkled from the other side of the house.

Seb dropped his head in his hand and grinned. “I knew I never should have given the kid a bell. I feel like a butler.”

But Via was the one who was pushing out of her chair. “Can I go? I wanted to say hi.”

“Are you sure you don’t mind? I wouldn’t want you to get sick.”

She shook her head. “I wanna see him.”

“All right. Down the hall, first door on your left.”

Seb resolved not to watch her go. Instead he looked up at the remaining three people. Particularly at his typically gregarious best friend, who was avoiding eye contact and staring down at his food like it was his last meal. Mary and Fin struck up a conversation, but Seb kind of tuned them out.

He heard Via’s low voice and then her light laugh. A minute later she was back.

“He says he wants some of his dad’s water?” She looked confused.

Seb made wide, exasperated eyes at Tyler and finally, the man cracked, laughing.

“That kid, I swear.” Tyler chuckled, affection in his eyes.

Seb sighed as he rose from the table and joined Via where she stood at the threshold of the kitchen.

“Here.” He filled a big blue glass from the sink and handed it to her. “Tell him it’s mine.”

Via laughed. “Simple as that?”

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