Page 49 of Just a Heartbeat Away

Via felt half of herself grip the edge of a door buried deep inside her. She wanted to slam it closed. With some attitude. She wanted the door to shake on its damn hinges. But the other half of her had two palms on that door, holding it open with all her strength.

She still wasn’t listening to him. How could she? She was just. so. tired.

The landline on her desk rang, jolting her straight up and making her realize how far down she’d slouched.

“Ev? I have to call you back. My lunch hour is up.”

She said goodbye and hung up with him.

“Via DeRosa,” she answered her phone, her voice sounding strangely wooden.

“Via! Hi! I hope it’s all right I called you at work.”

“Ah, who am I speaking with?”

“Oh!” A bright, bubbling laugh came through the line. “Sorry. This is Mary Trace. Sebastian’s friend? We met this weekend?”

“Of course, sure. Hi, Mary. What can I do for you?”

“Well, actually, I was calling to ask a favor.”

“Oh?” Via had really liked Mary when she met her. The woman was friendly and sweet and obviously wanted to get to know Via and Fin. But that didn’t mean she wasn’t a little surprised to be getting a phone call from her in the middle of the workday.

“So Seb is home sick—he got what Matty had, did you hear that?”

“Oh shoot. No. I mean, I suspected when he wasn’t in school but that sucks. Strep is terrible.”

“I know. And I was supposed to pick up Matty and bring him home today, but my shop assistant is a no-show, and I really don’t want to close down this afternoon.”

“You want me to walk Matty home?”

“Would you? I’d owe you a million favors. Or maybe just the friends and family discount at my store?”

“I would have done it for free, but now that you’ve offered it, I’m holding you to that. I’ve been eyeing those brass-and-marble coasters for damn near a year.”

Mary laughed that bubbly laugh again. “They’re yours.”

“I’ll grab him after class and take him straight home.”

“You’re a lifesaver. I’ll text Seb and let him know the change in plans.”

“Tell him that Sadie will be with us, too,” Via added impulsively. She had no plans with Sadie that afternoon, but suddenly, walking Matty home from school and checking on a sick Sebastian felt really intimate. She didn’t need a chaperone per se. But yeah. The thought of one of her colleagues seeing her walk Matty home by herself and assuming something... It made her stomach flip uncomfortably.

“Sure. Thanks again.”

MATTYWASAPPARENTLYoverjoyed to be the kid who got walked home from school by not one, but two teachers.

“You’re strutting like a rock star.” Via smiled down at him.

“Am not!” Matty insisted, then screwed his face up into a little twist. “Which rock star?”

Via and Sadie laughed as Via straightened his backpack on his shoulders.

“Maybe Prince?” Via supplied.

“Definitely Prince,” Sadie agreed. She had a huge smile on her face. “Just look at those little hips.”

“My dad really likes Prince,” Matty said, absently reaching up and lacing his fingers with Via’s. “Sometimes on Sunday mornings we have raspberry pancakes and listen to ‘Raspberry Beret.’”

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