“I told you that I came back to Brooklyn after my aunt died. I didn’t mention that it was right after my best friend died as well.”

Her eyes met his, and John’s heart constricted. He leaned forward across the table, wanting to take her hand but scared to break the spell. “Oh, Mary,” he whispered.

“It was terrible. She was killed in a car accident. Drunk driver hit her. She was Matty’s mom. Sebastian’s wife.”

“Oh.” John blinked. “I guess I didn’t realize that Via wasn’t Matty’s mom.”

“They make a good family,” Mary agreed. “The three of them. But yeah, Cora and Seb were married. When Aunt Tiff died, Cora wanted me to come to Brooklyn, but I wasn’t sure if I could handle coming here and taking on the store. I was working at an interior decorating company in Connecticut, still trying to make my mother happy in at least one regard.” Mary smirked. “But after Cora died, I realized that here was where I needed to be. Sebastian and Matty were so lost without her, and I had an apartment and a shop just waiting for me. I just had to come and do the hard work and claim it. So, I did. I threw myself into getting the shop off the ground, and I threw myself into their lives. Both Tyler and I did. That’s how he and I became friends. And for a long time, it was just Tyler, Sebastian and I. A trio.”

She smiled fondly, and John had to ask. “Were you ever, ah, with either of them?”

Mary laughed and rolled her eyes. “That would be a no. Sebastian had been my best friend’s husband and a total mess besides. And Tyler is...not quite my style. Lovely, wonderful, perfect for Fin, but not for me. I don’t think either of us ever even entertained the idea.”

John nodded, feeling foolish for the swamping relief of knowing that she’d never been kissed by either of her stupidly good-looking best friends. “So, you’re saying that for a long time dating just wasn’t on your radar?”

“Yeah. I was just too hurt. Losing Aunt Tiff was like losing a parent and a best friend all in one. And losing Cora was like losing a best friend and a sister all in one. I felt friendless and family-less.”

“Even with your parents?”

She made a face as she weighed her answer, tipping her head from side to side. “I’m the odd one out with my parents. If anything, my relationship with my mom got even worse after Tiff died. Tiff was really the referee between us. Even more than that, she was the translator. She understood us both so well that she could explain us to the other one. We’ve never quite gotten back to that point, my mother and I, being able to understand one another.”