Via froze. She blinked and saw barely any of the view in front of her. Leave it to Fin to hit the nail on the head. The very same nail that Via had been scrupulously avoiding. “I don’t have to be attracted to every single part of him to want to be with him. He doesn’t have to have every part of his life figured out to be a good partner.”

Serafine sighed again, and this time, she laid a hand on Via’s arm. “I’m not trying to shit on your boyfriend, Via. I’m just trying to put words to something that’s been confusing me. And you’re right, you don’t have to love every single thing Evan does or says. But stability and independence are so, SO important to you. I never thought I’d see you with someone who didn’t really value either.”

CHAPTER SIX

SEBASTIAN WONDERED IF he was coming down with something. His head was spinning and he felt all clammy as he parked his truck on Court Street, a few blocks away from where he was heading.

Tell the truth, Seb, he told himself as he drummed his knuckles against his forehead. He wasn’t coming down with something.

He just felt weird as hell because he’d slept with someone for the first time in almost three years.

Matty was spending a nice fall weekend upstate with his grandparents on Cora’s side, so Sebastian hadn’t had any reason to turn down the brunch date from Valerie. He’d let Emma down easy the week before, and he’d caught coffee with Valerie last weekend while Matty was in karate. He’d liked her enough to go on a second date with her. And he’d apparently liked her enough to sleep with her.

A brunch date. Seb hadn’t even known that was a thing. But eggs Florentine had turned into a walk through Prospect Park had turned into checking out her apartment had turned into a sunny afternoon tour of her bed and her body.

He stepped out of his truck and jammed his hands in his pockets as he walked to the store where he was headed. It had felt good, he had to admit, to get some release after all these years. And it had been interesting to sleep with someone new. He’d missed sex. He’d definitely missed sex.

But the conversation directly afterward had knocked him for a real loop.

The bell above the door of the home goods shop jingled as he stepped through. The blond-haired woman behind the counter grinned at him.

“Would you date me?” Seb asked without preamble.

“Oh, uh, Seb,” his good friend Mary stuttered, color flushing her pretty cheeks. “You know I just got out of that whole mess with Doug and—”

“No, no.” He waved a hand through the air as he made his way through the empty store. “You misunderstand. I didn’t say will you date me, I said would you date me.”

“Oh.” Understanding lit her eyes. “You’re asking if you’re datable?”