Page 36 of Paging Dr. VanRyan

He glanced at me, gauging my reaction. I knew if I shook my head, he’d make an excuse. But I was curious about his parents. And obviously, they were curious about me. Neither of us bought the “out for a walk” excuse. There was no doubt his father had planned this.

And I was surprisingly okay with that.

“I do love chowder,” I assured him.

Richard clapped his hands. “Great. You ladies walk ahead and get us a table. I’ll help Matthew finish with the boat.”

Katy rolled her eyes. “And interrogate our son.”

Richard laid a hand on his heart. “Katy, sweetheart, you wound me.”

“I’ll do more than that if you upset my baby.”

He threw back his head and laughed, then kissed her cheek. “I’ll be good.” He winked at me. “I’ll leave the gentle pulling of information to you, my wife.”

Then he jumped onto the boat. “Come on, son. We don’t want to keep the ladies waiting too long. God knows what secrets your mom will impart. She has lots of old photos on her phone, you know.”

Matthew groaned but he didn’t look too bothered by his father’s statement.

Katy linked her arm with mine. “Leave them. We’ll go get a lovely glass of wine and chat. Not about them.” She lowered her voice. “Richard thinks all I do is talk about him. And our kids. I have other interests. Far more interesting ones.”

“I heard that!” Richard called, looking shocked.

She grinned. “See?”

I returned her grin. I had a feeling I was going to like her. A lot.

I sat next to Katy, and when the men joined us a few moments later, Richard leaned down and kissed her head before sliding into his chair. Matthew squeezed my hand, throwing me a wink before sitting. Side by side, they were a then-and-now picture. So similar, so striking, and yet somehow, so approachable. Both had easy smiles, Matthew’s wide grin more like Katy’s. Both men were sexy. At ease with themselves. Richard oozed confidence, and although Matthew was very sure of himself, his father’s was a different sort of vibe. In control, owning the space he was in.

Both of them were incredibly appealing.

I met Katy’s eyes, and she winked at me, knowing exactly what I was thinking. I picked up the glass of white wine, and we toasted silently.

The restaurant was busy, but we had a great table right at the windows. It was decorated like a boat with a lot of wood, anchors, and various other marine-type items scattered around. The tables were heavy, built from old, scarred timber. The chairs were surprisingly comfortable and the atmosphere friendly and casual. Sea shanties played through the speakers. Richard and Katy were obviously well-known here. Matthew too. The owner had come over and greeted Katy when we first walked in, escorting her to the table. He had shaken my hand when she introduced me to him as “Matthew’s girl.” They had shared a look that made me blush.

An order of seafood-stuffed mushrooms appeared on the table, along with a basket of hot bread. Richard inhaled and groaned. “I am starving.”

“Me too,” Matthew replied, picking up a spoon and lifting two of the steaming treats, first to my plate, then his mom’s. He helped himself to two, then handed the spoon to his dad.