Crossroad to Love (Fab Five Series) - By Anna Kristell Page 0,33

of keeping people busy. Now that most of our children are older, maybe it will be easier for us to see each other more often. I certainly hope so, anyway. The fact that we all settled in different cities doesn’t help matters any.”

“You have a son, is that right? You mentioned yesterday he had started college.”

“Yes, Alex. He was quite the basketball player in high school, but decided not to play in college. I spoke with him on the phone last night. He was very excited for me when I told him about my interior design business.”

“I am glad he approves.”

“He has been after me for years to pursue my dreams, but I felt as if I needed to devote my time and energy to him while he was growing up. After he lost his father, I didn’t want him to feel any more alone than he already did. And Bill left me financially able to stay at home, so I saw no reason to make our lives any more stressful than they needed to be. But now it’s time for me to start a new chapter or two in my life.” She looked at Ryan and smiled.

They pulled into the parking lot of a charming, old Victorian-styled house, much larger than the one Katy lived in, and obviously renovated to become a restaurant. The parking lot was full, so this must also be a good place for dinner. She could not wait to get inside and see the interior. This would be a designer’s dream, she thought as Ryan opened her door for her and helped her out of the car. He held her hand tightly as they entered the restaurant and walked toward the reservation desk.

“We have reservations for two. O’Grady,” Ryan informed the hostess as she looked up from the desk.

“Ah, yes. Jarrett has a special table for you, Mr. O’Grady. Follow me.”

Katy looked questioningly at Ryan and he answered her unspoken question, “Jarrett is an old friend. I met him right after I moved to Dallas. He and his wife, Michelle, own this little place,” he explained as they followed the hostess.

They were led to a corner in the back of the restaurant. The décor of the room was all Katy had hoped it would be. The true Victorian charm was displayed throughout the room. Antiques and old pictures were plentiful. The table they were being seated at was in a secluded corner. She was glad. This would be perfect for talking about serious matters and getting to know each other better. Not to mention gazing into those sexy eyes of his.

“I love it already, Ryan. This place is wonderful,” she remarked as she looked around the room, drinking in the exquisite atmosphere.

“I figured it would be your cup of tea, with you being into designing and all,” he grinned.

He took the liberty of ordering the wine while Katy studied the menu.

After they had placed their orders, with Ryan helping her decide, Katy wondered when and how to approach the subject of his painful past. She decided to wait until after dinner.

She did not want to ruin the evening, and bringing up the subject might do just that. So they spent a relaxing evening looking at the antiques around the room and discussing them.

They also discussed Katy’s plans for the restaurant’s party room and the chain of new restaurants that Ryan and his family were planning to open. He was very excited at the possibilities ahead of them. Apparently these plans had been in the works for some time.

“Do you know what locations yet?” Katy ventured to ask.

“We haven’t gotten that far yet. We originally thought we would open a few more locally, but now we’re thinking of maybe branching out a little. There may possibly be one in the Midwest, one in Florida, and one in New England, to start. The problem will be finding quality people to run them, since obviously, Shane, Chloe and I can’t be in four places at once. It would also be a lot of jetting around the country for a while, getting everything organized, but that could be fun.” He glanced at her as the thought came to him that it would be fun if she were jetting around the country with him.

“Well, you can always open one in Chicago, that way you could visit me while you’re there,” Katy invited with a suggestive smile. I can’t believe I just said that, she thought to herself. What a flirt