Lina raised her eyebrows. “What time should I expect him or her?”

“At eight. Please don’t embarrass me.”

“I wasn’t planning to.” Lina began to leave but paused at the door. “They are welcome to join us for dinner. It’ll be ready in a few minutes, but I can hold it half an hour.”

“No.” Katie spun around. “Do you know how weird that would be?”

“No. I don’t think it would be weird at all. They do eat, right?”

“He’s not eating with us, and don’t ask him any questions. Don’t talk to him at all.”

“I’m going to ask him questions. I’m not letting you leave this house with a stranger.”

“He isn’t a stranger to me,” Katie fumed. “You’re as annoying as Dad. Why are you trying to act like him?”

“I’m acting like a parent,” Lina said, realizing as she said the words that, like with the dog issue, she had let Phil voice the unpopular decisions.

When he showed up in jeans, black biker boots, a tight black T-shirt and tattoos covering the visible skin of one of his arms, Lina’s first impression, or second, if the day in the pool counted, was that Matt was bad news. But with Nick’s words ringing in her ears, she ignored her apprehension and approached him while he was bent on one knee greeting Knight just inside the foyer.

“He likes you,” Katie said.

“I love dogs.” Matt came to his feet, continuing to scratch Knight’s head as his gaze shifted to Lina.

As soon as she met his soulful eyes, her reservations dissolved. His eyes were the same eyes that reflected back at her in the mirror when she was his age. The eyes Shiloh still wore. He had lived through trauma, and his vulnerability pulled at her heart.

“I’m Lina Hunter.”

“Matt.” The steadiness of his gaze as he returned her handshake surprised her. There was a strength there she hadn’t recognized at first. He seemed older than eighteen.

“Are you hungry, Matt? Logan is still eating. There’s plenty.”

“Mom!” Katie frowned at her.

Matt shifted his attention to Katie. “You don’t want me to eat?”

Katie’s voice gentled. “Are you hungry?”

“I could eat.”

“Okay.” Katie took his hand and led him to the kitchen.

Two things became apparent over the next fifteen minutes. Matt had been hungry—he ate two helpings of chicken parmesan—and he adored Katie. His entire demeanor softened whenever he interacted with her. For her part, Katie seemed equally infatuated, moving her chair directly beside his, their thighs pressing against each other as they talked softly while he ate.

He wasn’t unfriendly, talking to Logan occasionally and thanking Lina more than once for feeding him, but it was clear his focus was on Katie, and as soon as he finished eating, the two were standing.