Luke frowned. “Justine…”
“I’ll never forget that day at the church when we all finally realized your father was not going to show up. Most brides would have collapsed in humiliation. Deborah Quinnell was so very brave about it all. She and her father insisted that everyone attend the reception. Richard said that as long as he’d paid for the food, someone was going to damn well eat it.”
“Justine, let’s get something straight. If this new association of ours is going to have a chance of working, there will have to be some ground rules. Number one is that we don’t talk about the past. You and I are on opposite sides in that old war, and unless you want to refight it, I suggest you don’t mention it.”
Justine’s mouth thinned. “I’m sure you’re right. A very logical decision. But you can’t blame me for wanting you to understand that there were two sides in the feud between your father and the rest of us. We were the ones who had to face the Quinnells that day at the church.”
“And you were the one who called off the merger between Quinnell and Gilchrist right after the wedding. You had made a deal, and you backed out of it.”
Justine’s expression was suddenly stark. “I had to call it off. Without the marriage there was no real link except that of business between the two families. Who knew what would happen when Richard’s daughter married someone else, as she eventually did? I couldn’t risk having everything I’d worked for eventually falling into the hands of outsiders. Surely you can understand that.”
“Yeah, I understand,” Luke said. Because he did. If he had been in Justine’s shoes, he would have called off the merger, too. It was a sobering thought. He did not like the idea of empathizing with Justine in any way. His loyalties lay elsewhere.
“Your father ruined everything when he ran off with your mother,” Justine snapped, her voice growing stronger as she sensed a small victory.
Luke smiled wryly. “Given that I wouldn’t be here if he hadn’t fallen in love with her, I’m sure you can understand that I have a slightly different view of the situation. Look, Justine, there are always two sides to a story. But in my case there’s no question about which side I’m on. Don’t waste your time trying to influence me with propaganda for the other side.”
Justine almost smiled. “Katy has frequently pointed out to me that we Gilchrists tend to see things in overly simplistic terms—black and white. She claims we have a problem with the gray areas of life.”
“I don’t have a problem with them.”
Justine nodded. “Because you don’t even see them. I know. I’ve been that way most of my life.” She paused. “Katy sees them, you know.”
“People who deal in shades of gray get bogged down in sentiment and indecisiveness.”
“Oh, my,” Justine murmured. “It’s going to be interesting watching you and Katy interact.”
Luke shrugged. “Katy and I will get along just fine so long as she remembers I’m the boss. In the meantime, you and I don’t talk about the past. Agreed?”
“Agreed.” Justine put down her teacup. “I’m too grateful to have you here at last to risk arguing with you. I must say, however, that I find it ironic that it’s Richard Quinnell’s granddaughter who has achieved the impossible by getting you here.”
Luke narrowed his eyes. “You think I’m here because of Katy?”
“Aren’t you?”
Damned if he was going to admit anything to the old witch. The truth was, he was not altogether sure why he had come to Dragon Bay. “I’m here because the Pacific Rim restaurant is a ripe plum. As a businessman, I can’t bring myself to pass up such easy pickings.” It was partially true. He certainly intended to take the restaurant when this was over.
“Katy Wade is a ripe plum, too,” Justine said quietly. “I think you should know that she’s been living an almost cloistered existence for the past several years.”
Luke smiled grimly. “That figures. It goes with the wings and halo.”
“It’s because of her brother,” Justine said coolly. “The fact that she comes with a teenager as part of the package has put off most males. Her social life has been far too limited for a young woman of her age.”
Luke studied the fog. “My social life has been a little limited lately, too. Just what the hell are you trying to say, Justine?”
“Her brother will graduate from high school in another month. Then he’ll be off to college, and Katy will be on her own for the first time in her life. She has a right to make up for some of what she’s missed out on during the past few years, and I believe she intends to do so.”
Luke hesitated. “She said something about business plans she wants to pursue.”
“Yes. She yearns to open her own small business. A rather naive dream, I admit. I am, however, encouraging her to sample some of the other aspects of the freedom she has hungered for in recent years.”
Luke arched one brow. “You think she should rush out and have a few passionate affairs?”
Justine inclined her head. “Don’t be crude. Perhaps one or two interesting relationships, yes. I would like her to experience some genuine passion in her life. She is, after all, an attractive young woman. I fear, however, that because she has had to postpone so much for so long, she is rather more vulnerable than other, more experienced young women are at her age. I do not want her hurt.”
Luke looked at Justine. “Are you warning me off, by any chance?”
“Yes, I suppose I am.” Justine’s gaze was unreadable. “There was a man a year ago. Nate Atwood. He was dating Katy when he met Eden. He dropped Katy to marry my granddaughter.”
“Atwood is the name of the man Eden divorced six months ago?”
“Yes.” Justine pursed her lips in fierce disapproval. “I fear he used Katy to get close to the family. His real goal was Eden. He wanted to marry a Gilchrist, you see. Thought he could worm his way into a position of control at Gilchrist, Inc. He is no longer a problem, but I do not want to see Katy hurt again.”
“I’ll keep that in mind. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go upstairs and start letting everyone know who’s running Gilchrist, Inc. these days.”
Justine sat forward with sudden urgency. “Luke.”
“Yes?”
“I am not entirely certain why you have come here. But I want you to know I am grateful.”
“Maybe you’d better wait and see how it all works out before you decide whether or not to be grateful.”
Justine eyed him closely. “I think it is you who isn’t certain how it’s going to work out. By the way, you will be needing a place to live. Have you given the matter any thought?”
“If you’re about to offer me a room here in the mansion, forget it. I’ll find myself something.”
“There are several cottages along the cliffs not far from here. Katy and her brother live in one. I’m sure you can rent one if you like.”
Luke considered the suggestion, aware that he was being pulled more deeply into some invisible web. On the other hand, he needed a place to live until he had sorted out Gilchrist, Inc. And he wanted to be near Katy. “All right.”
He walked out of the room, ignoring the tightlipped housekeeper. He let himself out of Justine’s private suite. In the hall he took the stairs to the second floor and strode down the south wing corridor to a door that stood open.
The woman at the desk looked up quickly from a book she was reading when he appeared in the doorway. The nameplate in front of her read Liz Bartlett.
“May I help you?” She peered at him through a pair of oversized glasses.
“I’m looking for Katy Wade,” Luke said.
Liz’s eyes widened behind her glasses as she put down her book. “Yes, sir. You must be Mr. Gilchrist. I’ll let her know you’re here. She’s with Mr. Stanfield.” She reached for the intercom.
“Never mind,” Luke said. �
�I’ll announce myself.”
“But Mr. Gilchrist—”
“It’s all right. She works for me now.”
He went to the inner door and opened it without knocking. Katy was standing next to a man at the window. The two were huddled in an obviously intense conversation.
The pair sprang apart with guilty haste as the door opened. Katy spun around and glowered at Luke. The man narrowed his eyes briefly and then smiled and stuck out his hand.
“Luke Gilchrist? Welcome to Gilchrist, Inc. I’m Fraser Stanfield, your operations manager.”
Luke shook hands briefly. He found himself wondering if this man was one of those who were waiting in line for Katy to be free of her responsibilities to her brother. “Stanfield, you’re just the man I want to talk to this afternoon. I’m going to set up an office here in the mansion.”
“Justine’s old office is available next door,” Katy volunteered.
Luke nodded, still watching Stanfield. “Be there at two with a summary status report on the restaurants and on Gilchrist Gourmet.”
Fraser’s smile faded slightly. “Yes, sir.”
“I’ll be going into headquarters on a regular basis. Several times a week to start. Set up an office there for me, too, will you?”
“Sure. No problem.”
“Fine.” Luke turned to Katy. “I’m going back to Oregon tomorrow to pick up a few things. I’ll drive back to Seattle in the afternoon and spend the night there. I’ll want to meet with everyone at the restaurants and at Gilchrist Gourmet during the afternoon, evening, and the following morning. Have Liz make arrangements for me at a downtown hotel for tomorrow night, will you?”
Katy nodded quickly. She looked relieved. “Certainly.”
Luke turned to leave and then paused. “By the way, I’ll need someone to look after my dog while I’m gone. I thought I might leave him with you.”
Katy’s eyes flickered with alarm. “Your dog? With me? I don’t think your dog likes me.”
“I’m sure the two of you will get along just fine.” Luke nodded to Fraser and walked out of the office.
The next morning Katy sat across from her brother at the kitchen table and watched as Matt guzzled freshly squeezed orange juice and downed vast quantities of the homemade muesli cereal Katy had prepared.
Matt was a bottomless pit these days, she thought, smiling to herself. She spent an incredible amount of time throwing food at him and watching it disappear. But it was all worth it. He had turned into a fine young man. The morning sunlight gleamed on his bright red hair, and she noticed again the increasing breadth of his shoulders.
Her little brother was growing up quickly, she realized. It would be strange not having him around the place next year.
“What do you mean, Gilchrist’s going to leave his dog with us?” Matthew spread jam on his third slice of toast. Katy had baked the bread the previous evening.
“Just what I said. He’s leaving today to tour the restaurants and Gilchrist Gourmet. He wants to introduce himself to management and the employees. Apparently he feels he can’t take the monster with him, so he’s leaving it with us.”
“And you want me to be in charge of feeding and walking it, huh?”
“Right. Do we have a deal?”
Matt munched toast. “You’ll owe me one.”
“I’m aware of that.”
“Okay. Deal.”
Katy sat back in her chair. “That’s a relief. They should be here in a few minutes. Luke said he was going to drop the beast off on his way out of town. I hope he brings a sturdy chain we can use to tie the creature up outside in the yard.”
“So you really think this guy can save Gilchrist?”
Katy made a face. “I think that if anyone can do it, he can.”
Matt poured more orange juice into the glass. “You don’t like him, do you?”
“I think he’s going to be difficult to have around,” Katy said dryly. “Like all Gilchrists.”
“Cheer up. He’ll probably spend a lot of time in Seattle.”
“I’m counting on it,” Katy murmured.
A knock on the front door of the cottage came just as Katy was adding milk to her own muesli.
“I’ll get it,” Matt said. He got to his feet and went into the front room of the small cottage to open the door.
Katy heard the rumble of voices and the unmistakable sound of dog claws on the old wood floor. A few seconds later Luke and Zeke appeared in the kitchen doorway. Luke had a huge sack of dry dog food under one arm. Zeke had his bowl in his mouth.
Zeke was not on a leash, Katy noted with disapproval. And there was no heavy chain anywhere in evidence. She glowered at the dog. Zeke glowered back and dropped his bowl in the middle of the kitchen floor. He stood protectively over it. Luke put the sack of dog food down beside him.
Luke was dressed in a black sweater and black jeans. It was obvious that, like the rest of the family, he was going to stick to black. But Katy had to admit he looked good in it. The color underlined all that lean masculine grace and power.
Luke caught her studying him, and his mouth curved faintly. His sorcerer’s eyes gleamed green in the morning light. Katy’s fingers trembled slightly as she reached for her orange juice. She was not going to let him make her nervous, she promised herself.
“Good morning.” Luke glanced meaningfully at the coffeepot as Zeke made a royal tour of the tiny kitchen. “Mind if I have a cup? I’ve got a long drive ahead.”
“Help yourself,” Katy said, not bothering to get to her feet.
“Thank you,” Luke murmured as he rummaged in a cupboard for a mug. “I see you are by nature a gracious hostess.”
She smiled blandly. “It’s more hospitality than I got when I dropped in on you down in Oregon.”
“What are you complaining about?” Luke asked as he poured coffee for himself. “You got to walk back out again in one piece, didn’t you?”
“I’m supposed to be grateful?”
“Yes.”
“Excuse me.” Matt’s eyes flickered from his sister’s face to Luke’s as he leaned down to pat Zeke. “Katy says I’m elected to feed your dog. How much does he eat?”
“So she delegated that job, did she? I wondered how she’d get out of it.” Luke sipped his coffee. “Fill his bowl to the top twice a day. If he starts chewing on the furniture, you might want to give him a little extra food. Let him run on the beach in the mornings and evenings, and he’ll take care of himself the rest of the time.”
Matt nodded. “Got it.”
Luke lounged against the counter and watched Matt intently. “I appreciate this.”
“Sure.” Matt gave Zeke one last pat and straightened. “Well, I’d better get going or I’ll be late for school. See you later.”
“Good-bye,” Katy said. “Good luck on that math exam.”
“Thanks.” Matt hoisted his books. “Oh, yeah, I almost forgot. Can I borrow your car tonight? Some of the guys are going to a show in town.”
Katy froze. Lately Matt was requesting the car more and more often and staying out until all hours. It was getting difficult to control his actions. He was a good kid, Katy reminded herself, and Dragon Bay was a small town, but she could not help but worry.
“The last time you went to a show with your friends, you didn’t get in until two in the morning, Matt.”
“I told you, we were just messing around at Jeff’s place.”
“It turned out that Jeff’s folks were out of town that weekend.” Katy was acutely conscious of Luke listening to the exchange. “They had not given Jeff permission to have friends over.”
Matt gave her a disgusted look. “Stop worrying, Katy. How much trouble can anyone get into in this dumb burg? Besides, I’m almost eighteen. I’m not a kid anymore.”
Katy steeled herself. These small skirmis
hes with Matt were becoming increasingly unpleasant. She wished Luke was not a spectator this morning. Things were difficult enough as it was. “Matt, you can take the car, but I want you home by ten. It’s a school night.”
“Ah, come on, Katy, everyone else has a midnight curfew on school nights.”
Katy felt herself turning red under Luke’s watchful eyes. “Please don’t argue, Matt,” she said tightly. “We agreed a long time ago that ten o’clock was curfew on school nights. What about your homework?”
“I’ll get it done during study hall.”
Katy flicked an embarrassed glance at Luke and then frowned at her brother. “We’ll talk about it this afternoon when you get home.”
Matt rolled his eyes. “Come on, Katy, you’re not my mother. I’ll see you later.” He started for the door.
“Hang on a second,” Luke said quietly.
Matt hesitated “Yeah?”
“You have a part-time job?”
“Sure. All the guys do. Me and some of the others work at the new fast food place on Bay Street.”
Luke nodded. “I know it. You want to hang onto that job?”
“Well, sure.” Matt was becoming increasingly bewildered. “It pays for my gas and stuff.”
“Then be in by ten on school nights. Got it?”
“Huh?” Matt stared at him.
“You heard me,” Luke said. “I agree with your sister. Ten is late enough on school nights. Hell, you probably shouldn’t be going out at all during the week.”
“Are you crazy?” Matt started to turn red with anger.
“My mental health is not your problem. Your problem is that as long as your sister works for me I’ve got a vested interest in her peace of mind. I don’t want her attention distracted from her job during the day. That means I don’t want her worrying about what you’re up to at night.”
“Who the hell do you think you are?” Matt demanded. “You can’t get me fired.”
Luke smiled. “Don’t kid yourself. I can get you canned in a minute if I decide to do it. Your friends, too, for that matter. All I have to do is have a little talk with the owner of that fast food franchise on Bay Street. He’ll see things my way.”
Family Man Page 6