All Night Long

him.
    Bruce looked at the small crowd behind Luke. “Should I bring some more cups?”
    “No,” Luke said, edging one door closed with the toe of his shoe. “I don’t think anyone else here is interested in coffee this morning. They’re too busy intervening.”
    He nudged the other door shut and carried the pot and the cup to the table.
    John’s face tightened angrily “I’ve had enough. You’ve got problems. Admit it.”
    Luke poured coffee into the cup. “Everyone has problems.”
    “Not like yours,” Dr. Van Dyke said in a calm, authoritative manner. “Given your history, it is entirely possible that you are suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder with symptoms of anxiety depression, erectile dysfunction and hypervigilance.”
    Luke paused with the cup halfway to his mouth. “Hypervigilance?”
    “That jumpy, easily startled feeling,” Van Dyke explained.
    “Right.” He nodded. “I drink coffee for that.”
    Out of the corner of his eye he saw Jason exchange a look with Hackett, who shook his head in silent warning. Gordon’s expression tightened. The Old Man seemed to slump a little in his chair.
    The others were giving up already, Luke concluded. But Dr. Van Dyke was evidently made of sterner stuff. Oblivious to the changing mood in the room, she plowed onward.
    “The best way to approach your issues in a constructive fashion is for you to start therapy immediately,” she declared. “Initially we will meet three times a week starting today. In addition, I will prescribe medications to ease your anxiety and depression.
    There are also meds for your erectile dysfunction problem.”
    “Good to know.” Luke swallowed some coffee.

----
    Irene looked at Vicki. “Mrs. Danner, I understand that, as Luke’s mother, you’re naturally very worried about him.”
    “I am not his mother.”
    “Stepmother, I mean,” Irene said quickly.
    Vicki’s elegantly manicured fingers tightened on the delicate handle of the coffee cup. “Let’s ge omething clear, Irene. I do not know what Luke has told you about our relationship, but I can assur ou that he does not consider me to be his mother or stepmother. I am his father’s wife.”
    “Well, yes, certainly, but—”
    Vicki sighed. “From day one Luke made it plain that he did not need or want a mother. I will neve orget my first impression of him when John introduced us. I swear, that boy was ten years old goin n forty.”
    Katy frowned a little. “Luke is very fond of you, Vicki, you know that.”
    “He wasn’t at the beginning,” Vicki said grimly. “At first I made the mistake of trying to take the plac f the mother he had lost. But by that point Luke and his father, together with Gordon, had been an all-male team for several years. Luke liked the situation just the way it was.” The cup trembled eve o slightly in her fingers. “I’ve often wondered if I’m the one who drove him out of the family.”
    Irene took another muffin out of the basket. “What do you mean?”
    “Perhaps if I hadn’t come into his life, if I hadn’t taken so much of his father’s attention and the rovided him with two younger half brothers, maybe Luke wouldn’t have felt compelled to go into academia and then into the Marines.” She paused. “And if he hadn’t done that, maybe he wouldn’ e in the situation he’s in today.”
    “Whoa, wait, stop right there.” Irene waved her napkin wildly in front of Vicki’s distraught face.

    “Get a grip, lady. This is Luke we’re talking about. He marches to the beat of his own drummer. This is one man who for sure makes his own choices You are not responsible for him joining the Marines or buying the lodge or anything else he chooses to do.”
    “John is so very anxious about him,” Vicki whispered.
    “Luke is okay,” Irene said.
    Vicki looked at her, seeking reassurance. “Are you sure? Do you think he’ll come back to the business?”
    Irene considered briefly. “If Elena Creek Vineyards was in serious trouble and if he thought he might be able to help save it, Luke would come back. He knows how much the business means to everyone i he family. Given his sense of loyalty and responsibility, it’s safe to say that he would make a rescue attempt if necessary. But otherwise, no. He has his own plans.”
    “Operating the Sunrise on the Lake Lodge?” Vicki said. “That’s ridiculous. Luke is no innkeeper. He belongs at the winery.”
    Katy looked thoughtful. “You know, Irene has a point.