Family Man

jacket.
    The bus person looked shell-shocked.
    “Sorry, sir.” The wine steward nobly tried to take charge. “I'll get a towel.”
    “Forget it.” Luke gave him the name of the wine he wanted served with the meal.
    The wine steward and the bus person escaped as swiftly as possible.
    Katy laughed softly. “I told you we'd get impeccable service.”
    “Service? We haven't been left alone for more than three minutes.” Luke was beginning to realize he had made a mistake bringing Katy to a Gilchrist restaurant. Unfortunately, having used the unannounced test as an excuse to force Katy to spend the night with him, he had felt obliged to go through with it.
    He was about ready to walk out. All he wanted was to be alone with Katy. He had to talk to her. He had questions he wanted to ask, but he was not certain he wanted to hear the answers. The conflicting emotions were driving him deeper into his already foul mood.
    The questions were simple. Luke wanted to ask Katy if she was plotting revenge against the Gilchrist clan.
    He also wanted to ask her if she would stay with him after the six months were up.
    How did a man ask a woman if she was as angelic as she seemed? Luke wondered. How did he ask her if she secretly hated his guts and had conspired against him and his entire family?
    So many questions.
    Luke eyed Katy with brooding fascination. She looked like a dawn sky tonight. She had on a vivid yellow and turquoise dress that floated around her like a gossamer veil. The weightless fabric seemed to glide over her soft breasts and sweetly curved hips, never clinging close enough to satisfy Luke, but following the outline of her body just enough to tantalize him.
    Luke could not quite see through the delicate fabric, although he had certainly been trying to do so since she had emerged from her hotel room. From the hints he had gotten so far he thought there might be a sort of yellow silk slip underneath the airy dress.
    He was intensely aware of the sensual hunger in his guts. He told himself she surely could not smile at him like that if she were secretly plotting to destroy the Gilchrist clan.
    Could she?
    “You can't possibly conduct a true unannounced test of one of your own restaurants,” Katy said chattily. “I told you that. They knew who you were the minute you walked in the door, even if you did make the reservations under another name.”
    “I've given up trying to test the operation,” Luke grumbled. “I'd settle for some privacy.”
    “In that case, it was an even bigger mistake to choose a Gilchrist restaurant.” Katy glanced up and smiled at someone moving toward them through the cluster of crowded tables. “Here comes the new manager. He'll want to know if you're happy with what you've experienced so far. Be nice to him, Luke. His name is George McCoy, and he's a good man. You're lucky to have him working for you.”
    “You don't have to play personal assistant tonight. I can remember the man's name, and I know what kind of job he's been doing here.” Luke put down his fork as a tall, lanky man with thinning hair stopped beside the table. “Hello, McCoy.”
    “Sir. Good to have you with us.” McCoy smiled at Katy. “Good evening, Ms. Wade. Glad to see you here tonight. Just thought I'd drop by and make sure everything was satisfactory.”
    “It's wonderful, George.” Katy smiled brilliantly. “As always. Isn't that right, Mr. Gilchrist?”
    “We could do with a little less attention from the wait staff,” Luke said.
    McCoy was instantly alarmed. “Of course. I'll speak to them immediately. I hadn't realized. You know how it is when the boss is around.”
    Katy shot Luke a warning glance and then gave McCoy another reassuring smile. “Mr. Gilchrist and I were just noticing the addition of a couple of interesting vegetarian entrées to the menu. He commented that it was a terrific idea, because the Northwest has become something of a haven for vegetarians.” She looked straight at Luke. “Isn't that right, Mr. Gilchrist?”
    Luke drummed his fingers on the tablecloth and studied her from beneath half-closed lashes. “From your lips to heaven's ears, Ms. Wade. If you heard me say that, then I must have said it.”
    McCoy turned a dull red, pleased at having found favor with the boss. But it was the bright color in Katy's cheeks that amused Luke. Angels had a hard time with lies, even white lies.
    “The new chef and I decided to try the vegetarian entrées as an experiment,”