Family Man

she have done?”
    “Who knows?” Hayden said. “Tried to buy her off, perhaps. Or threatened her in some fashion. Maybe even convinced her she would ruin Thornton's life by marrying him.”
    Maureen nodded. “The point is, Thornton obviously knew his primary task was to protect Cleo.”
    “And Deborah Quinnell came in second on his list of priorities,” Katy murmured. “Just another Gilchrist road kill.”
    Luke went cold with anger. “What's that supposed to mean?”
    “Nothing.” Katy smiled wryly. “Shall we order? I'm going to try one of the chef's new vegetarian entrées.”
    Road kill . Luke gazed unseeing down at the menu. He had never felt less like eating in his life. Road kill . Was that how Katy saw her mother? An innocent victim of Gilchrist passions? A mere thump under the wheels of a Gilchrist warrior's chariot?
    Every time he looked at the situation the way a Gilchrist would look at it he was forced to realize that Katy had grounds for revenge.
    “I'll try a damn vegetarian entrée, too,” Luke muttered. The last thing he wanted to do was get something on his plate that might even remotely resemble dead meat.
    “Fate plays odd tricks,” Maureen observed philosophically. “Just think, Katy, if Justine had gone through with the merger thirty-seven years ago in spite of the wedding being called off, you and Matt would be part owners of Gilchrist, Inc. today.”
    “It boggles the mind,” Katy agreed with suspicious blandness.
    Hayden dismissed the whole idea with an elegant wave of his hand. “There was never any chance of Justine going through with the merger after Thornton ran off with Cleo. The merger between Gilchrist and Quinnell was contingent on marriage between the two families as far as she was concerned. Justine would die before she would hand over part of Gilchrist to outsiders.”
    Luke's insides dropped another notch below zero. Stanfield had been right. It was easy to come to the conclusion that katy's family had lost badly thirty-seven years ago. The question was whether or not Katy saw it that way.
    The uncertainty he was experiencing tonight about Katy's true feelings was going to drive him mad, Luke thought.
    “Well, that's all water under the bridge,” Katy said with an odd smile. She sat back in her chair and gazed thoughtfully around the busy restaurant, “I've been thinking. One of these days Gilchrist is going to have to redo some of the restaurant lobbies. This one, for example, is very pleasant but starting to look a trifle dated.”
    “Restaurant decor gets old, just like anything else.” Luke was more interested in his own roiling thoughts than in the subject of interior design.
    Katy smiled brightly. “I've got a suggestion to make.”
    “What's that?”
    “I think we should redo all five of the restaurant lobbies to take advantage of the company's connection with a famous artist. We should display some of Hayden's pieces. Maureen could supervise the interior designer to make certain the art was shown off to its best advantage.”
    Maureen gasped. Her eyes gleamed with excitement. “Katy, are you serious?”
    “Certainly. I've been thinking about it for some time. We could even underline the impact of the display by simultaneously creating an endowment for the arts. It would generate some terrific public relations. Great image stuff for Gilchrist.”
    A gleam of enthusiasm shone briefly in Hayden's eyes. Then it died. “Forget it. Justine would never go for it.”
    “Justine isn't running things around here now,” Katy reminded him gently. “Luke is. And I'll bet Luke loves the idea, don't you, Luke?”
    Luke gazed into her crystal-clear eyes and wondered how he could have ever imagined that she had conspired with Fraser Stanfield. No one who hated all Gilchrists would have schemed to undo some of the effects of the rejection that Hayden and Maureen had suffered.
    Guardian angels did not sit around and plot revenge, Luke realized with sudden insight. They had other priorities. They got on with life.
    His spirits abruptly felt lighter and more exuberant than they had all day. He brought his attention back to the matter at hand, aware of Maureen and Hayden watching him with intent gazes.
    “Well…” Luke said slowly. He broke off, wincing as Katy kicked him under the table. He looked at her and saw the warning expression in her gaze. He almost grinned. “Well, sure. What the hell. Why not? Put Hayden's glass in all the lobbies.”
    Something