Family Man

for you, Zeke,” Katy said softly. “Give it a chance to cool.”
    Luke set about mincing more capers and olives with an ominous expression. Katy decided not to try to continue the conversation. She sipped a glass of wine in silence and watched Luke grow increasingly darker of brow.
    He made repeated trips back to the notebook, muttering softly. Katy winced when he began whipping egg whites for the soufflé. Disaster loomed, she was sure, but she dared not say anything. For some reason Luke was trying to pretend he was a master chef.
    By the time they sat down at the table Luke's jaw was rigid. His eyes were very green as he passed the salad to Katy.
    “Wonderful,” Katy murmured as she helped herself. She noticed the dressing had not adhered to the leaves. Luke had forgotten to dry the spinach after washing it.
    Luke took a bite and swore. “It's watery.”
    “Just a bit damp. Wonderful flavors in the dressing.”
    Luke tentatively tasted the main dish. His face darkened. “The pasta's mushy.”
    “Nonsense. It's terrific.” Katy munched enthusiastically on the soggy pasta.
    “Don't bother trying to lie about it,” Luke growled. “It's mushy.”
    “Perhaps it was boiled just a wee bit too long. But it's no big deal, Luke. I didn't even notice it until you mentioned it.” There was no point adding that the pasta was also stone cold. Luke could figure that out for himself.
    “I know five-star cuisine when I taste it,” Luke said. “And so do you. This isn't it.”
    “Don't worry about it.”
    “I'm not going to worry about it. I'm going to fire that son of a bitch.”
    “Who?”
    “Benedict Dalton.”
    Katy stared at him in astonishment. “The chef at the Pacific Rim? Why on earth would you want to fire him?”
    “He set me up.”
    “Good heavens, Luke. What a ridiculous thing to say. How on earth could he do that?”
    “Never mind.” Luke eyed her plate. “Are you sure it all tastes okay?”
    Katy recognized the desperate appeal of the cook who knows things have gone terribly wrong. “It's wonderful, Luke.”
    “Yeah?”
    “Yes.”
    He looked doubtful but clearly did not want to argue the point. There was silence at the table for several minutes.
    “Is something wrong, Luke?” Katy finally asked.
    “No.”
    “You seem preoccupied tonight. Maybe this wasn't a good evening to try to get together.”
    “Matt's working, and he won't be home until midnight. I figured this was my best shot.”
    “At what?”
    Luke looked uncharacteristically tense, even uncertain. It occurred to Katy that in all the time she had known him she had never seen him with quite that expression in his gleaming eyes. It was as if he were dealing with something that was out of his control. The experience was obviously an unusual one for him.
    “Did Justine say anything else to you today?” Luke asked bluntly. “I mean besides the fact that she doesn't trust me?”
    Katy concentrated on collecting a forkful of the mushy pasta. It was not easy to get the stuff to curl around the fork. “No. Not really. Mostly she just talked about how concerned she is. She wonders if she did the right thing in asking you to come here.”
    “Katy, look at me.”
    Reluctantly Katy raised her eyes and found him watching her with shattering intensity. “Well…”
    “Tell me the truth. You're no good at lies, not even white ones. What else did she say to you?”
    Katy flushed furiously. She picked up her water glass. “She said something about being careful. She's afraid I'm getting too involved with you.”
    “What else?”
    “Luke, please, this is getting awkward.”
    “She told you I was going to ask you to marry me, didn't she?”
    Katy felt herself going red from head to toe. She tried to swallow a sip of water and wound up choking on it. She began to sputter and cough.
    “I knew it.” Luke put down his fork, stood up, and slapped her between the shoulder blades. “That old witch is really beginning to annoy me.”
    “She's not an old witch,” Katy gasped. She managed to catch her breath. “She's just concerned, that's all.”
    “She's an interfering busybody who thinks she can run everyone else's life. Hell, nothing is going right tonight. I knew this was going to be a disaster.” Luke pounded her on the back one last time and sat down. “So what's your answer?”
    “I beg your pardon?”
    “You heard me.” He gave her a ferocious scowl. “What's your answer?”
    Katy realized this was his proposal of