Family Man

buckwheat pasta, Katy decided. If it passed the taste test tomorrow, she would definitely include it in her lineup of specialty pestos destined for her gourmet take-out establishment.
    Her plans for Pesto Presto were still on hold, but only for six more months. She would soon be free. Her brother would be safely off to college, and her commitment to Justine would be fulfilled.
    And there would be no stopping Katy Wade. She would be her own boss at last, captain of her fate, in command of her own destiny.
    Freedom .
    The word was like nectar on her tongue.

CHAPTER

FIVE
    K aty reached the pool wall, turned smoothly beneath the water, and launched herself back toward the opposite end. She swam hard, working off the tensions of the day.
    Luke had returned this morning looking grim and preoccupied. He had gone straight to his new office next to Katy's and had immediately begun issuing orders. Katy and Liz had skipped lunch to plow through the enormous pile of work he was generating.
    Liz had begun to worry that the new boss was a compulsive overachiever. Katy had assured her it was more likely that Luke simply enjoyed giving orders. It was a typical Gilchrist trait.
    There would be another few hours of work tonight, but not the kind Katy could do in her office. A royal command had been issued from Justine's suite: Mrs. Gilchrist was entertaining the family in her quarters. All family members and Katy were expected to attend.
    Katy did not enjoy such gatherings. There was no getting around the fact that she was definitely not family. Far too often she found herself playing the role of peacemaker among the temperamental Gilchrists.
    She soared through the water, reveling in the sensation of freedom it provided. The glass-enclosed pool room was attached to the back of Justine's mansion. It had been a conservatory until Justine had ordered the blue-tiled pool installed. Many of the exotic hothouse plants still thrived in the humid atmosphere.
    Justine swam punctually at seven o'clock every morning. The pool was empty for the rest of the day until Katy arrived at five for her own swim. This was definitely one of the perks of working for Justine Gilchrist, she thought as she slipped through the water. She did not know what she would do without the release of her afternoon swim.
    There were days when, feeling the pressures of a life that seemed to be permanently on hold, Katy tore through the water at five o'clock. On such days she would swim until she was exhausted, churning the water into a white froth as she swam up and down the length of the pool. When she was finished she would climb out and stand on legs that trembled from exertion while she dried herself.
    Today was not one of those days, she reflected. Today all she needed was the sense of exhilaration the water provided.
    That realization struck her like a bolt of lightning. A surge of relief poured through her. She could relax a little, even if she was going to be working for a slave driver during the next six months. The burden of saving Gilchrist, Inc. had finally been lifted from her shoulders. The responsibility had been safely handed over to the Bastard.
    Katy reached the end of the pool, planted both hands on the tiled edge, and hauled herself upward in a cascade of water. As soon as she saw who was standing in front of her she nearly dropped back beneath the surface.
    Maureen Gilchrist, Justine's formidable daughter-in-law, loomed straight ahead. She was backed up by her husband, Luke's uncle Hayden, and her two offspring, Eden and Darren.
    Maureen smiled determinedly as Katy surged up out of the water. “There you are, Katy. We just arrived. We've been looking for you. Mrs. Igorson said she thought you might be in here.”
    Luke's aunt was not a Gilchrist by blood, but she certainly fit right into the clan in terms of looks and personality. Gilchrist men were apparently all attracted to tall, dark-haired women with thoroughbred bones. Maureen also shared the family preference for black.
    On Maureen a basic black surplice dinner dress turned into a dramatic gown with the aid of a heavy crystal and jet necklace. Her discreetly tinted dark hair was styled in a short, sophisticated cut.
    “Hello, Maureen. Hayden.” Katy smiled politely at Luke's cousins, Eden and Darren. “Good to see you all again.”
    “Not much choice,” Hayden said darkly. He was a typical Gilchrist, tall and aristocratic, even at sixty. He had thickened a bit around the midsection, but