Family Man

know if you're going to be able to save your pesto,” Luke said as he poured two glasses of wine. “Zeke has had a taste of it now, and he's hooked.”
    Zeke whined hungrily.
    “Are you trying to tell me it's like his having gotten a taste of blood?” Katy glared at the dog. “You should have fed him before you brought him over here.”
    “I did. But Zeke always has room for pesto.”
    “Well, he's not getting any of this.” Katy switched on the food processor, effectively drowning out any response.
    Luke smiled with satisfaction as he leaned back against the counter. Katy looked good in an apron, he decided. This was only the second dinner invitation he had managed to coax out of her, but he fully intended to make such invitations routine.
    She was a hell of a good cook.
    In addition, Luke had discovered last night that he liked being here with Katy and her brother. It had made him realize just how lonely his life had been for the past three years.
    Although he had never considered himself a home-and-hearth sort of man, he found he enjoyed the cozy warmth of Katy's kitchen. He liked leaning against the counter and drinking wine while he watched Katy bustle around the small room. He liked joking with Matt. He even liked eating Katy's experimental pesto and pasta combinations.
    The only thing Luke did not like was having to go back to his own cottage at ten. But the weekend was coming, he reminded himself optimistically. Matt would be staying out until midnight on Friday and Saturday.
    Luke had big plans for Friday and Saturday.
    “I wanted to talk to you about something,” Katy said as she switched off the machine.
    “I'm listening.”
    “I had a long talk with Justine this morning. She was annoyed.”
    “So what else is new?”
    Katy threw him a quelling glance. “The thing is, she was not happy with that report you gave her on the condition of Gilchrist, Inc. She felt she didn't get any real information.”
    Luke raised his brows. “She didn't. You wouldn't let me give her any of the good stuff, remember?”
    Katy's mouth tightened primly. “I asked you not to tell her about Darren or about your suspicion that someone is embezzling from the company.”
    “Right. The good stuff.”
    “What did you tell her?”
    “Not much. Just said I was working on gathering information.”
    Katy spooned Parmesan cheese into the bowl of the food processor. “Couldn't you have been a little more diplomatic? More tactful?”
    “Why?”
    “Luke, she's your grandmother. And for better or worse, she does own the company.”
    “In case you haven't realized it yet, Katy, I don't feel any overwhelming urge to be diplomatic or tactful when dealing with Justine. She sure as hell doesn't go out of her way to exercise either of those qualities. Why should she expect me to do it?”
    Katy scowled at him. “You and I both know you could have come up with something that sounded as though you were making real progress in saving Gilchrist, Inc.”
    “Maybe. But I didn't feel like it.”
    “For heaven's sake, Luke, she's starting to wonder if you're here to destroy the company instead of to save it. I think she's getting nervous about your intentions.”
    “It'll give her something to think about,” Luke observed.
    Katy gave a soft, thoroughly frustrated exclamation. Spoon in hand, she marched over to stand directly in front of him. “Luke Gilchrist, I have had enough of this. I want you to behave yourself, do you understand? The next time you report to Justine you will be tactful and diplomatic. Is that clear?”
    Luke smiled at the picture she made. The admonishing fire in her eyes was a clear challenge. If they had been alone, he would have stripped off her checkered apron and her jeans and made love to her on the kitchen table.
    “I hear you, angel,” Luke said softly. “What would you like me to tell Justine? That my hacker friend has traced the restaurant embezzlement problems to a computer located in the Gilchrist corporate offices?”
    Katy stared at him. “Oh, no. Are you certain?”
    “Yes.”
    “This is terrible,” she said, sounding dazed. “I was hoping—”
    “What? That there was no embezzlement going on? That the problems in the two restaurants were simple bookkeeping errors?”
    “Frankly, yes,” she admitted.
    “The Pollyanna approach to business has never been a very successful one,” Luke chided.
    She bit her lip. “You still don't know who's doing the embezzling.”
    “No, but it