Family Man

won't take long to find out now.”
    “Luke,” she said urgently, “if you do discover that it's someone in the family, I want you to talk to me first.”
    “Forget it,” Luke said. “I'll handle the problem.”
    “Given your lack of tactfulness, I don't think that's such a good idea,” Katy said grimly.
    “Sorry, that's the way it's going to be.”
    “Luke, listen to me. This is very important.”
    Matt appeared in the kitchen doorway. His gaze went to his sister's irate face and then settled on Luke. “What's going on in here? Are you two arguing or something?”
    “No,” Luke said calmly. “Your sister was just giving me a lecture on how to run Gilchrist, Inc. I told her I was going to do things my way. She was trying to get me to do things her way.”
    Matt visibly relaxed. “She can be kind of persistent.”
    “I've noticed,” Luke said.
    “You get used to it,” Matt explained.
    Luke took another sip of his wine and smiled. “I know. Don't worry, I can handle her.”
    Katy drew herself up. “That's enough out of both of you. If either of you wants to eat dinner tonight, you will both refrain from discussing me in the third person. I'll give the whole batch of pesto to Zeke if I hear one more word.”
    Zeke's tail thumped eagerly on the kitchen floor.
    “Hey, I can take a hint,” Luke said.
    “Me, too,” Matt agreed quickly.
    Katy studied both of them with narrowed eyes and then nodded once, apparently satisfied. “That's better. You can both make yourselves useful. Set the table.”
    Luke quickly opened the nearest drawer and grabbed a handful of knives and forks.
    “I'll get the plates,” Matt said, lunging toward the cupboard.
    “That's better,” Katy said with satisfaction. “I like to see men active in the kitchen. They always look at home there.”
    Zeke sat in the middle of the floor and licked his chops.

    An hour later Luke finished his second helping of Japanese-style soba noodles and pesto sauce. He leaned back in his chair and grinned at Matt. “The sacrifice of all the little screaming green things was worth it.”
    Matt laughed. “Yeah, not bad.”
    Katy glanced suspiciously from one to the other. “What is this about a sacrifice?”
    “Nothing,” Matt assured her.
    Katy smiled hopefully. “You really liked it?”
    “It was great,” Luke said. “What did you use in the pesto sauce this time?”
    Katy glowed. She warmed to her topic immediately. “Fresh parsley and tarragon leaves. And the usual Parmesan cheese, pine nuts, and olive oil, of course. You don't think there was too much tarragon in it?”
    “Definitely not,” Luke said. “Another winner.”
    “Good.” Katy got to her feet and started to clear the table. “I think I've finally got this particular recipe down just the way I want it. I'll add it to my file of Pesto Presto recipes.”
    “Is that all you think about these days?” Luke asked softly. “Pesto Presto?”
    It was Matt who answered. “Yeah, take it from me, that's about all she thinks about all right. You should see some of the things I've had to eat. I'll tell you one thing, the guy who marries Katy had better be as interested in cooking as she is, or he won't stand a chance with her.”
    Katy flushed. Her gaze slid away from Luke's as she hurried into the kitchen.
    Matt looked at Luke. “Hey, you want to give me some more chess lessons?”
    “Sure,” Luke said, his eyes following Katy as she whipped out of sight around the corner.
    “I'd better warn you, I've been practicing.”
    A resounding crash from the kitchen interrupted Luke's reply. The jarring noise was followed by Katy's unmistakable shriek of dismay.
    “You miserable, sneaky, conniving monster,” Katy yelled. “One of these days you're going to go too far. Do you hear me?”
    Luke walked to the kitchen door and glanced around the corner. Zeke was gulping down the leftover pesto. Katy was glowering at the dog, helpless to salvage the remains.
    “How did he get hold of the container?” Luke asked with mild interest.
    Katy raised her wrathful eyes to his. “I made the mistake of offering him a small bite. I was trying to be kind. I leaned down to put a spoonful into his bowl—just a spoonful, mind you—and the next thing I knew he had snatched the entire container out of my hand. This dog of yours is a disgrace.”
    Luke shrugged. “What can I say? He likes your cooking.”
    Matt peered into the kitchen. “Look at it this way, Katy. Now you know for sure the