Family Man

response he strode down the hall toward the living room.
    “She's too good for you,” Mrs. Igorson hissed behind him, her tone filled with brave defiance. “Too good by half. You're not her sort at all.”
    Luke set his teeth, but he did not pause or turn around. He walked straight ahead into the living room, where Katy and Justine were already seated. A silver tea service gleamed on a small side table.
    Justine eyed him coolly. “About time you got here. I certainly hope you have more information for me than you did last time. I do not like being kept in the dark about events in my own company.”
    “Gilchrist is going to survive, Justine. Stop worrying about it.” Luke went to stand at the window. “These things take a little time. I warned you about that.”
    “I understand, but I want to know exactly what's going on. Let's begin with the trouble we've been having at the two restaurants that are losing money. Any progress there?”
    “Yes,” Luke said.
    Katy shot him a warning glance.
    “Well?” Justine demanded. “What progress? I want facts. Why have they been losing money when they've been functioning at full capacity?”
    Apparently not trusting Luke to handle the pointed question, Katy made an effort to step into the breach. “We think there might have been a few problems in the accounting department.”
    Justine turned on her with the shrewd instincts of a woman who had survived in a cutthroat business for nearly sixty years. “Embezzlement?”
    Katy instantly went pale and started to stutter frantically. “Heavens no, Justine. Nothing like that. I mean it was just an accident. One of those things. Bookkeeping problems. Luke has taken care of everything.”
    Luke sighed inwardly as he listened to her flustered rambling. The problem with angels was that they always had a tough time when they tried to play out of their league. It took one Gilchrist to lie to another Gilchrist. He stepped in to handle the situation before Katy screwed it up completely.
    “The losses were being caused by an error in the computer program that handled supplier accounts,” Luke told Justine. “It was no big deal. The glitch has been found and fixed. There won't be any more problems.”
    Justine eyed him narrowly. “Are you quite certain of that?”
    “You can bet on it,” Luke said.
    “Well, then. That's one thing out of the way.” Justine sipped tea. “What about Gilchrist Gourmet? Are you going to be able to repair the damage there?”
    Luke thought about the information he and Danvers had put together. “Yes.”
    “What is your verdict on the problems there?” Justine persisted. “Do you feel we're in the wrong market, as Fraser Stanfield insists we are?”
    “We can compete in that market if we want to continue doing so,” Luke said. “But it's a tough one, and I'm not sure it's worth our time and effort.”
    “I want to see this company diversify,” Justine reminded him. “I would feel better if I knew that the next generation of Gilchrists will have more than just the restaurants to sustain them. Restaurants are too dependent on the state of the local economy.”
    Luke kept his gaze on the sea. “I'll clean up the problems at Gilchrist Gourmet, and then we can talk about its future.”
    “Very well.” Justine looked at Katy. “Would you mind very much leaving us, my dear? I have a few things I want to discuss with Luke.”
    Katy flushed and stood up at once. “No, of course not.” She glanced uneasily from Justine to Luke, obviously not trusting them alone together. “I have some things to do upstairs.”
    “I'll be up in a few minutes,” Luke said.
    “Good-bye, Justine.” Katy leaned down and gave her a quick, affectionate little hug. “See you later.”
    “Good-bye, my dear.”
    Justine watched Katy leave the room. Luke mentally braced himself. He was fairly certain he knew what was coming next.
    Justine did not hesitate. She rounded on Luke as soon as the door closed behind Katy. “What is going on between the two of you, Luke? Mrs. Igorson was very upset by a scene she apparently witnessed the other night in the pool.”
    “I'm sorry to hear that.”
    “Don't you dare take that tone of voice with me. I told you the day you arrived that I did not want you playing games with Katy. I meant it, Luke.”
    “I'm not playing games with her.”
    “You have seduced her, according to Mrs. Igorson. What do you call that?”
    “I call it nobody else's business.” Luke turned