There was a short, taut silence.
“I’m sorry,” Luke said finally. Some of the cold had evaporated from his voice. Again, there was silence. Then Luke said, “How the hell did you wind up working for my grandmother?”
“She was kind enough to give me a decent job when I needed one desperately.”
“Is that so?” Luke eyed her with curiosity. “How desperate were you?”
Katy hesitated, sorting through her words. “When my parents were killed there was very little left except a small trust fund that had been set aside for my brother’s college education. My father, we discovered, had been teetering on the edge of bankruptcy for two years before his death. After he died everything fell apart financially.”
“So you were flat broke?”
“For all intents and purposes, yes. Matt was only eight, and I needed work fast in order to be able to keep him with me. I was only a sophomore in college at the time. I had no real skills to market.”
“You’re saying my grandmother offered you a job as her personal assistant out of the kindness of her heart? I find that a little hard to believe. Justine Gilchrist has never been known for her charitable nature.”
“Well, it’s true.” Katy straightened determinedly. “And I’ve tried to repay her by being the best personal assistant she’s ever had. Now, then, I’d like to get back to the matter at hand, if you don’t mind.”
“Save your breath. The answer is no.”
“I don’t think you entirely understand the situation,” Katy said crisply.
“Sure I do. Gilchrist, Inc. is in trouble. My grandmother’s health has been failing for the past couple of years. What is she now? Eighty-one? Eighty-two?”
“Eighty-two,” Katy agreed stiffly.
“She’s been running her own private kingdom for years, and she’s finally losing her grip. She’s got trouble with at least two of the restaurants. Gilchrist Gourmet, her new line of frozen entrees, has not acquired the market share it needs to survive. Her upper management people are getting restless because there’s no heir apparent to take her place. They’re starting to worry about their own futures, and the best ones are jumping ship.”
Katy swallowed uncomfortably. Everything he had said was true. It was all supposed to be secret, too. “You’re very well informed.”
“I make my living with information. I use it the way other people use oxygen.”
“I see. Well, as you seem to be aware of the financial picture, I won’t go into details. I would just like to point out that Gilchrist, Inc. is not simply another faceless corporation. It’s a family business. Your family business. I should think you would feel some sense of loyalty.”
Luke’s smile was bleak. “Give me a break.”
“All right, so you don’t have any fondness for Justine.” Katy searched quickly for another angle. “You must feel some sense of responsibility toward your relatives, regardless of the problems that existed between your grandmother and your father.”
“I don’t.” Luke’s black brows rose slightly. “Feel any sense of responsibility, that is.”
“Good grief, how can you continue to be totally irrational about something that happened before you were even born? The disagreement was between your father and Justine, not you and her.”
“It was a little more than a disagreement,” Luke said dryly. “My grandmother cut my father out of her will and insulted my mother to her face. Justine labeled me a bastard before I was born and made it clear she did not consider me an heir, let alone a real member of the family. Which is fine with me, by the way. I don’t need her money or her floundering restaurant business.”
“That much is obvious,” Katy said, struggling to keep a reasonable tone. “But that’s not the point.”
“My father didn’t need her money, either,” Luke continued as if she hadn’t spoken. “He started from scratch after Justine disowned him. Took over the management of a small restaurant in California that was in trouble. He put it back on its feet and then bought it from the owner. After that, there was no stopping him. At the time of his death he and I owned seven of the finest restaurants in California.”
“Luke, your grandmother respects your father’s accomplishments. She also respects what you’ve done. Now she and the rest of the family need you. Surely you can find it in your heart to help them. There are a lot of innocent people involved here. How can you turn your back on them?”
“The same way my grandmother turned her back on my parents thirty-seven years ago.”
Katy shut her eyes briefly and then lifted her lashes to give Luke a direct look. “No doubt about it. You’re definitely Justine’s grandson. That streak of pure bullheaded stubbornness obviously runs in the family just like eye color. Good heavens, I don’t know why I’m even bothering to try to reason with you.”
“You’re bothering because Justine Gilchrist pays your salary, and when she says jump, you jump. How long do you intend to go on jumping through hoops for my grandmother, Katy?”
Katy sighed. “You’re the last hoop. I hope to be resigning from my position with Gilchrist, Inc. in the near future.”
Luke’s eyes narrowed. “Finally had enough of working for the old bitch?”
“Do not ever again refer to your grandmother that way in my presence,” Katy snapped. She was out of patience with his insufferable rudeness. “Is that quite clear?”
Luke smiled thoughtfully at the outraged reaction he had elicited. He lounged back in his chair and stacked his booted feet on the badly marred coffee table. “She’s really got you under her thumb, hasn’t she?”
“I told you, I’m grateful to her. As it happens, I’ve enjoyed working for her.”
Luke’s expression was derisive. “Come off it.”
Katy flushed. “For the most part,” she amended with compulsive honesty. “In any event, I assure you she’s been extremely generous to me, and I’ve learned an enormous amount about business that I could not have learned in any other way.”
“So why are you so eager to quit your job?”
“I’m leaving Gilchrist, Inc. because I’m ready to pursue my own business plans.”
“What plans?” Luke asked with lazy interest.
Katy eyed him warily. She was uncertain how far off the subject she should allow him to drag her. Gilchrists could be devious. “I’m planning to open a small specialty take-out business.”
“How quaint.” Luke gave her his humorless smile. “I suppose you know the failure rate in the restaurant business.”
“I’m aware that it’s quite high.”
“Something like three out of four go under within two years.” Luke sounded almost cheerful for the first time.
Katy was getting close to the end of her patience. “As I’m not paying you a consulting fee, I would appreciate it if you would not give me any advice. If I ever want it, I’ll ask for it. In the meantime, you may keep your professional opinions to yourself.”
Luke narrowed his eyes. “Do you ever talk to Justine like that?”
“Justine rarely annoys me as much as you’re annoying me.” Katy rose from the chair and went to the window. Hands clasped behind her back, she stared out at the storm-swept sea and took a calming breath. “I want you to consider what’s at stake here before you completely dismiss the notion of helping your family.”
“Nothing is at stake. At least nothing that I particularly care about.”
“How can you be so callous?” Katy whirled around. She noticed out of the corner of her eye that Zeke had lifted his head and was studying her intently. “Think about your aunt and uncle.”
“Why?”
“For heaven’s sake, your uncle Hayden is an artist. A very fine one, as it happens. But he has absolutely no talent for running a business like Gilchrist, Inc. He can’t possibly step into Justine’s shoes.”
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p; “I know.”
“Maureen, his wife, runs a gallery. She knows art, but she doesn’t know the food and beverage business. She can’t take on Gilchrist either.”
“I can see you’re very involved in all this.”
“And what about your cousins, Eden and Darren?” Katy continued desperately. “Your grandmother doesn’t believe either one of them has the talent to take over the company. As a matter of fact, Eden went through a nasty divorce six months ago and is very depressed.”
“Hire a shrink.”
“She doesn’t need a shrink, she needs the support of her family,” Katy retorted. “And I’m worried about your cousin Darren, too. He’s been acting a little strange lately. I think there’s something wrong, but he won’t talk about it.”
“Do you always get this worked up about things?”
“I’ve got a right to get worked up. I’m supposed to fix this whole mess, and I can’t do it alone. This is your family. You should be the one fixing things.” Arms crossed beneath her breasts, Katy began pacing the room. “Everything’s falling apart. I’ve got to do something.”
“Why don’t you just quit your job? That sounds like the easiest way out of the situation,” Luke said. He watched her stride up and down the room.
“I can’t just quit. Not until I’ve done my level best to help Justine save Gilchrist, Inc. Don’t you understand? I owe her.”
“Just because she gave you a job?”
“Yes.”
“I’ve got news for you. Smart employees are not that loyal. Not in this day and age. Doesn’t pay.”
She turned her head to meet his eyes. “What would you know about loyalty?”
Luke’s grim mouth tightened. “I don’t need lectures on the subject from you, Katy Wade.”
She bit her tongue. “This is getting us nowhere.”
“I agree.”
“All right. I won’t waste any more time appealing to your obviously nonexistent sense of family responsibility. Let’s try another approach. Couldn’t you consider saving Gilchrist, Inc. a professional challenge?”
Luke’s teeth flashed in a brief grin. “You’re persistent. I’ll give you that. What does it take to deflect you from your flight path?”
“You can’t deflect me. I need you.”
He arched a brow. “Is that a fact?”
Katy saw the gleam in his eyes, and she felt herself grow hot with embarrassment. What an idiotic slip of the tongue that had been. Being a Gilchrist, he had of course interpreted her words in the worst possible way.
“We all need you. Don’t you understand?” Katy thought of the problems awaiting her back in Dragon Bay. She could not give up yet. “It’s true we’ve got Fraser, thank God. I don’t know what we’d do without him. But Fraser can’t handle this thing alone. Justine won’t give him the clout or the authority to run the company on his own.”
“Who’s Fraser?”
“What?” Katy scowled at him, distracted by the question. “Oh, Fraser. Fraser Stanfield. He’s your grandmother’s chief operations manager. He’s been handling things at corporate headquarters for her ever since Justine began to withdraw from an active management role. Fraser has been terrific, but the bottom line, so far as your grandmother is concerned, is that he’s not a Gilchrist.”
“Is he as loyal as you are?”
“Well, very nearly. As I said, he’s been wonderful. I try to help, but I’m Justine’s personal assistant, not her executive assistant. I’m coordinating things as best I can for her, but I’m not a Gilchrist either. Only a Gilchrist can run the company as far as Justine’s concerned. You’ve got to come home, Luke. That’s all there is to it. It’s your duty.”
“I want no part of Gilchrist, Inc., and that’s final. If you can’t get that through your head, you’re even more thick-skulled than you accused me of being,” Luke said.
Katy stared at him in angry despair. He meant it, she realized. There was no way to reach him. He had made up his mind, and that was that.
He had a lot in common with his grandmother.
She halted directly in front of him and stood with her hands planted firmly on her hips. “You know something, Luke Gilchrist? You should be ashamed of yourself.”
“Spare me.”
“No, I will not spare you. You deserve this, and you’re going to get it.” A growl from Zeke stopped her for a second. Katy glared at the dog and then switched her gaze back to Luke. “I don’t care if you sic that monster on me. I’m going to have my say.”
“Don’t worry. I don’t think Zeke is any match for you.”
“Are you finding this amusing?” Katy demanded.
“Not particularly. But it’s interesting. You have certainly livened up what might otherwise have been a rather dull afternoon.”
“I’ll just bet it would have been a dull afternoon,” Katy shot back. “I’ll bet all your afternoons are dull. Your mornings, too. I won’t even get into the subject of your evenings.”
“Just as well. They’re not much more interesting than the mornings and the afternoons,” Luke admitted dryly.
“You think this is one big joke, don’t you? Well, I’ve got news for you, Luke Gilchrist, it’s not a joke. A lot is at stake here. You have the chance to salvage everything your grandmother has spent her life building. Future generations of Gilchrists are depending upon you. You alone are in a position to keep a fine company in operation and thereby preserve your family’s proud heritage.”
“You’re beginning to sound like a commercial,” Luke said.
“I don’t care how I sound. I’m trying to make you understand what you’re giving up by refusing to do your duty. Just think of what you could accomplish. Justine Gilchrist has single-handedly created the Gilchrist restaurant dynasty in Seattle. As her grandson and logical heir, you can take her place. You’re the only one of the bunch who can.”
“I’m breathless.”
“You’re laughing.”
“Maybe. A little. I take back what I said earlier. You’re not just interesting, you are definitely amusing.”
“The heck with it.” Katy threw up her hands in disgust. “Everyone was right when they said there was no point trying to talk to you. I should have listened to them.”
“True. But you don’t take advice well, do you?”
“Gilchrists do not give advice, they give orders. But you’re right. I’m tired of taking them.” Katy strode back to the chair where she had been sitting. She snatched up her yellow jacket and briefcase and headed toward the hall without a backward glance.
“Damn,” Luke muttered.
She heard his boots on the hardwood floor as he got up quickly to follow her to the door.
“I know you’re not paying me for advice,” Luke said behind her, “but I’m going to give you some anyway. When you resign from Gilchrist, Inc., get out of the business world entirely. You’re too emotional for it.”
“Me? Emotional? That’s ridiculous coming from someone who can hold a grudge for thirty-six years. You may feel free to shove your advice where the sun doesn’t shine, Mr. Gilchrist. I certainly am not interested in it.” Katy wrenched open the front door and stepped out onto the porch.
Rain thundered on the porch roof and cascaded off the edge. There were already several puddles between the steps and her car. She was going to get drenched. A fitting end to a wasted day.
“It’s pouring out there,” Luke said behind her. “Hang on a second and I’ll get an umbrella.”
“Forget it. I don’t want to hang around you or your vicious dog that long.”
Katy stepped off the porch and was soaked instantly. Her hair turned into a sodden mass that clung to her neck and hung in front of her eyes.
She had been too angry even to think of putting on her jacket. The rain promptly rendered her yellow silk blouse virtually trans
parent. The thin fabric of her bra and lacy camisole were not proof against the torrent, either. She realized with deep chagrin that she probably looked half naked.
“Hell,” Luke muttered as he followed her down the steps. “This is stupid. You’d better come back inside the house and get dried off before you leave.”
Katy swung around to face him. She held her rain-streaked briefcase protectively in front of her so that he could not see the way her nipples were puckering against the wet fabric of her blouse. “I’ve told you once, and I’ll tell you again. When I want your advice, I’ll pay for it. Until then, kindly shut up.”
“If that’s the way you want it.” Luke opened the car door for her and offered her a mocking bow. He was just as drenched as she was. His hair hung in wet clumps, and his black sweater was saturated.
There was no way to get into the car without putting aside the briefcase. Katy tossed it angrily onto the front seat. Then she hunched her shoulders and leaned forward in a vain effort to shield herself from Luke’s gaze as she climbed behind the wheel. She fumbled quickly with the keys.
“Drive carefully.” There was a distinctly sensual curve to Luke’s mouth as his gaze went to the front of her blouse.
Katy felt an outrageous thrill shoot through her. This was crazy, she told herself. No man’s gaze had ever affected her this way. He was casting some sort of spell on her.
She shoved wet hair out of her eyes and glared up at him. Suddenly the dam holding in all her frustrations burst. “I hope you enjoy your miserable existence up here on this godforsaken bluff. I hope you really love every single minute you spend brooding over your hoard of gold.”
“Thanks.”
“I hope you get a real kick out of knowing that when your family needed you, you turned your back on them the same way Justine turned her back on your father all those years ago.”
“I’ll do my best.”
Katy was raging now. “I hope you enjoy your revenge, but I warn you, it’s going to feel very cold in a few years. Your grandmother has already learned that lesson.”
Luke’s eyes suddenly glittered with something more dangerous than amusement. Holding the car door open, he braced his fist on the roof and leaned down.