Hutch cautiously lifted his hand. He had been caught off-guard. He had no idea who this woman was or why she was looking for him, and had become hyper-focused on the bodyguard, Rod, at the entryway, watching everything out of the corner of his eye. The knives were too dull, the spoons were useless, the forks would work up close, but Rod would have easily cleared the table before Mr. Dodge would have known to even move, and Ren would still be in a dangerous spot. His heart was pounding, adrenaline racing through his system. Salvador had to be close. He had to be watching.
"Dasiyo," the woman stated with an eager half-step forward.
"Thank you," Hutch replied, having heard her say, welcome, as he lowered his hand, both Ren and his grandpa abruptly turning to face him, as if confused by what was happening.
The woman's eyes grew misty at his reply. "Please, forgive me. I should have introduced myself first. I'm Celina. Celina Salvador, the CEO of the Cascel Tower Corporation. I've been trying to find you for some time now, Mr. Hutchinson. I'm afraid there has been a terrible oversight regarding the charitable donation that was made in your name to the hospital, back in November. You can't imagine how thrilled I was to see your name come up in the Tower's visitor log. I was so excited that I dropped everything and came right over to meet you and finally clear this entire thing up. I do hope you won't mind if I join you."
Hutch looked over at Ren and Mr. Dodge, for any sign of disapproval, and while Ren seemed to be in a state of shock, Mr. Dodge was pleasantly smiling, and motioning towards the empty place setting, saying, "How fortuitous that the table was already set for four."
"Yes. Please, come and join us," Hutch said, finding it difficult to understand what was happening.
He had been expecting Casimir, and instead was watching his wife sit down next to him; a woman, that by all accounts, was inarguably stunning and beautiful. How she ended up with a man like Casimir, was a thought, he couldn't wrap his head around.
"Thank you for understanding. As the head of the Cascel Tower Corporation, it is very important to me to straighten this out, but it isn't so imperative as to disrupt your afternoon and stop you from enjoying lunch," she remarked as Enzo stepped forward and filled her water glass. "Please have the winter spice foie gras board with the red wine jelly brought up for the table. I believe our guests could use a few more minutes."
"Of course, ma'am," Enzo replied, promptly taking his leave.
"I hope you don't mind sharing an appetizer with me. It's a remarkable seasonal addition to our winter dinner menu."
"Oh," Ren hummed, his face once again buried back in the menu, "that explains why I didn't see anything on here that looked… sounded, like that."
"How delightfully candid," Celina remarked, her smile growing brighter.
"Please excuse my grandson."
"There's no need. I happen to prefer being in the company of those who aren't intimidated by my position. The groveling and perfect manners can get rather tiring after a while."
"Mrs. Salvador," Hutch cut in, garnering her attention, "before we get back to the reason that you're here, allow me to introduce my friends, Ren and John Dodge."
"My apologies, I managed to get ahead of myself. It really is a pleasure to meet all of you. Let me begin again by welcoming you to Cascel Tower. I understand that you came for the tour?"
"That's correct. My grandson is doing a school project on, what was it now?"
"Oh, it's a study on the history of the city's changing architecture. I'm trying to get a head start for one of my classes, next semester," Ren replied, trying to sound convincing.
"That's very studious of you, Ren. I believe you will find our information packet most helpful to your project. I can have Clara grab one for you before you leave, if you would like."
"You mean this one?" Ren asked, lifting the folder he had stacked with Hutch's in the space between them to show Celina.
"Indeed, that would be the one. It's good to know that Clara continues to take her position as a tour guide serious."
"That she does. Clara is an astounding young woman. Very knowledgeable, and excellent at her job. I've never had a tour guide take the limitations of their tourists into consideration the way she did. Normally, I'm so rushed around I can't enjoy the tour. I understand that it's nice to be young and nimble, but us old folks can't move as quick as we used to, and she moved at my pace, while still moving us along. Her people skills are exactly the kind of skills an employer should want in an employee."
"It's wonderful to hear an honest critique of her," Celina replied, her expression softening. "I will pass along your thoughts and see her properly rewarded."
"That's pretty generous of you," Hutch remarked, still uncertain of what her true motives were, since he wasn't buying the excuse she gave for her arrival, considering she had yet to explain anything.
"In truth it isn't generous at all. It is a part of our company's policy. If we're willing to give away most of our profits to charity, the least we can do is reward the diligence and professionalism of those in our employ. It is also our policy to correct any missteps or oversights, as quickly as we can. Once they are brought to our attention, of course."
"And what exactly was this oversight you mentioned before, regarding the donation that was made in my name?" Hutch questioned, hoping to see how well her cover story was thought through, or if he could gain some insight into the true reason she was there.
"Please understand that the donation itself wasn't made in error, but rather it was with the paperwork. Instead of being delivered to you, it was inadvertently delivered to a different patient. The process itself is rather complicated, but you were supposed to be informed that you were selected for the donation at random. Normally, every donation made by the Che'Piettai Foundation is given in a patient's name, which is chosen by the hospital's director. From what I was told, there was a mix up, and your name was submitted by someone other than the director. When he called with his submission, the paperwork which contained your name, and the explanation of what was happening, was diverted to the other patient. Rest assured, a donation is going to be made in that patients name next quarter, so there really is no harm done, just a delay. Unfortunately, the error wasn't caught initially, and I wasn't informed of the mix-up until a few weeks ago. At the time I was only given your name, and the hospital refused to give your contact information, for understandable reasons. I can still hardly believe that you showed up here on your own. It really does feel as if it were destined to happen."
"Or some clandestine force is behind it all," Hutch remarked with a brazen smirk as Enzo returned, setting a large platter down in the center of the table, a cloche hiding the contents beneath.
"If you are ready, may I take your orders?" he asked, directing his attention to Mr. Dodge.
"Oh, um, well, I think I better go last. Perhaps you best start with the lady," he responded, picking up his menu once again.
Celina let out a soft, sweet, giggle.
"If you will allow me," she said, causing Mr. Dodge to lower his menu once again. "Tell me, Mr. Dodge, do you eat beef?"
"Indeed, I do," he replied, a look of curiosity crossing his face.
"He'll have the Chateaubriand with the herb seasoned roast potatoes, and the cobb with the honey-pear dressing to start."
"Any chance you can recommend something for me too?" Ren questioned, having read the menu over countless times, and still having no idea what to order.
"For you, I'm thinking the shaved prime rib served on one of the toasted baguettes, with the au jus and peppercorn horseradish on the side. I would also recommend the Caesar to start but I don't know if you like anchovies."
"Anchovies? As in the little fish?"
"That is correct."
"Ah, I think I'm going to pass on that. But the rest sounded amazing," Ren remarked with a broad grin.
"Make it a winter garden salad with the lemon tarragon," she told Enzo, before telling Ren, "I don't think you're going to be disappointed."
"Can't imagine how I could be," he smirked, as she returned her attention to Enzo.
"And lastly have chef prepare a tor anshii moorhay. Iced greens, with the beet reduction to start, and ginger ales all round."
"Excellent choices, ma'am. I will be back with your drinks momentarily," Enzo replied, lifting the cloche to reveal the decadent spread beneath, and before Hutch could question what had just happened, he had left them once again.