"Well?"
"Mrs. Grant says she's enjoying her dinner. She also said you're welcome to come to her table if you'd like to speak with her."
Richard frowned.
"She said that?"
"Yes, sir."
He glanced at Leonard.
Leonard was looking down at his plate.
Richard gave a quiet laugh.
"Interesting."
He pushed his chair back.
"Excuse me."
Leonard looked up.
"Where are you going?"
"To introduce myself."
"Then do so politely."
Richard adjusted his jacket.
"I always do."
He crossed the dining room.
Several guests glanced at him as he passed. Richard was a recognizable figure in business circles, and some diners knew his face from financial news programs.
He stopped beside Table Twelve.
"Mrs. Grant?"
Eleanor looked up.
"Yes?"
"Richard Halston."
He extended his hand.
Eleanor placed her napkin beside her plate and shook it.
"Eleanor Grant."
"Pleasure to meet you."
"Likewise."
Richard remained standing for a moment.
"May I join you?"
"Of course."
He pulled out the chair opposite her and sat.
Up close, Eleanor looked older than he had first thought. There were fine lines around her eyes and a slight stiffness in her fingers. Her coat rested neatly on the neighboring chair.
Richard placed his hands on the table.
"I understand you've been a guest here before."
"Many times."
"Are you local?"
"Yes."
"How long have you known the restaurant?"
Eleanor looked at him.
"Since before it opened."
Richard smiled.
"Then you must have seen quite a few changes."
"More than I can count."
"Do you still enjoy coming here?"
"I do."
"What brings you tonight?"
Eleanor glanced at the empty chair.
"I was waiting for a conversation."
Richard smiled.
"With whom?"
"That remains to be seen."
He laughed.
It was not a genuine laugh, but it was pleasant enough to pass as one.
"I'll be direct. I'm currently discussing a possible investment in the hospitality group that owns this restaurant."
"I know."
Richard's eyebrows rose slightly.
"You do?"
"I've read the public announcements."
"Then you understand that we're trying to strengthen the business."
Eleanor nodded.
"That is always a worthwhile goal."
Richard leaned forward.
"Some people resist change. They become attached to the way things were done when they were younger. But businesses cannot survive on memories."
"No," Eleanor said. "They survive through people who know how to adapt."
"Exactly."
He seemed pleased.
"I suspect we'd agree on more than you think."
"Perhaps."
Richard looked around the dining room.
"The Grand Aurelia is a beautiful place. But beauty is expensive. Tradition is expensive. And loyalty can become expensive if it prevents a company from making necessary decisions."
Eleanor watched him.
"Do you believe loyalty is a cost?"
"Not always. But it can become one."
"To whom?"
Richard blinked.
"To the company."
"And who is the company?"
He smiled.
"The shareholders, the employees, the management, the customers. Everyone involved."
"That's a broad answer."
"It's the correct one."
Eleanor took a sip of water.
"Then perhaps the shareholders should know what the employees are being asked to sacrifice."
Richard's smile became smaller.
"Have you spoken with the employees?"
"Some."
"Which ones?"
"People who have worked here for a long time."
"Then you understand that employees sometimes have difficulty accepting necessary changes."
"I understand that people who are about to lose their jobs often ask questions."
Richard leaned back.
"Are you involved in the business?"
Eleanor met his eyes.
"Why do you ask?"
"Because you seem unusually interested in the transaction."
"I'm interested in the restaurant."
"Of course."
He said it in a way that suggested he did not believe her.
Eleanor did not challenge him.
Instead, she looked at his hand.
His watch was expensive. His cuff was perfectly pressed. His nails were clean and carefully maintained.
"Mr. Halston, may I ask you something?"
"Certainly."
"When you evaluate a business, do you ever visit the people who work there before deciding what needs to change?"
Richard smiled.
"We conduct extensive operational reviews."
"That wasn't my question."
He paused.
"We speak to management."
"And the people who clean the kitchens after everyone else has gone home?"
"That's handled through the operations team."
"The people who receive deliveries at five in the morning?"
"Again, operations."
"The servers who know which customers are allergic to certain ingredients?"
"Those are training matters."
Eleanor nodded slowly.
"So you speak to the people who manage the people who do the work."
Richard's expression tightened.
"We cannot interview every employee before making a strategic decision."
"Of course not."
"Then you understand."
"I understand that you may be making decisions about people whose names you don't know."
Richard gave a small laugh.
"Mrs. Grant, I don't need to know every employee personally to understand a company's performance."
"No," Eleanor replied. "But knowing their names might help you understand what the numbers don't show."
For the first time, Richard had no immediate answer.
He studied her face.
There was no anger in it.
No visible attempt to provoke him.