Unknown Diners

Chapter Thirty-Six

The tender was approaching their stern when Lorne and Catherine stepped into the cockpit. After locking up, he led her down to the transom step as the tender came up to it. He handed her aboard to the crewman and followed her in, setting the alarms with his iPhone as they motored away.

"Good to see you again. I didn't get your names the other night."

Both Lorne and Catherine were surprised. They hadn't looked closely at the man who had helped them aboard, but they now recognised him as the restaurant manager.

"Kate and Lorne," he said. "She's the Kate part."

"Obviously. And a beautiful example of one. I'm George." He laughed. "Pity it was Chef's night off when you were here before. Two busloads ahead of you, late hour and a tired staff."

As George continued, Lorne smiled, nodded and thought. Smooth, quick-thinking, obvious marketing training. He refocused to hear the end of the spiel.

"... give you a better idea of what we offer here."

"We're looking forward to it," Catherine said.

They rode silently for several minutes, then Catherine asked, "Your bus tours? Do you also do lunch?"

"We've been doing two since we opened, but we're moving to three per day, both at lunch and at dinner, the beginning of July. We've prepared a package for you. All the information is in it. Contacts for the tour operators, special deals for the motor campers."

"Sounds like a big operation."

"Based back east... But enough about us. That's quite the boat. Yours or his?"

"Ours," Lorne said. "We love sailing and exploring."

"Never done any sailing. Too many other things." They continued a light conversation as the tender operator drove them into the harbour and up to the restaurant's courtesy float.

As they alit, George said, "We have free dinghy moorage while dining. We're now starting our promotion to the yacht clubs and marinas." He led the way up the ramp and along toward Molly's Beach. Molly's Reach was nearly abandoned as they passed.

Inside, he guided them through the waiting crowd and into the packed restaurant. "We seat two eighty down here in three rooms," he said as he led them through to a cordoned staircase which wound up in a corner of the second dining room. "Another seventy to eighty in four private dining rooms upstairs, all with harbour views. There's an access elevator over there."

"All the same size?" Catherine asked as they climbed the carved driftwood stairs.

"No, there's an eight, a sixteen and two twenty-fours. The two big ones can be combined to seat about sixty. We're licensed for four hundred seats, including the bar in the reception lounge." He quietly opened a door and allowed them a peek. "Dinner meeting in progress — for fifty." Lorne and Catherine acknowledged nods from several familiar tourist industry faces.

George led them along the hallway. "We'll put you in here; it's nearly full downstairs," he said as he opened the door.

There was one large four-top set diagonally at the glass wall, overlooking the marina. Two chairs were set across the table corner, facing the window. Lorne examined the setup and mused. Not only smooth. Observant also. How did they connect us?

George continued, "We can set up a long table for eight in here."

Catherine looked through the glass wall. "Great view."

"With a day's notice, we can move boats around down there, fit you in." George pointed to the marina. "Next time."

He motioned to the table and held the chair for Catherine, and after they had been seated, he said, "We'll start you with some Champagne. I'll send in the sommelier. Enjoy your evening."