"She Can't Speak Chinese!" Millionaire Laughed — Then the Black Waitress Spoke
Chapter 15
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Maya smiled. "I'm usually quiet."Emily made a face. "You are absolutely not quiet.""Professionally quiet."Thomas pointed at Maya. "That. Be that." He started away, then turned. "And Maya?""Yes?""Richard Hale can be demanding." She waited. Thomas seemed to search for a diplomatic word; he failed. "Very demanding.""I've served demanding people before.""I know."Thomas walked back toward the dining room.Emily leaned closer. "That was owner language for 'please don't throw a bread basket at the millionaire.'"Maya slipped a pen beside H-17. "I wasn't planning to. A soup spoon, maybe."Emily laughed. Maya smiled with her, but when she closed the locker, something Walter had said that morning returned to her: Pier 17. She knew Richard Hale's name, of course; most people in Seattle did. What she had not known until Thomas mentioned the reservation was that tonight's Richard Hale was the same Richard Hale whose development appeared across six pages of notes inside H-17.Maya stood still for a second. Then she told herself what Helen Wu had taught her years ago: Know what you know, know what you don't. She was not there to investigate Richard Hale; she was there to serve dinner.At 6:52, a black sedan stopped beneath Harbor & Pine's awning. Richard stepped out first; Laura followed. Seven minutes later, Daniel and Grace Chen arrived. By 7:10, wine had been poured. By 7:15, Richard was explaining why Pier 17 represented the future of Seattle.And upstairs at Hale Urban Development, the relocation folder remained on the conference table exactly where he had left it: closed. The yellow tab marked Mandarin Relocation Materials still protruded from the side. Richard had said he would deal with a problem when someone showed him one. Before the evening was over, the person who showed him would be the black waitress he had not yet bothered to learn anything about.By 7:30, Harbor & Pine had settled into its Friday night rhythm. Warm amber light fell across white tablecloths. Candles trembled inside small glass holders. Beyond the windows, Elliott Bay was almost black beneath the rain, broken only by ferry lights moving slowly across the water.At table 12, Richard Hale was performing confidence."The public promenade alone will change that entire section of waterfront," he told Daniel Chen. "Retail below, office space above, residential on the east side. Pier 17 won't just be another development, it'll become a destination."Daniel listened without interrupting. Grace had a slim folder beside her plate. Laura sat quietly to Richard's right.Maya approached carrying sparkling water. "Good evening."Richard continued speaking. Maya waited for a natural pause; there wasn't one. Finally, Daniel looked toward her. That forced Richard to stop.