Eight people from Rikki’s office were at Chevy's, a Mexican restaurant in Alameda, drinking margaritas, eating nachos, and laughing loudly at two tables pushed together, when Rikki joined them. She was an hour late for Andy’s party.
A wiry, muscular guy in his early thirties lifted his glass and said, “Hey, look who decided to show up.” He launched into a line from Hello Dolly in a Louis Armstrong voice that sounded more like Grover from Sesame Street. “Find her an emp-ty lap, fel-las”
Janine slid her chair away from Andy’s and Andy pulled a chair next to his from another table while they all chimed in, “Rikki don’t e-ver go a-way, Rikki don’t e-ver go a-way, Rikki don’t e-ver go away agaaiin.” The whole group broke up laughing and everyone in the restaurant clapped and cheered.
Rikki sat down, a big grin on her face. “I’m not leaving,” she said, grabbing a glass. She put her hand on Andy's shoulder. “He is. Now somebody pour me a margarita.”
Andy picked up the pitcher and filled her glass. He had straight black hair with a little gray showing at the temples, cornflower blue eyes and a rough-hewn face with crow’s-feet and deep smile lines that made him look like he built log homes for a living and enjoyed it. Except he was wearing Italian shoes and a twelve-hundred-dollar suit. And he didn’t build log houses. He was in marketing.
He smiled at Rikki, “Glad you could make it. Thanks for coming.”
“Wouldn’t have missed it. Sorry I’m so late. I had to get some last-minute stuff together for the show.” She shouted across the table at the wiry guy, “Hey, Satchmo. You don’t get me your client list for the show by tomorrow, your horn’s gonna end up in Pucker City.”
Everybody said, “Ooooh.”
Satchmo laughed. “Is that a promise?”
“I’m not kidding, Jimmy. I need those names.”
“Okay, Rik. Sorry. I'll get ’em to you tomorrow. I just gotta chase down one more prick.”
Rikki grinned. “I’d like to chase one down myself,” she said and knocked her drink back in one gulp.
A big guy wearing a white shirt, red tie, and suspenders piped up from the end of the table. “Excuse me, ah, Rikki?” he said, peeking under the napkin on his lap with a wide grin. “Ah, I think I’ve found one for you.”
Everyone cracked up. “Thanks, Brian,” Rikki chuckled. “I’ll get back to you on that.” Andy refilled her glass, and his hand brushed against hers lightly. Their eyes met and she smiled at him warmly. “Thanks.”
He smiled back. “Sure.”
“Well, I gotta go,” Janine said, pushing her chair back and standing up. She dropped a ten on the table. “Hot date tonight.”
A well-dressed woman in her mid-thirties holding a nacho on a napkin said in mid-chew, “I’m gonna go out on a limb here, Janine, but I’m guessing he’s not a farmer.”
Janine made face like she was offended. She said, “No, he’s Itaaalian.”
Everyone cracked up some more, including Janine. She turned to Andy.
“Good luck, Andy,” she said, giving him a little peck on the cheek. “We’ll miss having you around.”
Andy started to get up and Janine pushed him back down. “Don’t get up,” she said and glanced around at everyone. “What a gentleman!”
He smiled at her. “Thanks for coming, Janine. Be good.”
“Me? Hah,” she laughed. “Bye, everybody. See ya tomorrow.” She waved and headed for the door.
Brian stood up, too, and said, with a holy-shit face, “Look at the time. I gotta get home for my for my seven o’clock beating.” He dropped a twenty on the table, slipped his suit jacket on, and went around to shake hands with Andy.
“Me, too,” Jimmy said, throwing down two tens. “I’ll see you all tomorrow. Poker Thursday, Andy?”
“You bet,” Andy said, smiling. “I need your money.”
The others all finished their drinks, got up, left some money, and said their goodbyes to Andy. They walked out and Rikki and Andy were alone.
“Well,” Andy said, a little nervously. “Here we are.”
“Yup,” Rikki shrugged. “Here we are.” A moment passed while they both looked around the restaurant, not knowing each other very well and a little uncomfortable at being suddenly alone. Andy turned to her and broke the silence.
“Rikki, you probably have to go—”
“I just got here. But you don’t have to stay on my account.”
“No, no, I was gonna finish my drink. I just don’t want you to feel like you have to stay just to keep me company. You know, the guest of honor shouldn’t be the last to leave the party.”
Rikki nodded. “That is kind of a sad image.” She looked at the pile of money on the table. “Although it looks like you made a pretty good haul.”
“I suppose you’re right,” Andy chuckled. “I guess I’m in the chips.” He grinned sheepishly. “We could pay the bill and go to Tahoe on what’s left over.”
A little jolt of excitement dashed through Rikki’s stomach and she was suddenly aware of how close they were sitting to each other. Their legs were almost touching. Rikki looked at Andy, and with heavy lids and an exaggerated Bacall voice, said, “Hmm ... Tahoe. They have a lake there.”
Andy leaned toward her and did the Bogie thing with his mouth a couple of times and said, “Yeah, sweetheart, a wet one,” and did the thing with his mouth again.
They looked at each other for a second and cracked up.
The waitress came over to their table. She looked about twenty, with short black hair and thick eyebrows. “Can I get you anything else?” she asked.
Andy looked at Rikki inquiringly. She glanced at her watch and back at him. “I’ll have a coffee with Kahlua.”
“Great,” he said, and told the waitress, “two coffees with Kahlua, please.”
“Yes, sir. And I’ll have someone clear the table right away.”
“Thank you.”
As she walked away, Andy shook his head and said, “She called me ‘sir.’ She wouldn't have done that if she didn’t think I was old.”
Rikki smiled at him. “No, sir, she wouldn’t.” They both laughed and Rikki felt their knees touch. She cleared her throat. “Janine calls me Granny.”
“Get outta here. Really?”
“Really.”
He ran a hand over his silk tie. “I’ve got a fourteen-year-old daughter.”
“I’ve got a seven-year-old son.”
“Ahh. What's his name?”
“Kyle. What's your daughter’s name?”
“Katie.”
The drinks arrived and they stirred them and took sips.
Rikki jerked away from her cup, fanned her mouth and said, “Whew. Hot. Tasty, but hot.”
“Burn your tongue?”
“Mm hmm,” she said, dousing it with a sip of margarita. “Damn!”
Andy said, “I hate it when you burn your tongue on the first sip.”
Rikki nodded. “Or the roof of your mouth on the first bite of pizza.”
“That too.” Andy took a spoonful of whipped cream. “Whipped cream’s not hot,” he said, offering Rikki a taste. Danger zone. She hesitated for a second and then lipped a little off the end, her eyes on his. Neither of them spoke for a moment.
Rikki glanced at Andy’s left hand. “I don’t see a ring.”
Andy took a careful sip of his coffee and placed the cup on the table. “My wife left us when Katie was two.”
“My God. She just left?”
“Mm hmm. Went back to Wyoming to live with her folks. Didn’t go for custody when we got divorced.” Andy smiled sadly at Rikki. “Ellen’s got some serious problems with alcohol. She’s been in and out of half a dozen psychiatric hospitals. Even tried to commit suicide once.” He shrugged. “We talk about twice a year, she sends Katie a birthday present.”
Rikki frowned. “It must have been so hard on you.”
“It was for a while. You know, I never saw it coming. All of a sudden it just seemed to swallow her up.” Andy played with his spoon a little. “We do all right, though, Katie and me.”
“Has there been anybody else?”
“Oh,” Andy sighed. “A couple. I started to get serious with somebody about three years ago, but when it came right down to it she didn’t really want to be a stepmom, she just wanted her own family. So,” he gestured with his hands like an explosion, “pcchhhh!”
Andy straightened himself in his chair and smiled brightly, stepping off his dark path. “What about you? Tell me about you.”
Rikki picked up her cup and held it in both hands, studying the swirl of whipped cream for a few seconds while she thought about how much to tell him. And then she spoke. And she told him everything. Andy listened intently, watching her deep blue eyes and the delicate movements of her hands as she emphasized her thoughts.
It was starting to get dark when Rikki finished, and the busboys were going around to each table lighting candles. The whipped cream had melted in their half-drunk cups of coffee.
Andy put his hand over hers and gave it a gentle squeeze. “I’m sorry you’re having to deal with all this.”
Rikki squeezed back. “Thank you.” She glanced at her watch. It was 7:30. “Oh, my God!” she said. “I’ve got to get home. Cam’s going to a meeting tonight and I think it starts at 8:30.” Andy signaled the waitress and she hurried over and dropped the check. He gathered up the money everyone had chipped in, paid the bill, and left a big tip. Getting up he said to Rikki, “I’ll walk you to your car.”
Rikki smiled and they headed for the door.
They stopped at her car and he stood close to her. “Would you like to have lunch sometime?” he asked. “Just friends.”
Rikki got a tingling feeling, followed by a slap of fear. She frowned as the two sensations danced clumsily around. And then her frown disappeared. “Okay,” she said to Andy, with a smile. A friend.