Rikki and Andy were sitting next to each other at the big oval sushi boat bar at Isobune, a Japanese restaurant on College Avenue in the Rockridge section of Oakland. It’s a fun place where the chefs stand inside the bar and make sushi, place it on small rectangular plates, and put the plates on little wooden boats that are chained together and float around the bar counterclockwise. Patrons at the bar wait for something to go by that catches their eye and just grab it off the boat, and when they’re done eating, the waitress counts up the empty plates and tallies the bill.
“I won three days at the company beach house,” Andy said, wiping his hands on the small hot towel the waitress had given him when they sat down. Rikki was doing the same.
“Get outta here,” she said. “When?”
They both put their towels on the bar, and the waitress quickly took them and filled their teacups with green tea. Andy waited for her to leave. When she did, he grinned and said, “Next week. The second through the fourth.” He grabbed a plate of California roll from a passing boat and popped a piece in his mouth. “Mmm,” he said chewing, “why’ncha come down and meet me. Be fun.”
Rikki grabbed a plate with two chunks of smoked salmon and rice from the next boat and put it down in front of her. She picked one up with her chopsticks, dunked it in soy sauce and wasabi, and took a bite. “Yum,” she said. “These guys make the best sushi in the East Bay.”
Andy watched her. “Seriously, Rik,” he said. “Why don’t you come down for a day?”
Rikki washed the food down with some tea. “Anybody else from your office going?”
“No. Just me.”
“What about Katie?”
“She’s going to stay with a friend.” Andy picked up his cup and took a sip. He looked over the rim at Rikki and said, “Maybe Kyle could do the same for a night.”
Rikki looked deeply into his eyes. “Are we talking about what I think we’re talking about here?”
Andy put the cup down. “I don’t know,” he grinned. “Are we?”
They sat silently for a moment looking at each other. All around them the place was bustling with the din of the lunch crowd, but in that moment there was no one else. Andy’s leg touched Rikki’s and she felt that same jolt of excitement she’d felt at Chevy’s over a year before.
Rikki put down her chopsticks and reached for a bottle that sat by her little stack of plates. She held it up to Andy. “Sake?”