“It totally suits her. And I was being polite when I voted for this nickname, because I could’ve easily chosen something far worse.”
“Surely she isn’tthatbad.”
“You have no idea.” He shakes his head. “Anyway, back to our dinner.” He points to the humble restaurant in front of us. “It apparently has the best burger in the city. Must be godly.”
“It has Godzilla on the door,” I point out with amusement.
“Should be good either way.”
“How did you hear about this place?”
“Bryce Huxley.”
I blink. Bryce is Jeremiah’s nephew and a lawyer from Huxley & Webber, but Rhys never deals with him professionally because he practices family estate and divorce law. “What does he know about Tokyo?”
“A lot. His stepmom is Japanese and he spent some time in Japan when he was younger.”
We walk past a line and step inside. The place is even smaller than it appeared from the outside. On the left is a modest counter with a griddle and about eight seats, squeezed tightly together. Four tables, each with four small chairs, occupy the space opposite the griddle. Despite that, the place is packed, except for one table. Conversations buzz above the sound of patties sizzling on the hot iron. Almost everyone has a cold beer in front of them, along with pitchers of iced water and glasses.
A waiter with bleached yellow-orange hair welcomes us in boisterous Japanese, then adds a heavily accented “Hallo!” in English.
Rhys taps his phone and shows the screen to the guy. He nods and takes us to the lone available table, then gives us a laminated menu. It has both Japanese and English, although the latter contains a few spelling errors.
“Go ahead,” Rhys says, gesturing at me.
“The Royal God Set with Asahi Super Dry,” I say without bothering to study the menu too closely—obviously, there’s only one thing to have at a place called God Burger. The first item listed, it’s a double bacon cheeseburger with fries and a beer. Ipray it’s good enough to satisfy the cheeseburger craving that’s been plaguing me for days.
“Same,” Rhys says.
The waiter confirms our order and disappears. My phone pings, and I check the message.
–Yuka: Watanabe-san says the company is amenable to the deal. The contract drafting and review can happen in the next month, if that’s acceptable for you.
Smiling, I look up at Rhys. “Ohimesama must’ve liked your convincing this morning. Watanabe wants to sign the deal.”
He grins, looking shockingly boyish. “Yes! So much for that ‘forward-looking posture.’” Even though he must’ve done countless deals like this, he always pumps his fist like it’s his first time.
Our waiter brings the beers, and we clink glasses.
“To another deal wrapped well,” Rhys says.
“Cheers.”
I take a sip and sigh with satisfaction, then steal a glance at him. He’s used to celebrating with a fancy dinner—perfectly cooked prime cuts and expensive wine at a dignified steakhouse with lots of dark wood décor, classy music and the waitstaff in starched uniforms. God Burger’s humble yellowed wallpaper, a couple of wall-mounted fans and some old Japanese baseball player posters with curling edges don’t fit the type of venue he’d prefer for reveling in another success.
His glasses reflect the bright fluorescent light, making it hard to tell what he’s thinking. I take another long swallow. “You know, if you prefer to do Kobe beef or something, that’s fine. The hotel has a steakhouse on the top floor, right above us.”
His eyebrows pinch together. “Is that what you’re in the mood for?”
I bite my lip, torn between honesty and pleasing the boss, although the latter is tugging at me with more force. I can always get a cheeseburger in the States. I start to answer, but get interrupted when the waiter places our burgers and fries in front of us with a red squeeze bottle.
The burgers aren’t as big as the ones you get in the States, but they’re still sizable, with generous patties and two slices of cheddar and bacon strips. My mouth starts to water at the sight.
“I guess that answers that,” I say. “It’d be a shame to have this go to waste.”
“Agreed.”
I pick mine up and bite into it. Juicy meatiness explodes along with a mellow mayo sauce and melted cheese.Wow. I pull back and stare at the burger in awe. “Okay. This reallyiskind of godly.”
