Jax (Titan #9)(9)

"I'll drink the whole thing for you, babe."

Her tongue ran along the seam of her lips as her grin curled. A casual flip of the blender's switch afforded him quiet and sanity. Then Seven poured the concoction into the glass and made a quick cup of coffee. She walked to the end of the counter and called back, "Hey, Sidney? Can you cover the counter for me?"

A guy in an apron came from a side door with a pile of muffins. "Sure thing." He stopped abruptly when he saw Jax as though it were impossible someone would walk in that he didn't know or expect could be there. "Hello, how are you?"

That question clearly, but silently, sounded like "who are you?" Jax wasn't about to answer when he wasn't sure why he stood there or enjoyed the back-and-forth about the blender. "Hey there, man. I'm fine. Thanks."

Seven popped in between their unspoken conversation. "Thanks, Sid."

"Anytime." But Sid kept a watch on Jax as Seven smoothed her hand over another hand towel, put a straw in the smoothie, and shoved it in Jax's hand. Sidney turned and watched her folding the towel. "You sure you're good?"

"As can be expected given my morning." She took her coffee and walked from behind the counter. "Let's go somewhere more private—start drinking."

"Yeah, sure." Hesitantly, Jax tried a sip of the green smoothie when she wasn't looking. "Hey, this is solid."

Sidney's level of enthusiasm at Jax's revelation was cautiously pleased. "She's a master behind the counter."

"Noted." Jax took another long drink as he followed her, and they passed by the kitchen that smelled like foodie heaven. He wasn't hungover enough that The Perky Cup's kitchen turned his stomach. Not that he was hungover at all…

Seven opened a door and led them into a small office. After he walked in, she shut the door behind them. The lights were low, with a desk lamp already on, and she didn't bother to flip on the overhead light switch.

"That guy Sidney seems protective over you." Jax took in the close quarters of the office. Maybe it was the low light or perhaps the smoothie after all, but being alone with her in the quiet, he felt more settled.

"Sidney knows everyone in town." She set down her coffee on the desk as Jax settled onto a couch.

Seven was younger than him yet seemed years more responsible than anyone who looked her age. "Maybe that's it."

"Maybe you come off as a grumbling jerkface at times. Ever think that over?" The light caught on the tiny pink jewels on her eyebrow, sparkling as she sipped her coffee.

"Part of my charm."

Her quiet laughter floated through the air still permeated by the scent of sugar, but her brow furrowed. "How old are you, Jax?"

"Why?"

"Because, when you sit back and relax, I'd say you're in your thirties, but when you scowl at the world, you don't have an age."

"I'm timeless."

"Ha." She took a much longer sip of her coffee. "No. I mean, you seem like you don't care if you die or not. So age doesn't matter."

"Maybe we're both right."

Seven moved to the office desk. "That's a little sad."

"Story of my life, babe." Jax raised his brows. "You manage this place or something?"

"Or something," she said. "I make a helluva cup of coffee. That's all you need to know."

"Everyone says that."

"But I really do. You should ask Ryder sometime."

Maybe he would ask his Delta teammate more about Seven, though Ryder would likely tell him to back away from her. "You know, I haven't won Titan's Miss Congeniality award." If there'd been an award given out, it would have been "Most Likely to be Called a Dick," and his acceptance speech would've been concise. Deservedly so. Fuck you very much.

"You don't need an award, silly. The Perky Cup gives out rocks." She tilted her head to a pile of rocks on the floor he hadn't noticed.

Jax chuckled. "Sounds like my kind of employee incentive."

Who knew Seven would work at a place where employees could throw rocks at each other?

She eased off her chair and grabbed one, tossing it in the air and catching it in the other hand. Close quarters for a game of Stone Jax, but his head already hurt—or it had. But Seven sat back down with her rock. No award for him.

What else had he missed in the office?

Unlike the rest of the coffee shop, the office didn't seem like a place Seven would work. A picture of a woman on the desk caught his attention. The same lady was depicted in a grainy, old photo on the wall, holding a dollar bill. What had to be the same dollar bill was framed below the picture. "Who's the lady? The owner?"

"Her name is Taini." Seven turned to the picture as if she hadn't noticed it before. "She's been having a challenging time the last few years after a stroke."

"Everyone knows everything in this town about each other." Jax stirred the smoothie with his straw. "What kind of name is Taini?"

"It has Native American origins." Seven's eyes narrowed as though he had missed an obvious piece of a puzzle. "What kind of name is Jax?"

"Probably the easiest thing my ma could think to shout when she heard she was having a boy. It stood out on a block of Dons and Johns."