NOTES: And the plot thickens.
The Barista - Part Three
"The main problem with the Pegasus group is that they don't list which companies have the controlling interest in the Atlantis Grand," Elizabeth said. "Without that information, we're stuck making...a...blind...offer..."
John was reading through the printouts spread across the table when his colleague trailed off. He looked up, alarmed.
The guy who was just straightening from having propped his board up against the door was tanned, muscled, and naked to the waist. With a resentful eye, John could concede that the guy was probably reasonably good looking beneath the short beard that covered his lips and chin.
In the momentary lull of conversation as one large bronzed hand pushed sleek wraparound sunglasses on top of a writhing mass of dreadlocks, John heard the female population of the shop sit up and foof their hair.
The primping lasted only long enough for the guy to walk through the shop and move into the space behind the counter and began searching the drawers. "Teyla, I'm borrowing your car."
She didn't look up from the machine, but from his vantage point, John could see the way Teyla's mouth thinned. "No."
"I don't have a car anymore."
She poured four lattes and served them to the waiting queue. "No. Because you crashed your last one."
"Can't afford another," the surfer guy said in what he probably thought was a reasonable tone. It - the whole conversation, its familiarity and ease - was making John fight the urge to grind his teeth. "Gotta get to Saul's before lunch."
"Take the bus," she said with a twinkling smile.
He shot her a look that said he'd rather stand on his board and try to surf there.
"Ronon!"
He shut the drawer and straightened immediately like a kid in trouble. "Uh, hi, Sharon."
The elderly manager of the Athos Bean eyed him from behind the sweep of bead curtain. "I wish a word with you."
Ronon huffed and moved around the counter, into the back of the shop - but not before he jabbed Teyla in the ribs. As she switched off the froth wand, she caught John's gaze and rolled her eyes with a wry look of exasperation.
It took Rodney's pointed cough to draw John's attention back to the meeting, Elizabeth having gotten over her momentary speechlessness. An hour later, the trio split after agreeing to the division of work for the next couple of days.
"I'll be researching the companies tomorrow," Elizabeth said as they packed their stuff up. "So I won't make tomorrow's meeting."
"We'll just have the meeting in the office," said Rodney.
"What's wrong with here?"
Rodney rolled his eyes. "You can do without the barista for one day, Sheppard!"
John made a face at his colleague's retreating back.
"Meow," was Elizabeth's comment. "Have fun chatting her up."
"I wasn't..."
She just rolled her eyes as she went out.
John made his way to the counter of the shop, feeling almost sheepish. Sure, he was being obvious, he just hadn't expected the others to call him on it.
There seemed to be a lull in business since Teyla was leaning down against the counter with a book flat on the countertop.
"Any good?"
She glanced up. "Would you like another cappucino?"
"How about we start with the book and I'll decide if I want another 'cino later?" John caught the eagle eye of the surfer guy as he passed them with a load of dishes, and ignored the penetrating stare.
Teyla lifted the book so John could see the cover of Dan Brown's Da Vinci Code. "It is...not bad. I am not reading too much into it--"
"Which is probably the way it's supposed to be read," John noted. "Without a conspiracy theory angle."
"On the other hand, a conspiracy is always entertaining," said Teyla with a mischievous smile. "You have read it?"
"No. Last time I started a book, it was War and Peace."
"And did you finish it?" Her smile said she suspected he hadn't, and John couldn't say he had. "I could not read through it either. Halling was disappointed."
Her tone of voice made it reasonably clear that Halling's good opinion wasn't considered particularly important, but John couldn't help asking anyway. "Halling's your boyfriend?"
Judging by Teyla's look, his question wasn't as transparent as he'd hoped. "Halling is a friend," she said.
"Unlike you," said Ronon as he leaned down on the counter beside Teyla in a menacing pose. "Shove off."
Rather than shove off, John held his position and looked to Teyla, who didn't seem happy with the interruption. "And him?"
"I have better taste than that."
"Like him?" Ronon demanded, eyeing John.
Her sigh rustled through the café. "Make yourself scarce," she told Ronon, and now her voice carried bite. "Now."
With a flash of a grin, more amused than offended, Ronon shrugged. "Can't," he said. "Sharon wants to speak to you in the office."
"Heaven help the customers." Teyla said as she turned to John and hesitated. "You will be back tomorrow?"
If John's hair hadn't already been 'foofed', he'd have foofed it. Instead, he kept his exultation to a grin, ignoring the scowing Ronon as he answered Teyla's question. "Sure."
It wasn't until he was settling into his car that John remembered the meeting with Rodney.
Damn.
- TBC -