Chapter Five

It was a week later, and Jens was at work when Blake appeared, looking sheepish. The coffee shop was quiet in the lull between lunch and dinner. Jens had never seen Blake in the place before.

He came up to the counter where Alex was cashiering. “Hi, uh, can I just get a large black coffee, please? And then can I maybe talk to Jensen for a minute?” He smiled a little sheepishly.

Alex raised an eyebrow and looked at Jens, who was already getting the coffee.

“That’s up to him. Two dollars, please.”

Blake quickly handed Alex a five as Jens nodded toward a back nook of the coffee shop that was isolated enough talk. “No worries about the change.” He followed the other man toward the nook, ignoring the snort from Alex.

Jens handed him his coffee. “Is everything okay?”

“Yeah, yeah everything is fine.” He sipped the coffee, then remembered he hadn’t put any creamer in it and made a face. “I…uh just wanted to say thank you. For taking Ginger to Ft. Collins. You…I just…yeah. I realized I probably came across as a bit of a jerk when I told you that you were essentially taking my bird to the vet for me and…yeah. I’m sorry about that.” Blake rubbed the back of his neck, turning steadily redder. “I make decisions sometimes… then I come up with a plan, and I don’t always take into account how it comes across to anyone else. So, I’m sorry.”

Jensen nodded. “Apology accepted.” He smiled a little, “You did come across as a bit of a jerk, but at least it was because you gave a shit about her.”

“Well, someone else clearly didn’t.” He sipped the black coffee again, despite himself.

Jensen’s expression darkened. “Any development on that? Jeanie said nothing had happened when I talked to her yesterday.”

“No, nothing I’ve heard. But…I may have told her to go talk to a few of the cockatoo breeders in Longmont and that area. Some of them are good people who are just passionate about cockatoos, but some of them are scumbags. I expect she probably had a home at some point since a breeder wouldn’t have named her.”

“So…we do know she’s a her?”

Blake smiled. “Yeah, the final DNA testing from the genetics lab came back. Ginger is a lady. A female Moluccan cockatoo.” He paused for a moment, then forged on, “I meant to invite you to see her whenever you want to… She finished the course of antibiotics, and she’s doing well.” He was blushing.

Jensen grinned widely. “I’d like that. Maybe I’ll come by this evening. I’d enjoy seeing Ginger…and you.”

Blake turned intensely red and took another gulp of the coffee. “Yeah, that…would be fine. I’ll let you know if I have any calls come through, but it should be okay. I would enjoy that.”

They said their goodbyes a moment later, and Blake walked out into the evening. It was cold outside, but not snowing, and Blake’s limp was a little less pronounced than it had been before. Jensen watched him go, then went behind the counter again to man the espresso machine.

“Blake Renoir, huh? Did not see that one coming.” Alex leaned against the counter by the cash register, smirking.

It was Jensen’s turn to blush now. “I’m just going to see the bird.”

“Uh huh, …you definitely just want to see his bird.” He held up his hands before Jensen could protest further. “I’m glad you’re getting out more, that’s all. I knew Blake was gay, but I’ve honestly never seen him with anyone before. He certainly never flirts that I’ve ever heard.”

“Blake hasn’t dated anyone of any gender in over a decade.” Angie stuck her head out of the back room, causing both of them to startle a little. They had both apparently forgotten she was there ordering supplies. “Not since the accident that caused his limp. But when he was dating, it was always men.”

“Was that accident here?” Alex asked. “I mean, in town?”

“No, no. Denver I think. I’m not really sure about the details, though. He didn’t talk about it much, and I didn’t think it was really right to ask.” She stood up and stretched, then wandered over to get some coffee from the carafe. “I don’t understand why that would have prevented him from dating, though. He’s not bad looking, and he gets around fine most of the time. He uses a cane occasionally, but not very often. He’s a bit grumpy, sure, but he’s a good person underneath it.”

“Yeah. He wanted to apologize for how he handled the whole cockatoo thing.” Jensen’s blush was back. “He was kind of an arrogant jerk, but at least he realized it.”

Angie smiled knowingly. “Well, I hope things work out between you two. At the very least, I hope you can be friends. He always seems lonely.” She turned to go back into the storage room with her coffee, and Alex made air quotes as he mouthed “friends.”

Jens rolled his eyes and swatted at Alex, then made a new carafe of coffee.