"This is amazing," he said, digging into the food. "You're a good cook, Maya."
"It's one thing I do well, and I got a lot of practice while I was growing up. No one in my family likes to cook. They're all very busy doing important things. When I'd come home after school, I would never feel like doing homework, so I'd start messing around in the kitchen. Because everyone came home hungry, I didn't get into as much trouble for choosing cooking over homework. They had a hot meal and I had an excuse for not doing my fractions."
He gave her a thoughtful smile. There was a touch of pain under her light words, a reminder that she saw herself as an island within her family. He wondered if that's where the self-deprecation came from. She was an interesting mix of insecurity about some things and boldness about others.
"What about you?" Maya asked. "Do you cook?"
"Enough to survive."
"Where do you live?"
"Santa Monica."
"The beach is nice. Are you on the water?"
"Not that lucky. I'm a couple of blocks away."
"How did you end up at the Firebird Club? Aren't there any bars in Santa Monica?"
"There are, but the Firebird Club is the hottest ticket in town. The tips are extremely good."
"How long have you been working there? They only opened six months ago."
"About a week."
"I didn't realize you were so new," she said. "Where were you working before that?"
"A bar in Venice. It wasn't a great scene," he lied. "I got tired of breaking up bar fights."
"That must explain why you got the better of the guy last night."
"Not sure I got the better of him, but I can hold my own."
"Have you always been a bartender, Jax? Have you done anything else?"
"Isn't being a bartender enough?" he challenged.
She frowned. "I didn't mean to imply it wasn't."
"Well, I've done some acting, too," he said, letting her off the hook.
"Really? Have you been in anything I would have seen?"
"Probably not. That's why I'm still serving drinks."
She took a sip of her coffee. "Is being an actor your long-term plan?"
"I'm not sure. I'm tired of auditioning, and I like having a steady income."
"I have some contacts in that world. Maybe I could help you," she said tentatively.
Despite her words, he didn't sense there was much conviction behind her offer. "That's generous, but I'm thinking about what I want to do next. I might take you up on it, but not now."
"You're certainly leading-man material. Although, I have to say you don't seem like the actor type."
"Why would you say that?" he asked, as he spooned some strawberries onto his plate, avoiding her speculative gaze.
"I don't know. There's just something about you that feels more…purposeful."
"You don't think actors are purposeful?"
"Maybe that's the wrong word. I don't know. There's just something about you that's a little different." She shrugged. "Maybe that's because you're an actor. You're always putting on a show, being who you think someone wants you to be."
"You sound like you don't have a high opinion of actors. Interesting for someone who wants to make a movie."
"On the contrary. I admire great acting talent. Being able to bring a character to life is a gift. However, I've had some personal experience with actors that hasn't been so great."
"Boyfriend?" he guessed.
"Yes," she admitted. "He was always putting on a show. I just didn't see it. But live and learn, right? I won't go down that road again."
"Never?" He needed her to say yes, because that could be a barrier between them, a barrier he was fairly sure he would need. Because there was something about her that was different, too, something that made him want to open up, to be who he really was, and that couldn't happen, not now anyway.
"Well, I probably shouldn't say never," she muttered, her gaze locking with his. "Whenever I make what I consider to be a solid plan, it usually ends up in pieces."
"How long were you and your boyfriend together?" he asked, as he finished the last few strawberries.
"About a year. He was funny and charming. I was working at a different production company then, and we were making a television series. I didn't realize that he'd actually sought me out because he wanted a part. I took him to some company parties, and eventually he got an audition and a role in the series. Then he slept with one of my friends."
"Asshole." He gave her a compassionate look. "Sorry."