She’d just finished hanging a pastel egg in the window when one of her co-workers called her into the kitchen and told her to open the back door. Confused, Kat pushed it open and saw a familiar face on the steps.

“We don’t want your fancy knives, essential oils, or solar panels. Get out of here, scam artist!” She shooed the spiky-haired man away.

“Ha ha.” Jonas stepped into the kitchen and held up a pink pastry box. “Guess somebody doesn’t want any.”

Kat’s fake, angry demeanor fell away instantly. “Donuts? Please say donuts. If you say donuts, I’ll be your best friend.”

“Of course, they’re donuts. Why would I bring cake to a cake shop?”

“Yes! We’ll buy knives, oils, magazine subscriptions, everything!” Kat hopped onto the counter by the back door and waited impatiently for him to open the box.

“If pastries are all it takes to get into places, I should become a robber or inside trader,” Jonas remarked. “It would be a lot more fun than the gym.” He noticed how closely Kat was watching and deliberately slowed his motions as he opened the box.

Kat merely slid the box away and opened it herself.

“Is that why you came by, to trash-talk your new ‘greener pastures’?” Kat sank her teeth into a glazed donut and hummed in appreciation. “Because if it means more bribes, I wouldn’t mind. Hang on, I should tell the others about these. They are to share, right?”

“Naturally. Spread the word. Let them shower me with praise and accolades.” Jonas waved his hands magnanimously and then began prestidigitizing a silver coin.

“You deserve it except when you say dumb stuff about Blazecatcher’s Brig!”

“I can rescind your donut privileges!” Jonas threatened as she bounded away.

Everyone else working in the store who wanted a donut got one. They set one aside for the delivery driver, and then Kat idled in the back, doing chores as she tried to figure out how to ask Jonas’s advice about Darius, hoping to glean insight from his experience in the dating field.

“So why’d you actually drop by? Not that I’m complaining.” She grabbed a broom to sweep up the donut crumbs.

“I guess I wanted to see if this place was falling apart without me,” Jonas said introspectively. “See if anything has caught fire yet, steal a few things.”

“Like forks.”

“They spin well.” Jonas winked at her. “And aren’t they shiny? Who wouldn’t want a few... dozen.”

Kat facepalmed. “Okay, okay. Theft and damage control.”

“Mhm, that and scoping out the new cashiers,” he joked.

“I thought you had a rule against dating co-workers? ‘Recipe for disaster’—isn’t that what you called it?” Kat reminded Jonas lightly as she emptied the dustpan into the trash can.

“I don’t work here anymore,” Jonas pointed out. He lounged near the counters, occasionally helping to move things out of her way as she did her cleanup. “Didn’t you know? That was my master plan all along. Now I can hit on all the ladies.”

Kat guffawed and then paused. “What about you and Genie?”

“Genie and I broke up.” Jonas flicked a fork into the air, where it gleamed before he caught it again.

 “Oh gosh! I’m sorry. You doing okay?”

She stopped sweeping to study him. Cami’s emotions were vibrant, almost explosive at times, but Jonas was difficult to read—his light-heartedness a curiously effective camouflage.

Her thoughts wandered to Genie. She had been a good sport at the park and easy to get along with, unlike some of Jonas’s previous girlfriends.

“Eh, we wanted different things. When I went to return the ring, though, I had to bully them into refunding me. Blackmail was involved.”

“Very messy,” Kat said quietly. Obviously, there was no ring. She decided he was doing just fine if he was joking this easily. He had that typical quirk about his mouth as if thinking of some clever comeback.

“Then there was the car chase...” Jonas magicked a coin, making it vanish from one countertop only to reappear on another. One coin became two, then became four, then became one again.

“And the stolen plane,” she said, hopping onto the back counter and crossing her legs while she watched the magic display. “I saw it on the news.”

“That one was tricky. I had to take a 24-hour pilot crash course.”

“Emphasis on...”

“On crash. Lived in the wilderness for sixteen days.”

Kat stifled a grin. Yes, she decided, Jonas was fine. “So at the park, and the last few times you were at work,”

“Body double. And an android.”

“Both! Spendy.”

“Very. That’s why I needed the money from returning the ring so badly.” Jonas was in full theatrical mode. His hands danced and bucked across the countertop. Six coins. One. Three marbles. A fork. Now it was—whoops!

A marble skid off the counter and fell to the floor, skittering away beneath a rack filled with orders.

“Ahh,” Jonas said unhappily. “Guess that’s why I’m single.”

Kat hopped off the counter while Jonas crouched and started searching. She fetched the broom and swept the marble out from beneath the rack, handing it to him with a flourish.

“Thanks.” He accepted the blue-streaked marble and flicked it between his hands.

“Hey, uh, Jonas?” Kat steeled herself. Now or never.

“Yeah?”

 “How do you know when something is or isn’t right when you’re dating someone?”

She’d surprised him; she could tell by how his hands slowed down for a few seconds.

“Does this mean that you and Darius are hitting it off, then?” Jonas inquired, his expression unreadable. “A little birdy told me he walks you to and from work.”

Kat nodded. “Yeah. We’ve been seeing a lot of each other, and it’s been a lot of fun hanging out—”

“Uh-oh,” he said at once.

“Uh oh?” Kat repeated, bewildered.

“Yep. Uh-oh. You friend-zoning him?”

Kat was mystified. Relationships had never been her strong suit, but sometimes, she felt everyone on the planet understood them except for her.

“Did it sound like that?”

Jonas smirked. He slowly pulled out his deck of cards and started arranging them. Visual aids.

He showed her the front and back of a card. The queen of hearts again.

“Let’s say this is you.”

“I don’t want to chop off anyone’s head,” Kat complained.

Jonas rolled his eyes and, quick as a whip, swapped it for the queen of clubs. “Better?”

“Yes. Proceed with the lesson.” She settled back against the countertop.

“And here’s Darius, or any guy, really.” Jonas held up the king of hearts. “You with me so far?”

“Har har. Yes. But we’d better hurry. My break’s almost over.” She said without malice.

“I’ll be quick. You said you like hanging out with Darius.” Jonas swapped the king for the jack. “Bam. See what happened there?”

“You tucked the king in your sleeve,” Kat said smugly.

“Firstly, wrong, it’s back in the deck, pay attention, and secondly, you have demoted this guy. He might not even know it, but you have. ‘Hanging out’? Come on, Kat. He walks you to work, he buys you lunch, and I saw how he looked at you at the park. Either he’s head over heels, or you’ve got the world’s most dedicated ‘acquaintance’ ever.”

Jonas started shuffling the cards.

“Oh.” Kat leaned onto a counter and folded her hands beneath her chin. Had she been unintentionally dishonest with Darius? Had she given him the impression that she only liked him as a friend? She hadn’t even let him hold her hand.

Did she like Darius that way? She wasn’t sure.

 “I hope I’m not... taking advantage. I don’t want to be a jerk-Ow!” She exclaimed as Jonas flicked a card into her arm. It fell onto the countertop with a soft patter. The queen of clubs.

“What was that for?” Kat demanded.

“For all the poor saps in the friend zone and to snap you out of saying dumb stuff.”

“I don’t know how to do this. I’ve barely dated. What if I don’t like him as much as he likes me? What if I’m leading him on without meaning to?” Kat picked up the card, took aim at Jonas, and threw it back. It whiffed through the air and spun towards the ground. He intercepted it before it touched the tiles.

“Right, because you’re such a flirt and a tease.” Jonas rolled his eyes again. “Oh, please. Look, if you’re not into him, tell him. And if you are, then keep going. If you don’t know, see where it goes, and don’t over-commit. Guys don’t have mind-reading powers, Kat. Sometimes you’ve got to spell it out and stand your ground, Blazecatcher baby.”

Kat let the jibe slide. Beneath the sarcasm and sleight of hand, his advice rang true. She certainly didn’t want to play with anybody’s feelings. If honesty was the solution, she could manage it.

However, she did have to point out an irony. “Sage advice from the guy who just broke up with another girl.”

She wouldn’t have dared to say it if she wasn’t sure he could handle the poke.

“That’s why I’m the best one to give advice.” He chuckled, then turned serious. “Like I said, we wanted different things. It ended well, healthy, and all that. No hard feelings. And I feel compelled to tell you, as your former senior employee, that maybe...”

He trailed off, and Kat looked sharply at him, unused to hearing him speak so plainly.

“Well, just be careful and be upfront. Stand by your decision, set healthy boundaries, and make sure he respects them. If that means going slow, tell him. A good guy will make you feel safe, and he’ll always understand and respect the word ‘no.’ And if you need somebody to help you escape from an awkward date, give me a call. I can say that my dog got hit by a bus or something and come bail you out.”

Kat was partially touched and partially annoyed by the offer. “I can save my own sorry shoes if I get into a bad situation, but... thank you,” she said sincerely. She didn’t know exactly what she would do or even how she felt, but the churning in her gut finally settled.

“For the donuts,” Jonas confirmed.

“Obviously.”