Page 24 of Death and Donuts

Vena fidgeted before bursting out, “I’m sorry. That kiss was too hot not to share.”

Stunned, I shot a panicked look at Vena. Cross and Shepard weren’t the ones playing a game. My best friend was.

“You didn’t,” I said in disbelief.

“I just wanted to motivate Cross. He likes you, but he’s playing it too safe.”

“Dammit, Vena, not everyone needs to be a wrecking ball like you!”

The car went silent. Neither of us said anything until we were almost at Blur.

“I crossed the line, and I’m sorry, Ev. Really.”

We’d been friends since forever. Like all friends, we’d had our share of spats, but when push came to shove, Vena always had my back. Always. And whenever I hurt, she hurt with me.

“I love you, Vena, but I need some time to stop being mad about this,” I said honestly.

She nodded as I pulled into the employee parking lot.

Boulder was watching the back door and didn’t seem to notice that Vena and I were unusually silent when we went inside and stowed our things in our lockers.

“Vena,” Anchor said from behind us.

“Just the guy I need to talk to,” she said, looking at him in the doorway. “This isn’t working, Anchor. I need some time to think about whatever this is that we have.”

We both stared at her, waiting for the punchline. Instead, she walked past him without even looking at him.

“Did I do something wrong?” he asked.

“No. We kind of had a disagreement before work. I think this is the fallout. She should be better by the end of her shift.”

He nodded but looked worried. I wasn’t sure how to reassure him. She was crazy about Anchor. Why would she want to keep her distance now? Was it what I’d said before? About it being forever? I didn’t think so since she’d known that all along. Was she playing hard to get to draw him in, then? Or was it the stress of waiting for news from her parents?

I patted his arm and, on my way to find Shepard, dropped the fairy trash off at the bar. He was in his office, looking down at a clipboard on his desk. But as soon as I crossed the threshold, he glanced up at me with a smile that put me at ease.

“Do you have a few minutes?” I asked him.

“Always for you.”

I let that comment slide. “You mentioned offering a curated dessert menu, right?”

He nodded. “Do you have ideas?”

“Some. But I’d like to know your thoughts before I get ahead of myself.”

He sat back in his chair and gestured for me to sit as well. I took the guest chair across from him.

“I need to know your vision. Are we talking about a full range of options from pastries to cakes to pies to chocolates, or are you looking for a signature dessert? Or a dessert of the day, even?”

He looked thoughtful for a moment, his gaze resting on a printed menu on his desk. He pulled it free and looked at it.

“I didn’t have a vision when I asked you about it, but you sparked an idea.” He handed me the menu. “What if you come up with a dessert pairing for each item on the menu?”

“Each item on the menu?” While it wasn’t a huge menu, that would be a lot of desserts.

“Let’s see what you can come up with,” he said as if reading my thoughts. “I’ll ask Buzz and Detroit to create cocktails that pair with them. The top pairings will go on a featured menu that can be rotated so we don’t have to have a lot of desserts on hand.”

“I like that idea. It will take me some time to do the pairings, though. Can I take home some of the menu items to taste test while I experiment?”

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