Madison looked crushed. “Well… maybe your friend can keep me company.” She batted her long lashes at Jonas. Actually batted her lashes! Fred didn’t think women did that anymore.

“Thanks anyway, honey,” Jonas said, “but I’m in mourning for my sex life.”

“You—oh. Oh.” Fred watched while Madison jumped to the conclusion that Jonas was gay. Normally she’d be irritated for her friend and wouldn’t hesitate to correct the mistake, but in this case, Madison was doing Jonas a huge favor.

Furthermore, Dr. Barb was here, approaching them rapidly. Jonas had his back to her, but from where she was standing Fred had a perfect view of—a navy blue suit?

She stared. And stared more when Dr. Barb saw them and dramatically slowed her trot. In fact, she stopped altogether. And if Fred didn’t know better, she’d think Dr. Barb was standing like that to… pose?

“Holy cow!” Madison peeped. “Dr. Barb got a haircut! And new clothes!”

Jonas’s eyes bulged and he whipped around like it was the boogeyman coming up behind him instead of good old Dr. Barb.

“Jeez,” Fred said, impressed. “She looks really good. I had no idea she had such a cute figure under those lab coats.”

He whipped back around and now he was glaring at her. “Well, if you’ve noticed, it must be a bona fide transformation.”

“Easy there, Bitchy McGee. Don’t take your bad week out on me. I’m in charge of taking my bad weeks out on you.”

Dr. Barb was slowly(?) making her way up the ramp leading to the loading dock. The clipboard she was holding was forgotten, hanging from one hand down by her side. Jonas turned back around to watch her walk up to them.

“Hi…Jonas.”

“Hi, Barb.”

“I, uh, it’s nice to see you again.”

“You, too. You look beautiful.”

Dr. Barb—eh?—blushed.

Blushed?

“It was, um, a little scary to come in today. I’m afraid I’ve been avoiding you.”

“That’s okay. I’ve been avoiding you, too.”

Fred turned to Madison. “Go clean out the lobster tanks.”

“But this is much more—”

She gave the younger woman a helpful shove, almost knocking her into the bay. “Bye, now.”

Meanwhile, Dr. Barb and Jonas were staring into each other’s eyes, oblivious of the nauseating picture they presented.

“I’m so sorry I ran out like that. It was all just such a—”

“That’s okay,” Jonas said, coming to life for the first time all day. “I kind of sprung it on you.”

“Oh, no! I shouldn’t have reacted the way I did. I was too silly to realize the enormous compliment you were paying me. I’d—I’d really like to go somewhere private and talk about it.”

“You—you would?”

Fred, who had been staring back and forth like she was watching a tennis match, broke in. “You would?”