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“Chocolate babka!” Emma crowed. “A Floured Up specialty and an excellent choice.”

She used a sheet of wax paper to retrieve a slice for Jo and presented it to her on a bright red plate with a fork.

“C’mon,” Emma said. She leaned into the display case one more time to grab herself a second cookie, the first still half-eaten in her hand. “Let’s go bother the baker.”

Jo followed her into the back. The kitchen was smaller than Joexpected, but it was nice. Organized, clean. Avery was measuring flour on an electric scale, a commercial-sized KitchenAid mixer beating away on the counter beside her.

“What are you two even doing here?” Avery asked. “Don’t you have your own work to do?”

“That’s no way to greet guests,” Emma said. She took a bite of her cookie and talked while she chewed. “We’re here because we’re celebrating Jo getting the opening of Agent Silver figured out.”

“Oh yeah?” Avery glanced over her shoulder toward Jo. “Congrats.”

“Thank you,” Jo said.

She set her plate of babka on the stainless-steel-topped table in the middle of the kitchen. She barely suppressed a groan of pleasure at her first bite.

“This is delicious,” she said. “My compliments to the chef.”

Avery poured some of the flour into the mixer. “Thanks,” she said, grinning at Jo.

Emma hopped up to sit on the table, a few feet from Jo’s plate.

“You know,” Avery said, “for a girl who always liked to follow the rules in school, you’re sitting on my tabletop. If the health department came in here, they’d shut me down.”

“Oh, shut up, they would not.” Emma rolled her eyes. “Plus, I’d jump down. I’m very quick.”

Jo pressed her lips together to keep from chuckling.

Emma and Avery continued to banter as Avery combined ingredients. Jo almost joined their conversation to ask after the twins, before worrying that that was too friendly. The sisters were a study in contrasts: Avery short, soft, and focused, where Emma was all long legs and ease. Emma’s hair cascaded everywhere, while Avery’s bob was hidden beneath a bandana. Emma seemedloose, her smile effortless. It was nice, as long as Jo didn’t think about how she and Avery were lying to Emma. By omission, at least.

The bell above the door rang from the other room. Emma leapt off the table.

“See? If it’s the health department, you’re fine.”

Avery swatted her with the kitchen towel she had over her shoulder. “Please do not mention the health department where customers can hear.”

“No promises.”

Avery’s laughter carried as she left the kitchen. Jo and Emma stayed put. Jo finished her babka. Emma climbed right back up onto the table and ate her second cookie. She swung her feet back and forth beneath her.

When Avery returned, Emma kicked out at her. Avery avoided it and gave her sister a fake glare.

“Why are you here, again?” she said.

“Field trip!” Emma grinned. “We should take them more often. I get to eat cookies and hang out with two of my favorite people.”

Jo caught Avery’s raised eyebrows, and Emma’s eyes cut from Avery to her.

“I mean, whatever,” Emma said. “It’s not weird. You know I love working for you.”

Jo didn’t admit it, but she was hanging out with two of her favorite people, too.

—

One afternoon the nextweek, Emma was working in Jo’s office when it was time for Jo to leave for Ethan’s game. Jo was fully packed up before Emma realized she’d stopped working.

“Oh,” Emma said. “I can—”