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“I hear your girlfriend is quite comfortable working in your office,” Evelyn said.

“What?”

Evelyn paused at the vitriol in Jo’s voice. Jo sighed, and took a sip of her wine.

“I’m sorry,” she said, gentler. “What are you talking about?”

“OnStar’s website,” Evelyn said. “They have an article about how you and Emma must have gotten cozy over the summer, given how comfortable she was working in your office, even with other people around.”

Jo rubbed at her eyes. They were dry, tired. She should take her contacts out.

“When did this article go up?” she asked.

“A-Jo, what’s going on?” Evelyn said. “Why do you sound... exhausted?”

“You sound great, too,” Jo said, no bite to it. Evelyn didn’t respond, and Jo knew she might as well tell her what was happening, because otherwise Ev would simply wait her out. “Emma was concerned about working in my office today, and I didn’t know why and I snapped at her. I didn’t know someone—God, someone had to have leaked that. People are back for two days and we’re in the fucking tabloids again. If I find out who it is, I’m going to kill them.”

“I’d bet Emma saw the article,” Evelyn said, “because it was published this morning and she probably has a Google alert set for your names together.”

“Don’t accuse her of things I knowyoudo,” Jo said, smiling slightly. “Anyway, now I’m going to have to apologize to her in the morning.”

“They always say makeup sex is the best sex.”

“I’m hanging up now.”

“No, no, come on, I’m teasing,” Evelyn laughed. “How is it with everyone back, other than your spat with Emma?”

“Louder than usual,” Jo said. “More distractions. It always takes me a while to get used to it.”

“Tate do anything stupid yet?”

“When does he not?”

“I’m going to meet him when I come visit, okay?” Evelyn said. “I’m coming to set this time, meeting everyone.”

“Have you decided when you’re coming yet?” Jo needled, setting her wineglass down and settling deeper into the cushions of her couch.

“Your birthday, maybe? Or I’ll just show up and surprise you one day.”

Jo would’ve been happy with either.

“I’ll have to see if Sammy’s free, too,” Evelyn said.

Jo knew she was mostly joking—Sam had played Jo’s older brother onThe Johnson Dynasty, and Evelyn had fawned over him ever since. Jo was fairly certain that Evelyn started her infatuation as a way to bother Jo, decades ago, but she had kept it up so long by this point that there must’ve been some truth to it.

“You’ll have to fight me for him,” Jo teased. “We’re actually going to dinner on Saturday.”

“Tell him I’m single.”

Jo rolled her eyes and couldn’t help her grin. More of her tension bled away the longer she talked to Evelyn. She felt bad about snapping at Emma, but with context, it all made sense, and it would be an easy fix, apologizing in the morning.

10

JO

Can I take the afternoon off?” Emma asked the next morning before Jo even had a chance to thank her for the coffee.

Jo blinked. Emma took time off only for dentist appointments, holidays, and the one time a year she got sick.