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Avery kept staring at her for a moment. Then she shook her head and put rolls in the oven.

“And what’s normal?” she asked.

“Like this summer,” Emma said. “When it was easy.”

“So normal is you guys getting along so well people think you’re dating?” Avery said. She seasoned the soup.

“No,” Emma said immediately. “No, that’s not what I mean.”

“It kind of sounds like that’s what you mean.”

Emma leaned her elbows on Avery’s kitchen island and dropped her head into her hands.

“I just want things to be easy,” she said. “I don’t want to have toworryabout all of this.”

“Things aren’t always easy, Em,” Avery said. “Especially when you’re taking steps forward.”

“I’m nottaking steps forwardwith Jo.” Emma paused, then grumbled, “Especially not since she has a girlfriend.”

“I meant that you’re moving on to a new job, but way to be totally not convincing about not wanting to date Jo,” Avery said, and Emma cringed. “You’re moving to a new job and Jo is moving to a new show, and that’s going to make things different and weird between you and Jo, even if you hadn’t almost kissed.”

Emma rested her chin in one hand and looked up at her sister.

“You’ve got a work trip,” Avery said. “Focus on work.”

“And just ignore the almost kiss?” Emma asked quietly.

“Sure.”

“Because it’s not a big deal?”

“It is a big deal,” Avery said. “I’m just letting it go because I’m a good sister. I’ll bother you about it after your trip.”

“You’re an okay sister,” Emma said.

Avery pointed the wooden spoon in her hand at Emma. “If you’re going to be like that, I’ll bother you about it right now.”

Emma giggled. “No, no, you’re agreatsister, the best sister.”

“Better.”

Dylan and the twins arrived then, and Emma was glad to put the discussion aside to greet them and help Dani and Ezra set the table for dinner.

—

After they ate andEmma got her fill of cuddling both the twins and the dogs, Avery walked her to the door and brought up Jo again.

“I know I’ve teased you about it forever, but you’re allowed to have a crush on her, you know?” she said.

Emma admitted nothing. “She has a girlfriend. And she’d never date an employee anyway.”

“You’re not going to be an employee soon,” Avery reminded her.

“Exactly,” Emma said. “Any crush I might have on her doesn’t matter. She’s going to move to Agent Silver and I’ll stay withInnocentsand we won’t even see each other. It’ll be fine.”

“How do you feel about that? About not seeing each other?”

Awful.