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  Which seemed crazy, right? She had met Emilia for five minutes, and already the woman had gotten under her skin. She didn't know whether to lean into that feeling or take a cold shower.

  Frankie and Nico were charming Henry at the register. Cody ducked behind him and walked towards the back room.

  "You'll rue the day you tried to kick out the troublemakers, Cody," Frankie called after Cody and shook her fist in the air. Cody couldn't help but laugh.

  It reminded her a bit of the way a little sister would tease her. If Frankie had been trying to flirt with her, she had clearly missed the mark.

  She walked over to the large orders board. The shop had approximately a bazillion Christmas parties coming up that weekend with about a bazillion cupcakes and cookies ordered for each. She grabbed a clipboard, scribbling down what they would need so she could double-check inventory and order anything necessary for Wednesday's shipment.

  Some voice in the back of her mind was telling her to make the best of it at the shop. She knew everything was temporary, but temporary or not, she didn't half-ass her work. She couldn't afford any more mistakes in her life. It was Christmas, one of the busiest times at the shop, and therefore, one of the most consuming and distracting from her other life.

  She’d focus on the work and figure out where she was meant to be.

  Chapter 3

  Emilia

  "Pass that cashew chicken, Frank," Emilia demanded, clicking the tips of her chopsticks together.

  The two women sat in their office surrounded by Chinese delivery food, going over a floor plan for the event. Emilia wished, for about the hundredth time that day, that their shop was just a tiny bit larger. They were so cramped for space even before the event, never mind fitting an extra 100 chairs in there. They’d have to move several shelves, and tuck Johanna Kissler's signing booth near the spiral staircase that led up to the children's loft, but it seemed like it'd just barely fit.

  The day had flown by in a flurry of checking in with vendors and fielding PR questions. Two reporters for separate papers had called to discuss details in an attempt to get special access to the event. It was nearly 7 pm by the time Frankie forced Emilia to sit down to eat.

  "It's going to go great," Frankie said, her shoes kicked off, rubbing her feet on Austen's side in a move that Emilia assumed was part foot warming, part petting. Austen grunted in approval.

  "Do you think so?" Emilia asked, chewing on her lower lip. She reached to pet the dog, too, scratching the favorite spot right behind her ears.

  "I know so!" Frankie announced, pointing her chopsticks up in official declaration.

  Though Emilia was the older of the two, Frankie had apparently popped out of the womb full of confidence. Their mothers had been best friends, but Frankie had lost her parents when she was ten and Emilia was twelve. Emilia’s parents had taken over custody of Frankie and had raised the two as sisters.

  Emilia looked her cousin over. Most people thought they were biological sisters. Frankie had the same dark brown hair as Emilia did, but Frankie's was wavy and casually gorgeous in an 'I just got out of bed, and I still look this good' kind of way and her own was pin straight and could barely hold a curl. They were roughly the same height, neither short nor tall, and wore the same clothing size, though Emilia had larger hips and breasts than Frankie did.

  Emilia looked down at her crisp blouse and pencil skirt, then at the pointed toe heels beside her. She preferred dressing in a way that gave people the first impression that she was all business. Mainly because, well, she was.

  She had graduated college at the top of her class and then jumped immediately into her MBA. She had organized the funds to start Between the Covers, but it was Frankie’s inheritance from her parents that had really made the dream a reality at first.

  Emilia had then opened the online version of the store, making them viable through selling on larger channels. And it was Emilia’s idea to start growing a rare books collection after coming across a goldmine at an estate sale.

  "Oh, I almost forgot to mention, I talked to Uncle Dave this afternoon. He sends you his best from…" Frankie trailed off, trying to remember. "I want to say they're in Eastern Europe. They're really digging this new travel writing gig. They're like Instagram influencers for the middle-aged crowd, and they're killin' it."

  Emilia suppressed rolling her eyes. Her parents were definitely free spirits. Frankie had picked up a lot of their traits over the years but had somehow translated it into a responsible career instead of throwing caution to the wind. How Emilia had any of her parent’s DNA was beyond her.

  "Ah, I love this song," Frankie said, grabbing her phone to turn up the most inescapable Mariah Carey song of all time.

  Frankie began lip-syncing the song dramatically while Emilia dished lo mein into her mouth, watching Frankie do the running man, then grab Austen's front paws as the two danced.

  "You're perfect for each other. You know, this is why you’re single, you already found the one," Emilia joked, setting down the container and grabbing the empty boxes to throw into the takeout bag. She tied the top shut and slipped her heels back on.

  “Oh? Then what’s your excuse?" Frankie teased back.

  "I’ve already found the one, too," Emilia winked.

  "Tell me you’re not talking about your vibrator," Frankie deadpanned.

  Emilia feigned shock. "I meant work, you hussy."

  Frankie laughed as Emilia walked out back, pushing a brick into the doorway to prop the back door open. She swung the bag as she walked to the dumpster behind the building, feeling slightly unnerved by the dark alley.

  She heard singing and paused in the darkness, looking around. Henry's alleyway door was open, silhouetting Cody in the back-storage room. She was sweeping, dancing and singing into the end of her broom. Emilia could have sworn she was singing Mariah Carey too, and she covered her mouth with her hand to avoid laughing and embarrassing Cody.

  Emilia threw the Chinese bag in the dumpster as quietly as she could and attempted to tip-toe away to avoid being seen. She couldn't just call her out on being a silly weirdo with an affinity for broom microphones.

  The heel of her stilettos caught in a crack of the asphalt, jerking her abruptly. Her ankle twisted painfully and she fell backward, swinging her arms out to catch herself. In the end, the icing on the cake was how she smacked into the side of the dumpster with a loud and unnerving metallic clang. A graceful fall, it was not.

  She cursed loudly, sitting up and rubbing her elbow where it had slammed into the dumpster. She checked her skin for blood but found nothing more than scrapes. At least she’d avoided hitting her head.

  Cody was suddenly close, kneeling down, her bright eyes wide with worry.

  "Are you okay?" She asked.

  "I'm fine, really," Emilia said, wanting to crawl under the dumpster and die. Her face was burning hot with embarrassment.

  "What happened?” Cody asked.

  "My heel caught in the crack there," Emilia admitted, pointing to the broken asphalt. Those damn heels. She’d burn them alive for what they'd done.

  Cody reached for Emilia’s ankle, cradling it in one hand while pressing at the joint with the other, sending a sharp jolt of pain up her calf.

  "Does that hurt?” Cody asked.

  Emilia wanted to lie and make it seem like she was fine so she could hobble back to the shop and tend to her mostly ego-bruising wounds in private, but the pain was so immediate that she cursed again, and Cody grimaced.

  "I don't think it's broken, but it'll be tender," Cody said, moving to survey the rest of her body.

  As Cody began to examine her body, Emilia began to grow extremely self-conscious. She was not in need of a knight in shining armor to help her. "I’m completely fine, really," Emilia said, wanting to swat Cody’s hands away.

  Cody checked Emilia’s palms, her thumbs briefly brushing the scrapes on both hands where Emilia had tried to catch herself.

  "Did you hit your head?" Cody ask
ed, moving a hand to touch Emilia’s neck gingerly.

  "No, really, I'm great," Emilia said again, smacking Cody’s hand away and moving to get up. She put my weight down on her ankle and cringed, sharp jolts of pain shooting up her calf. She hissed quietly through her teeth.

  "Yeah, seems totally fine," Cody said, smirking. “Come on, let’s get you out of the cold.”

  Cody gingerly took off Emilia’s other shoe and wrapped an arm around her waist.

  "On three, we're going to stand, okay?" Cody said, then counted and hoisted Emilia up so she could bear most of her weight on her good ankle.

  Cody’s body was warm and she was undeniably close, her entire body pressed against Emilia’s.

  Emilia definitely did not take note of her smell, but if she did, it would be buttery but with a touch of something more spiced. Clove, perhaps? Cacao? She steered them to the open door at the back of the bakery, and led Emilia into the kitchen.

  "Wash your hands to get that grime off, and I'll grab you an ice pack," Cody said, leaving Emilia next to the sink.

  She did as she was told, picking little bits of dirt and gravel out of her palms while standing on one foot.

  "I don't need… it's okay, really," Emilia said. Sure, she’d be sore tomorrow, but the attention was making it hurt far worse.

  "I know," Cody said, not looking up as she put ice in a plastic bag. "But I used to be a paramedic before, well, last week, so I can't help it."

  This revelation definitely took Emilia by surprise. She settled back down in a chair near the sink after drying her hands on a paper towel. "A paramedic, really? I can't picture it."

  Emilia stared at Cody, trying to imagine her in a uniform, rushing along beside a patient on a gurney, yelling vitals and directions.

  She could certainly picture Cody leaning over a hurt and vulnerable person, comforting them, since she had just received the same treatment.

  Her interest was definitely piqued.

  Cody shrugged, grabbing a towel and pulling up a chair to sit beside Emilia’s ankle. "I come from a long line of firemen and doctors and paramedics. Well, besides Uncle Henry. He's an anomaly.”

  She reached down to lift Emilia’s foot into her lap, placing the ice pack wrapped in a towel on Emilia’s swollen ankle. "Rest, ice, compress, elevate. No heels tomorrow, you hear me, young lady?"

  "Yes, doctor," Emilia laughed, rolling her eyes as she made a mental note to borrow a pair of flats from Nico.

  More holiday music blasted through the wall.

  Emilia couldn’t help but cringe. "Wow, I had no idea that was so loud over here, I apologize."

  Cody laughed, shaking hair out of her eyes. "Nah, I like it."

  "You do?” Emilia asked, skeptical.

  Cody smiled, shrugging. "Yeah, who doesn't love good music? Isn't this a Run-D.M.C. Christmas song?”

  “So, you’re really into holiday music?” Emilia asked, trying not to grimace too obviously.

  “Well, it comes with the territory,” Cody said, grinning.

  “What territory is that?” Emilia asked.

  “The territory of loving all things Christmas,” Cody said, laughing.

  Emilia let the grimace take over.

  “Not a Christmas person?” Cody asked.

  “Not one bit,” Emilia said, shaking her head.

  Cody simply laughed, checking Emilia’s ankle again. “Had no idea I was dealing with The Grinch over here.”

  “Excuse me, I really identify as more of an Ebenezer Scrooge, but less greedy,” Emilia smirked.

  “Nah, you’re way too beautiful to be a Scrooge,” Cody said casually.

  “But not too beautiful to be The Grinch?” Emilia countered.

  Cody laughed. “Okay, I deserve that,” she said.

  Emilia rubbed her hands together, biting her bottom lip.

  The pair were silent for a moment, and Emilia could feel Cody’s eyes on her, though she highly doubted they were just assessing her current health.

  Wow, had Cody just called her beautiful?

  And was she the type of woman to gush over another person calling her beautiful? Get it together, Marin.

  Emilia cleared her throat, trying to cut the tension in the air. "Well, Frankie must be wondering where I am," she said, trying to excuse herself.

  "Oh here, I'll text her for you." Cody pulled her phone out of her pocket and typed something using one hand.

  "You already have her number?" Emilia blinked. Wow, Frankie had already beaten her to it. …Whatever it was.

  "Yeah, she wanted to text me her food order. Apparently, she's been begging Uncle Henry for months, but he wouldn't give in, so here we are," Cody said absently, and then chuckled, looking down at the screen.

  Seeing Cody laugh at something Frankie said made her feel immediately irritated. She had never been the jealous type, especially with Frankie. She was so used to everyone loving Frankie, and who could blame them? So, where was this weird feeling coming from?

  Cody held the phone out to show the screen. There was an image of Austen looking quite tough with the text saying, "I can release this beast at a moment's notice, buster."

  She locked her phone and pushed it back into her pocket, visibly rolling her eyes.

  Emilia cleared her throat, feeling even more awkward. She didn't know exactly what Frankie was insinuating, but it sure didn't seem like that was an innocent text. She cleared her throat again. "So, what made you hang up the paramedic uniform for a baking apron?"

  Chapter 4

  Cody

  Cody inhaled deeply, blinking for a moment, choosing her words carefully. She wasn't sure whether to be honest or not, but Emilia seemed like the type of woman who could see through a lie easily enough. And at that, she seemed to see right through Cody.

  Cody resisted the urge to gulp loudly. "Well, uh, it's a pretty long story. But I worked at the bakery as a teenager, so it felt nice to return, especially after…" She didn't know why she had added that last part — perhaps Emilia had slipped her truth serum?

  Emilia nodded and kept a completely blank look on her face, which Cody found impressive, given the admission.

  The music switched to Bowie so clearly that she would have sworn Frankie set the speakers right against the wall.

  Emilia was looking at her, but not with an expectant look on her face, which Cody appreciated. She didn't want to give the woman the entire story, mainly because it didn't paint her in the best light. How could she explain that she was… no, she had to stop thinking about it immediately or she’d slip right back down the rabbit hole.

  Cody set a hand on Emilia’s knee, absently pressing on the tendons to make sure they were okay.

  She squirmed, her eyes wide. "That tickles," she complained.

  Cody laughed, apologizing. "Better than hurting," she said.

  She liked that Emilia seemed like the type of person who wouldn't press her to go on when she didn't want to explain. So many women she’d met asked things like "What are you thinking?" exactly when she didn't want to answer, for fear that she’d have to admit she was actually thinking about snowflakes or chocolate croissants or sex instead of anything deep and meaningful.

  She watched Emilia smooth out her skirt, a small gesture of self-consciousness which touched something inside her chest. When she had heard the crash in the alley, and she saw that it was Emilia, her heart felt as though it had ceased beating until she had made sure Emilia was okay.

  Emilia's arrival was the best part of that morning. Sure, she was gorgeous with her dark brunette hair and large, soft eyes that definitely juxtaposed her demeanor. Cody didn’t know if she had ever met a woman who could command the presence of a room quite like her — even after only a few moments together, Cody could tell that was her superpower. Cody enjoyed imagining the customers cower slightly as Emilia’s no-nonsense heels clicked on the floor.

  She couldn't help but wonder idly for a moment whether that commanding presence translated to the bedroom, and she found herse
lf grinning at the immediate mental image.

  "What’s so funny?" Emilia asked, staring at her with a worried look.

  "Uh, nothing," Cody said, looking anywhere but at her.

  She raised her brows. "Is everything okay?” She paused, then grimaced. “I'm sorry, I didn't mean to pry."

  Cody relaxed, shaking her head. "No, that was fine. I came back to the bakery because I needed a change, that's all. And it turns out I still make a mean chocolate croissant."

  "It'd truly be a shame not to share that gift with the world," she said, nodding and closing her eyes in agreement before smiling.

  "You want one?" Cody grinned, looking around.

  "You have extra?" She asked, her eyes lighting up.

  For that look, Cody would have baked ten thousand chocolate croissants on the spot. She stood, gently placing Emilia’s leg back on the chair where she had just been sitting.

  She moved to the counter, unwrapping the tray of pastries to be sold the next day –– most pastries had to be baked fresh each morning, but they never let the things that could stay a day or two go to waste. Then, they sent whatever they couldn’t sell to the food bank.

  Cody grabbed a chocolate croissant off of the tray, which was a rarity to have left over. Henry had said they were typically the first to sell out for the day. After microwaving it for a moment — sacrilegious, but it couldn't be helped — she handed it wrapped in a paper towel to Emilia.

  Emilia groaned, chewing slowly. Her eyes closed and she licked her lips.

  Cody’s thoughts immediately turned toward the obvious, and her breath quickened at the sight. Her crush on Emilia Marin was so instant, it was almost painful.

  "I can't think of the last time I've eaten anything so delicious," Emilia said with a tone near reverence.

  "Except for breakfast this morning, I hope," Cody joked.

  Emilia smiled and relaxed deeper in the chair. "Oh, you know damn well that an egg white sandwich doesn't hold a candle to this," she said, taking another bite, smearing chocolate onto her mouth.