“You’re about to find out,” Michelle said, getting up and heading for the kitchen to get a plate of warm cookies. She was back in record time to set them on the coffee table. “You might have to wait a minute or two. They just came out of the oven when you were walking up the stairs.”

“Perfect timing,” Hannah complimented her youngest sister. “Is this one of your original recipes?”

“Yes. I made them for a girl in my psychology class who has a peanut allergy.”

“But she’s okay with hazelnuts?” Hannah asked.

“Yes. In her case, it’s just peanuts and anything made with peanut products like peanut oil.”

In the space of a minute or two, three cookies had disappeared. All three of them reached for a second cookie and Carly began to smile. “These are great!” she told Michelle. “Will you give me the recipe?”

“Sure. They’re simple, too. They’re just as easy as peanut butter cookies.”

“And they taste a lot better because they have chocolate,” Hannah added.

When the first plate of cookies was gone, Michelle brought more from the kitchen. Hannah refilled their iced tea glasses and poured one for herself, and they settled down to talk.

“Thank you both,” Carly said. “I was so upset, I forgot to eat all day today.”

“I can believe that,” Michelle said, “ I think you’ve lost some weight since the last time I saw you.”

Hannah could believe it, too. Carly had always been a petite blonde, even in high school, but now she looked almost gaunt. “Didn’t you see Carly just a couple of days ago?” Hannah asked her sister.

“Four days ago,” Michelle answered, and then she turned to her friend. “Something’s really bothering you, Carly. What’s going on?”

“It’s Jennifer. Or maybe it’s not. That’s the problem.”

“What do you mean?” Hannah asked her.

“I mean, I could be cracking up here, but . . . please don’t think I’m crazy if I tell you . . . okay?”

“You’re not crazy,” Hannah reassured her. “Tell us. Both Michelle and I are here to help any way we can.”

“Thanks.” Carly drew a deep breath and then she blurted it out. “I don’t think Jennifer is my sister.”

“You mean you don’t think Jennifer ever was your sister?” Michelle asked. “Or you don’t think the woman who calls herself Jennifer is really Jennifer?”

Carly looked confused for a moment and then the puzzled expression left her face. “Oh, I see. It’s no to the first question. I don’t have any reason to believe that the Jennifer I knew when I was almost four years old wasn’t my sister.”

“But there’s some question in your mind that the Jennifer who came back after running away isn’t the sister you knew in the past?” Hannah asked, seeking to clarify it for all three of them.