In that moment, Cass knew Sharon’s deeper truth: she had feelings for Brett. Cass let that sink in, evaluating how it made her feel. What if Sharon and Brett started dating? How would it feel seeing the man she had been with for more than a decade with another woman?

Thankfully, Cass didn’t feel anything except cautious optimism for both Brett and Sharon. She nodded and said, “Don’t worry. That’s already been taken care of. Brett and I have agreed to be friends, and that’s it.” There was no mistaking the delight in Sharon’s expression now. That confirmed it—Sharon did care for Brett.

“You have a deal, then. I still need to feed my starter today—I’ve named her Dolly, by the way—and then I’ll bring a big container, as much as I can spare, over to the bakery in about an hour. Sound good?”

“Sounds perfect. Thank you, Sharon. I’m really so grateful.”

“You know what?” Sharon said. “Me, too.”

When Cass stepped back outside, she texted Walter to let him know Sharon was going to be bringing by some starter. I still have to run a few errands, but I’ll be back as soon as I can, she wrote.

With the next piece of the puzzle having fallen into place, Cass headed back toward the downtown area of Starlight Peak, the snow crunching underfoot and the chill sharp against her cheeks. It felt so good, she realized as she walked, to be home, breathing in the fresh mountain air rather than the Los Angeles smog. She had been dreading it but realized now it was exactly where she needed to be.

She headed along Main again, stopping in a few shops for Christmas presents as she did. She had to get her shopping done now, because the next twenty-four hours were going to be dedicated to baking as many loaves of holiday sourdough as they possibly could. She found a cashmere wrap for her mom in her favorite color, a soft, buttery yellow, and a ceramic tagine for her dad, who had been getting into cooking Moroccan cuisine lately. But nothing caught her eye for Charlie. She knew she had to get her sister something—but what? They had never been at odds like this during the holidays before.

The text message notification on her phone chimed, and she glanced down at it, expecting to see a note from Walter. But it was her parents. There’s a chance our flight might be delayed because of the blizzard. We’ll keep you posted—but don’t worry. We WILL be home for Christmas. We’re the Goodwins!

Cass felt a twinge but chose to believe her parents’ reassuring words. As she walked out of the store, she could practically hear her mom’s voice in her head. On the rare occasion when the twins got into a fight, her mom would always tell them that while they looked the same on the outside, they were different on the inside. Your differences are your strengths. You fit together as a perfect whole. A few fat flakes of snow had started falling now. Cass ducked into a clothing and accessories shop, but the moment she looked around she wished she had thought to shop in L.A. because none of it was Charlie’s style. She picked up a woolen toque, then put it down.