Page 84 of The Holiday Swap

“That reminds me, I have a surprise gift for you,” Jake said to Charlie. “I’ve been hiding it upstairs so you wouldn’t find it.”

“Find it?Me?”

“Admit it, you’re such a snoop, Charlie!” Cass had joined them now in the living room, exchanging a warm hug with Sasha before she and Declan went to get some cider. “She’s always been like that,” she said to Jake. “When we were little she used to unwrap and rewrap half her presents while our parents were working because she couldn’t stand not knowing what was under the tree for her!”

“I’ll be back,” Jake said, and then the two sisters were on their own.

“What’s the surprise gift?” Cass asked.

“I have no idea.” Charlie glanced up the stairs after Jake.

While they waited for Jake’s return, Charlie caught Cass up on Austin Nash’s recent demise—his memoir had been outed by theNew York Timesas partly plagiarized, including stolen recipes, andBake My Dayhad been canceled as a result. “That’s karma for you,” Cass said, chuckling. Then she watched as Jake headed back to the tree to add a small package to the pile of gifts. She raised an eyebrow at Charlie.

“I told you, I didn’t snoop!” Charlie exclaimed. “This past year has taught me to let go of the things I can’t control. Whatever is in that box will be a complete surprise.”

Cass smiled. “Speaking of surprises...” She retrieved a slender, wrapped package from her bag and handed it to her sister.

Charlie ripped off the paper. “A cookbook! And... Oh, Cass.” Her breath caught. “These areourrecipes.”

“I collated all the recipes from Woodburn’s, plus the ones from theSweet and Saltybaking marathon. It was a tough time we went through, but so much good came from it. I never want us to forget that.”

Charlie happily flipped the pages. “This is sogreat, Cass. TheGerman Chocolate Switcheroo is my absolute favorite.” She looked up at her twin. “Thank you.”

“Are you crying?” Cass reached out and wiped away a tear streaming down Charlie’s cheek. “What’s going on?”

Charlie shook her head. “Nothing. I was just thinking about our crazy swap last year and how it was one of the best things that has ever happened to me. Being you made me realize what I really wanted my life to look like.”

“And being you did the same for me,” Cass said, her voice full of emotion, too. “And I’m so happy we’ve found a way to be together more often now, with the show.”

Charlie glanced over at Jake. “Hey, I need to do something before everything begins. You okay?”

“I am,” Cass said. “Just have to change.”

“I left the garment bag for you on our bed,” Charlie said, and Cass murmured her thanks before heading upstairs.

“Everything alright with you two?” Jake asked when Charlie joined him.

“All good. Just twin stuff,” Charlie said. “I wanted to give you something, before all the holiday chaos starts.” They were alone now, everyone else having moved to the kitchen or having joined the snowman-making outside. She reached under the tree and pulled out a rectangular box, tied with a green silky ribbon. “Merry Christmas, Jake.”

He untied the ribbon and took off the box’s lid, staring for a long moment at what was inside. A baked dog bone cookie withBig Sisterwritten in white icing.

“Sharon made it, but I decorated it,” Charlie said. “It’s for you. Well, it’s for Bonnie, but the message is for you, obviously.”

Jake finally looked at Charlie and she saw... disappointment. Her heart sank.

“Who told you?” he asked, heaving a frustrated sigh. “I swore everyone to secrecy! Was it Miguel? Gran?”

“Told me what?”

He reached under the tree and handed Charlie his gift-wrapped box without a word. She opened it and inside rested a small golden dog tag. “What’s this?” she asked.

Before Jake could explain Faye walked back into the room, followed by the rest of the holiday guests, some who still had rosy cheeks from being outside. Suddenly the large living room was crammed with people. Charlie felt like she couldn’t get quite enough air.

“Gran, did you tell Charlie about the puppy?” Jake asked Faye.

“I most certainly did not,” Faye retorted.

“Puppy?” Charlie asked. She glanced at the dog tag again. “You got me a puppy?”

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