diff --git a/packages/host/app/services/store.ts b/packages/host/app/services/store.ts
index 20357df552..50519821ee 100644
--- a/packages/host/app/services/store.ts
+++ b/packages/host/app/services/store.ts
@@ -965,6 +965,28 @@ export default class StoreService extends Service implements StoreInterface {
     if (opts?.doNotPersist) {
       await this.stopAutoSaving(instance);
     }
+    // Resolve any linked-card relationships first. This can require a
+    // network fetch, and a sibling task elsewhere may mutate other fields on
+    // this same live instance while we wait. Snapshotting the instance below
+    // (for the merge + write-back further down) only after this resolves
+    // keeps that snapshot from going stale and reverting the sibling's write.
+    let linkedCards = await this.loadPatchedInstances(patch, instance.id);
+    for (let [field, value] of Object.entries(linkedCards)) {
+      if (field.includes('.')) {
+        let parts = field.split('.');
+        let leaf = parts.pop();
+        if (!leaf) {
+          throw new Error(`bug: error in field name "${field}"`);
+        }
+        let inner = instance;
+        for (let part of parts) {
+          inner = (inner as any)[part];
+        }
+        (inner as any)[leaf.match(/^\d+$/) ? Number(leaf) : leaf] = value;
+      } else {
+        (instance as any)[field] = value;
+      }
+    }
     let doc = await this.cardService.serializeCard(instance, {
       omitQueryFields: true,
     });
@@ -988,23 +1010,6 @@ export default class StoreService extends Service implements StoreInterface {
     if (patch.meta) {
       doc.data.meta = merge(doc.data.meta, patch.meta);
     }
-    let linkedCards = await this.loadPatchedInstances(patch, instance.id);
-    for (let [field, value] of Object.entries(linkedCards)) {
-      if (field.includes('.')) {
-        let parts = field.split('.');
-        let leaf = parts.pop();
-        if (!leaf) {
-          throw new Error(`bug: error in field name "${field}"`);
-        }
-        let inner = instance;
-        for (let part of parts) {
-          inner = (inner as any)[part];
-        }
-        (inner as any)[leaf.match(/^\d+$/) ? Number(leaf) : leaf] = value;
-      } else {
-        (instance as any)[field] = value;
-      }
-    }
     let api = await this.cardService.getAPI();
     await api.updateFromSerialized(instance, doc, this.store);
     let shouldPersist = !opts?.doNotPersist;
diff --git a/packages/host/tests/integration/store-test.gts b/packages/host/tests/integration/store-test.gts
index e5fd238da1..a28e29282f 100644
--- a/packages/host/tests/integration/store-test.gts
+++ b/packages/host/tests/integration/store-test.gts
@@ -1593,6 +1593,65 @@ module('Integration | Store', function (hooks) {
     );
   });
 
+  test('a concurrent field write during store.patch is not clobbered by the patch’s stale snapshot', async function (assert) {
+    let targetId = `${testRealmURL}Person/hassan`;
+    let instance = (await storeService.get(targetId)) as any;
+
+    let gate = new Deferred<void>();
+    let enteredGate = new Deferred<void>();
+    let originalLoadPatchedInstances = (storeService as any)
+      .loadPatchedInstances;
+    (storeService as any).loadPatchedInstances = async function (
+      this: unknown,
+      ...args: any[]
+    ) {
+      let result = await originalLoadPatchedInstances.apply(this, args);
+      // simulate a slow relationship load (e.g. fetching a not-yet-cached
+      // linked card) so a concurrent field write on the same live instance
+      // can land in the window between the patch's snapshot and its
+      // eventual write-back
+      enteredGate.fulfill();
+      await gate.promise;
+      return result;
+    };
+
+    try {
+      let patchPromise = storeService.patch(targetId, {
+        relationships: {
+          bestFriend: {
+            links: { self: `${testRealmURL}Person/jade` },
+          },
+        },
+      });
+
+      // wait until the patch has actually reached the gated relationship
+      // load before mutating a sibling field, so the write lands squarely in
+      // the window the patch's snapshot needs to still be sensitive to
+      await enteredGate.promise;
+
+      // a sibling background task (e.g. an unrelated auto-linking step, as in
+      // the catalog listing-create flow) mutates a different field on the
+      // same live instance while the patch above is still in flight
+      instance.name = 'Race Winner';
+
+      gate.fulfill();
+      await patchPromise;
+    } finally {
+      (storeService as any).loadPatchedInstances = originalLoadPatchedInstances;
+    }
+
+    assert.strictEqual(
+      instance.name,
+      'Race Winner',
+      "the concurrent field write is not clobbered by the patch's stale snapshot",
+    );
+    assert.strictEqual(
+      instance.bestFriend?.id,
+      `${testRealmURL}Person/jade`,
+      'the patch itself was still applied',
+    );
+  });
+
   test('loads FileDef links from included resources', async function (assert) {
     await testRealm.writeMany(
       new Map<string, string>([