and there they were. Her mom, June, looked too thin, but Taylor always
thought that. Beside her, Taylor’s dad, William, a tall, robust man, wrapped
his arm around June’s tiny waist. They waited together at the porch railing.
Taylor’s dad had his big, scuffed, worn out brown cowboy boots on. Her
mom had her usual rubber boots. The ancient footwear once sported yellow
flowers on a black background, but now they were just a muddy shade of
murky gray.
Chloe opened her door, clicked off her own seatbelt, and went rocketing
out before Taylor could even get herself adjusted behind the wheel.
“There’s my sweet baby angel!” Taylor’s mom cried. She stormed down
the porch steps and wrapped Chloe up in a huge hug, sweeping her clear off
the ground. June immediately broke into tears, like it had been years, not a
mere three months since she’d last seen her granddaughter.
Taylor’s dad barely fared better. He was blinking rapidly as he gave
Chloe a big bear hug and hoisted her onto his shoulders.
Taylor and Christina got out at the same time. Taylor grabbed for Peppy
as he went streaking past her, but she missed. Peppy ran to her parents and
wagged his tail so eagerly that it turned his whole body into a wild blur of
energy. Christina hung back by the car.
“Mom, Dad, this is Christina. My friend.” Taylor emphasized the last
word. She’d made sure that her parents knew that Christina was coming in
that capacity only. Her mom and dad both grinned at Taylor, then smiled at
Christina.
“Sweet potatoes, it’s good to have you home,” June said. “And nice to
meet you, Christina.”
“Same here. Very glad to have you all here with us for the holidays.”
Taylor’s dad extended that greeting in the warmest voice before he turned
back to the house with Chloe hollering in delight from up on his shoulders.
Taylor’s mom followed, promising cookies and milk.
“Geez. We’ve been here all of two minutes and they’re already getting