right into the spoiling.”
Christina followed Taylor around to the truck to get their bags. “They
seem really nice.” She didn’t look or sound uncertain. Taylor warned her to
pack practical clothing and footwear, and Christina looked gorgeous in a
pair of skinny jeans, ankle boots, and a black cardigan. Her hair was done
up in a ponytail.
Taylor loved it that way. Or down. Or curled. Or in a bun. There was
pretty much no way that Christina could not look fabulous. She knew that
her parents would love Christina. She was a fascinating person. Over the
past few weeks, she’d let her guard down a bit, at least when they were out
of work, and Taylor was starting to see little bits and pieces that she was
sure no one else got a glimpse of.
“I can’t wait to show you everything. We should probably get Chloe
though. She’d love to show you around.” Taylor reconsidered that as she
shut the trunk. “Unless you want to take a walk. Just the two of us. I know
there’s really not much opportunity for that normally.”
“Whatever you would like to do.” Christina rolled her shoulders back
and brushed a strand of hair out of her face. She looked both mystified and
at ease as she let her eyes roam the outbuildings, the barn, the fencing, the
pastures, and beyond. “This place is really neat. A real, live farm. Maybe
we could go for a walk, then we could get Chloe to show me all the
animals. She was so excited to do that.”
“That’s a good idea. We can just set the bags on the porch and go. Mom
and Dad will see me from the windows. I have a feeling they’re going to
corner Chloe for at least an hour, demanding that she give them every single
detail about school, her friends, and everything else they’ve missed.”
“They mu
st really miss her.”
“They do. She misses them too.” Taylor paused. “Uh— sometimes I feel
kind of— I guess, a little bit guilty for taking her away from them.”