“Thank you. It would have taken me longer to reach her. I was just so
shocked that I felt like I couldn’t move.” Taylor finally took in Christina’s
appearance. “Oh my god. It’s going to be a long walk home soaked like
that.”
“We’ll dry off. I don’t mind.”
“I could go back and get the quad. Give you a ride.”
“Yay! The quad!” Chloe cheered, like she hadn’t just experienced
something entirely and horribly traumatic.
“I can wait with her then. Since she wants a ride.”
They climbed up the bank together. Peppy was sitting at the top, waiting
anxiously. He ran over to Chloe and licked her hand, almost as if in apology
for the stick incident, even though it wasn’t his fault.
“Are you sure you’ll be okay?”
Christina sat down and motioned for Chloe to the do the same. Chloe
parked it on the grass. Peppy sat beside them. “We’re good. We’ll just
watch the clouds or something.” Christina looked up. There wasn’t a single
cloud in sight.
“I’ll only be fifteen minutes. I’ll run back.”
“We’ll make up some stories then. I’ll tell a little bit, then you can do
the next part. How does that sound?”
“Yes!” Chloe yelled, her excitement getting the best of her again.
Taylor studied them both before she finally made the decision to leave.
It wasn’t that she was afraid to leave Chloe with Christina. Christina knew
full well how scared Taylor had been. She could imagine that Taylor’s
mothering instincts, hormones, whatever it was that made a parent ferocious
in the face of danger when it came to their child, had been rattled pretty
hard. Maybe running back would help her work some of that horrible fear
off.
“Well. Where should we start?”
“I’ll start.” Chloe picked at a blade of grass. “Once upon a time, there