the whole world,” Chloe said.
She tugged off her light purple wind jacket and deposited it on top
of her backpack. She kicked off her sparkly pink runners without even
being asked. She didn’t put anything away, but for once Taylor didn’t
remind her. She just opened the hallway closet and deposited everything
inside. When she slid the cheap wooden doors shut, they went with a bang
and shuddered like they were going to fall apart. Taylor closed her eyes and
took a steadying breath. The artwork wasn’t the problem. She loved Chloe’s
work. The farm wasn’t the problem either. Taylor missed it and loved it too.
It was just all a lot on top of an already stressful afternoon.
“The farm?” she asked when she turned and faced the kitchen. It
basically extended right into the entrance. She had to blink hard again,
because even thinking about her parents and the place she’d always called
home pressed on an already soft, achy spot in her chest.
“Yup.” Chloe pulled out one of the two wooden chairs with some
difficulty and scrambled up. She sat at the beat-up table, staring at Taylor
expectantly with her huge green eyes.
Chloe had thick, dark hair compliments of her dad. She also had his
nose and lips, but she had Taylor’s fair skin and her huge green eyes. They
were almost the exact same shade. Chloe’s hair might have been brown like
Joe’s, but it was thick and lush, more like Taylor’s. Joe was tall and thin.
Taylor was more athletically built, but not so much that she didn’t have
curves. She barely made five foot six, and she figured that Chloe would
surpass her in that, since Joe had been over six feet tall.
Chloe also had Taylor’s freckles. With her huge green eyes, her tiny
nose with the curve at the end, and her full lips, she made an adorable
picture. Her hair was still braided, but it wasn’t neat. Over the course of the
day, most of it had come undone.
“Mom
!” Chloe urged. “I’m really hungry!”