Page 133

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.”