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safe neighborhood for them, but if they’d had to live by something noisy

like a highway or a train track, while not safe at all, Chloe wouldn’t have

minded the noise one bit.

Taylor still debated about grabbing Chloe and getting back to their

apartment, but she was exhausted from the day’s work and the stress after,

of Adriana’s accident. She might not be hungry, but she realized she was

quite parched. That was the only reason she gave in. The only reason.

“Water?”

“Sure. Or I have juice. Milk. Soda. A beer. Wine?”

Taylor thought that it would be better to decline and just collect Chloe,

but she also didn’t want to be rude. It was probably the first time she’d

thought about being nice since she’d told Christina off in the parking lot

that day they’d looked at the building.

“Uh— not beer or wine. I have to drive home shortly. But— juice?”

“Cranberry or orange?”

“Cranberry, please.”

Taylor stepped inside after Christina padded off into the house. She shut

the door and took in her surroundings. The house was a new construction.

Or newer. It featured dark hardwood and gray walls. The furniture was all

new, but it wasn’t what she expected. It was quite homey looking. The sofa

and loveseat in the big living room matched each other. They were a baby

blue. A bright yellow and blue rug and a white and chrome coffee table

divided up the room. There were lamps here and there, bright artwork, even

some plants. The living room opened into the kitchen on the far end. The

cabinets were dark, the countertops some sort of white stone. The bar stools

were white, and so was the modern style table and chairs off to the side.

“Wow,” Taylor said. “This is nice.”

“It is. Real estate here is a lot cheaper than in New York, so I was able

to afford a house instead of a broom closet of an apartment.”

“New York?” Taylor knew she was looking at Christina like a star