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.”