Chloe was quick to warn them when they wandered toward a plant.

Clara thanked her, then took responsibility.

“You can tell me,” she said.

“You don’t have to follow them all afternoon.”

The distinction remained important even when Chloe enjoyed being the older sister who knew things.

Years passed through birthdays, school terms, shoes outgrown, and photographs in which Clara gradually stopped looking startled to find everyone together.

The house received a fresh coat of butter-yellow paint.

The porch pots became beds along the walkway.