Here We Come (Aggie's Inheritance) (172 page)

Kenzie’s
question
spoke
for
all
when
she
asked,
“Why
isn’t
he
coming
back?”

Laird
picked
up
the
roses
again
and
pulled
the
wrapping
from
them
.
He
unwound
the
rubber
band
holding
the
stems
together
and
then
laid
them
on
the
stone
once
more.
His
gloved
hand
covered
the
stems
for
just
a
moment.
Aggie’s
breath
caught.
It
was
beautiful.
“I
wish
I’d
brought
the
camera,”
she
whispered.

Vannie
pointed
to
her
pocket.
“Your
phone!”

It
was
far
away
but
better
than
nothing.
She
snapped
the
picture
just
as
Ellie
said,
“I’ll
sketch
it
from
the
picture,
Aunt
Aggie.
I
can
do
it.”

“I’d
love
that.”

What
Laird
was
saying—or
if
he
was
praying—Aggie
didn’t
know,
but
the
lump
welled
larger
in
her
throat
as
he
turned.
With
the
movement,
a
single
rose
rolled
from
the
top
of
the
stone
and
lay
against
the
rumpled
snow.
It
seemed
to
her
that
it
was
a
perfect
picture
of
her
life…
beauty
amid
the
chaos
that
was
her
family
.

“That
wasn’t
too
bad,”
Aggie
whispered
as
she
put
the
van
in
gear
and
began
to
back
out
of
her
parking
space
.
Maybe
we
should
change
to
their
birthdays
though,
she
thought
to
herself.
There’s
no
snow
in
May
or
September.

~*~*~*~

“Nine
hot
chocolates—whipped
cream
on
all,”
Aggie
asked,
her
eyes
on
the
van
full
of
children
behind
her.

“Nine?”

She
sighed.
“Yes.”
Aggie
slid
her
card
across
the
counter.
“I
need
to
pay
quickly
please.
I’ll
send
in
two
kids
to
carry
them
out.”

“
Two
kids
for
nine
chocolates…”

“They’re
thirsty,”
she
snapped.
“The
card?
I
have
kids
alone
in
the
car
.”

The
moment
she
had
her
receipt,
Aggie
dashed
out
the
door
and
into
the
v
an.
“Whew.
There
was
almost
no
one
ahead
of
me,
but
ugh.”

“
Um
,
can
we
go
in
and
get
them
now?”
Laird’s
hand
was
already
on
the
door.

“Go
for
it.”

The
numbers
on
the
van
clock
changed,
one
after
another
after
another,
but
Vannie
and
Laird
still
did
not
return.
Aggie
was
ready
to
go
in
after
them
when
she
finally
saw
the
door
open.
Once
inside,
Vannie
apologized.
“I’m
sorry
.
The
guy
in
there
wouldn’t
stop
asking
questions.
I
wanted
to
throw
the
hot
chocolate
at
him,
but
Laird
made
me
leave.”

“I
believe
that
assault
with
a
liquid
weapon
is
still
considered
assault,
Vannie.”

“Very
funny.”

For
one
brief
moment,
Aggie
was
tempted
to
go
in
and
give
the
baristas
a
piece
of
her
mind.
Burning
tears
at
the
back
of
her
eyes
warned
her
that
she’d
never
get
through
her
lecture
without
falling
apart.
Her
fingers
turned
the
key
in
the
ignition
and
she
backed
from
the
parking
place.
“Let’s
go.
When
yours
gets
cool
enough
to
drink
without
burning
you,
give
Cari,
Lorna,
and
Ian
theirs.”