Here We Come (Aggie's Inheritance) (192 page)

“And
we
get
to
go
earlier?
I’m
all
for
it.”
  She winked and nudged him.  “However, this isn’t reducing our gift list.”

For several minutes, they talked about the reception, Chad, Willow, and of course, Willow’s gift. Even after a dozen ideas were tossed into the pool, n
othing
seemed
right
for
Willow.
“Would
Chad
know?”

“If
we
ask
Chad,
he
knows
he’s
getting
something.
That’s
awkward,
but…”
Luke
seemed
lost
in
thought.
“That
does
give
me
an
idea.
Chad
made
her
that
dulcimer
for
Christmas.
I
wonder
if
we
could
find
a
stand
for
it.
”

Aggie
whipped
out
her
phone
and
began
searching
music
stores
and
calling.
“Ok,
there’s
one
two
blocks
off
Washington
on
Crescent.
He
says
they
have
a
variety.
Sounds
like
they
deal
in
folk
instruments.”

All
the
way
there,
she
scolded
herself
for
selfishness.
The
cost
of
paying
someone
for
watching
her
children
for
two
weeks
would
have
run
more
than
a
thousand
dollars.
This
was
no
different,
and
yet
it
fe
lt
different
somehow.
“How
expensive
are
stands?
I
should
have
asked.”
What
if
it
was
more?

“Shouldn’t
be
too
bad—under
a
hundred
I’m
sure.”

“I
don’t
suppose
there’d
be
enough
sheet
music
to
balance
the
costs…”

“Why
balance
them?
It’s
perfect
for
her.
That’s
all
that
matters.”

“Well,
that’d
be
at
least
a
hundred
fifty
dollar
disparity.
Don’t
you
think
we’d
want
to
find
a
way
to
bridge
that
a
bit
more?”

He
turned
onto
Crescent
a
little
while
later,
having
seemingly
ignored
her
question
and
said,
“I
guess
I
don’t
understand.
If
the
perfect
gift
for
Mom
was
a
five
dollar
potted
plant,
and
the
perfect
gift
for
Willow
was
a
five
hundred
dollar
cow,
why
wouldn’t
we
buy
the
perfect
one
for
each
one
without
worrying
about
what
we
spent?”

“And
you
don’t
think
in
that
case
your
mom
would
feel
a
bit—”
she
searched
for
the
right
word
and
then
settled.
“Disrespected
at
such
a
gross
discrepancy?
I
mean,
I
know
the
thought
is
what
counts
and
I
know
that
money
doesn’t
demonstrate
how
we
feel
about
someone,
but
I’d
be
afraid
of
it
looking
glaringly
preferential.”

“I
think
if
it
was
the
‘perfect’
gift
for
Mom,
she
wouldn’t
think
a
thing
of
it.
It’s
just
kind
of
what
we
do
in
our
family.
It
never
occurred
to
me
that
you’d
spend
more
just
because
you
did
on
someone
else.”

“Well,
I
wasn’t
thinking
of
adding
a
cash
difference,
but
sheet
music
or
gift
cards?”

“I
don’t
think
Willow
would
understand
that,
Mibs.
She’s
kind
of
different.
I
think
she’d
tell
you
straight
that
she
thought
you’d
gone
overboard.
There
is
a
quantity
idea
in
the
other
direction
too.
Would
Mom
maybe
feel
slighted
because
she
got
one
gift
and
Willow
got
several
?”