Here We Come (Aggie's Inheritance) (197 page)

“No,
I’m
not
going
to
argue
with
you
in
public.”

Aggie
glowered
at
him.
“How
utterly
mature
of
you.”

He
didn’t
answer,
but
his
eyes
met
hers
and
the
pain
in
them
managed
to
prick
the
tiniest
hole
in
the
armor
she’d
donned.
It
might
have
caused
a
crack
that
would
eventually
break
if
he
had
not
added,
“And
what
is
the
safe
response
to
that?”

“Take
me
home.”

He
stared
at
her,
shocked.
“What?”

She
rose,
dumped
her
food
and
cup
into
the
nearby
garbage
can,
and
waited
by
her
chair
for
him
to
acknowledge
her
“request.”
“I
said,
take
me
home.”

“I’m
not
finished.”

Her
cell
phone
rang.
Glaring
at
Tina’s
name
flashing
on
the
screen,
she
answered
it
with
a
curt,
“Hello.”

“Still
in
line
there?”

“No.
Coming
home.”

“What’s
wrong?”

Aggie
forced
herself
not
to
sniffle.
“I
am
finished
for
the
day.”

“There’s
more
to
it.
Let
me
talk
to
Luke.”

“No.”

“Aggie,
I’m
serious.
Either
hand
the
phone
to
him
or
I’m
hanging
up
and
calling
him.”

Infused
with
a
new
level
of
fury,
Aggie
shoved
the
phone
at
Luke.
“Tina
wants
to
talk
to
you.
I’ll
be
in
the
truck.”

He
stood
and
followed
her,
dumping
his
trash
as
they
left
the
restaurant.
“She
is
angry
with
me,
yes.”

Listening
to
one
side
of
the
conversation
was
annoying.
What
was
Tina
saying?
Why
did
Luke
look
so
calm?
He
should
be
furious
that
she
made
him
miss
half
his
meal.

“I’m
not
sure.
I
think
I
don’t
understand
something.
She
wants
to
pick
a
fight,
but
I’m
not
going
to
play
that
game.”

“Really,
Luke?
Really?”
Aggie
was
on
a
roll.
“This
is
just
what
makes
me
furious
!
You
think
you’ve
got
the
corner
on
the
market
of
whatever
it
is
you’ve
got—the
only
word
I
can
think
of
is
supercilious
,
which
just
sounds
ridiculous.”

“Maybe
because
it
is.
”

Something
Tina
said
caught
his
attention.
He
listened,
eyes
on
her
,
but
his
mind
fully
engaged
in
whatever
he
heard.
“Ok,
I’ll
try.”
He
passed
the
phone
back
to
her
and
said,
“She
wants
you
again.”

“How
generous
of
her.”
Aggie
was
tempted
to
turn
it
off
and
deal
with
the
consequences
later,
but
she
knew
Tina
would
just
call
Luke’s
phone
and
he’d
be
on
her
side.
“What?”

“Stop
it.
You
are
behaving
like
Cari.
What’s
the
matter
with
you?”

“Of
course,”
she
began
as
she
unlocked
her
door
and
let
herself
into
the
truck.
For
just
a
moment,
Aggie
was
tempted
to
lock
the
doors
and
not
let
Luke
inside,
but
of
course,
that’d
just
prove
Tina’s
assertions
that
she
was
being
childish,
“this
is
all
my
fault.
I
am
stupid
and
unreasonable.”