For Keeps (Aggie's Inheritance) (4 page)

Several seconds dragged as Aggie contemplated her words, staring at the paint roller in disgust. Her face fell, the corners of her eyes
filling with pain. S
he dropped the roller in the tray, took the paint-splattered Ian from Luke, gave him a forced smile, and carried the baby out of the room. Her wavering voice wrenched his heart further when it floated up the stairs seconds later,
“
…Fill Thou my life, O Lord my God…
”

Hesitant, Luke’s eyes flitted back and forth between the abandoned paint tray and the open doorway. He turned to follow Aggie and on the second floor, heard sniffles punctuating the next verse.
“
Praise in the common words I speak, life’s common looks, and tones. In fellowship in hearth and board with my beloved ones…
”
A hiccough set his resolve. Some things were more important than finishing a room.

Down in the kitchen, Aggie had already strapped Ian into the high chair, and with fistfuls of baby wipes, she scrubbed the paint from his hands, face, and leg. The bottom of both feet bore traces of dried-on paint, which she now scrubbed at ineffectually in an attemp
t to finish the clean
up in one try.
“
Laird, will you go get Ian some clean clothes?
”
she asked without looking his way.

Luke turned and went to retrieve the desired clothing. When he returned, he set them on the counter at Aggie’s right, and smiled.
“
Will these work?
”

“
Why didn’t Laird
--”

“
He didn’t hear you; I did. So, I got them.
”

“
Oh, sorry.
”
Aggie pulled the t-shirt over Ian’s head, ignoring his protests, and wiggled the shorts over his knees, hips and around the child’s waist, before setting him on the floor where she knew he’d be off in search for the kitten.
“
There. At least you’re clean again.
”
She grabbed the paint-splattered romper and carried it to the sink.
“
Thanks, Luke.
”

“
Aggie?
”

The weary young woman sighed.
“
Is something wrong?
”

“
I don’t know.
”
He leaned against the counters and tried to meet her eyes as she attempted to scrub the paint out of Ian’s outfit.
“
Is there?
”

She nearly slammed her head into his nose as she whipped her head around to meet his gaze.
“
What are you talking about?
”

“
You’ve got that look on your face, Mibs. I know that look.
”

“
What look?
”

Luke heard a squeal from the kitten and rescued it from Ian’s overeager hands, and then returned to answer the question.
“
That look that says, ‘I’m not qualified for this job, but come what may, I’m going to do it right if I die trying
--
even if it kills me.
”

“
If I died trying, wouldn’t that be evidence that it killed me?
”

“
You’d think.
”

“
Qualified or not, I have to get the paint out of this thing.
”

Luke took the wad of sodden fabric from her hands, opened the trash cupboard, and dumped it in the bag.
“
There.
”

“
Hey, I was
--”

“
Wasting your time.
”

“
It just seems so wasteful,
”
she admitted.

“
Will you put it on him if it’s stained?
”

“
No, but…
”

His laughter surprised her.
“
You’re dodging the subject! It actually worked. We were discussing your propensity to expect too much from yourself.
”

Before Aggie could respond, the twins came tearing through the kitchen in search of something, but Aggie sent them back to the door to walk.
“
Again.
”
Cari sent her a dirty look but retraced her steps outside for a third time. The defiance on the child’s face wasn’t lost on Aggie.
“
And again…
”

“
But
--”

“
And again…
”
With almost exaggerated nonchalance, Aggie shrugged at Luke, fighting to keep her expression curious, interested, even bored
--
anything but irritated or angry.

Scowling with every step, Cari stomped back and forth from the island to the screen door, until Luke was sure that Aggie would give in, but the young woman surprised him. She saved the DVD collection from Ian’s curious hands, wiped up the counter, found Tupperware for the baby to play with, and carried on a conversation about floor finishes, all while repeating
“
again
”
to Lorna and Cari.

After half a dozen trips, Lorna, who hadn’t shown a nasty attitude, was sent to play again, but Cari marched back and forth with a vehemence that would have terrified Aggie six months earlier.
“
You should just behave, Cari. I want to play.
”

“
I am behaving! I’m coming in and out just wike Aunt Aggie says. It’s not
faiw
!
”

“
I said to come in quietly. Your stomping isn’t quiet.
”

For a few seconds, it looked like Cari was cooperating. She opened the door with the sweetest expression that anyone had seen from the child. However, when Aggie sent her back for one last round, the child stomped to the back door, opened it, and slammed it shut. She then opened it again, quietly shut it, and walked sedately across the floor as if incapable of creating such a nasty display of temper as she’d just exhibited.

“
If you think that you will get away with any bad attitude at all, you’re mistaken. I did say you had to come in quietly. I did not say you had to leave quietly, it’s true, but,
”
Aggie’s voice grew very quiet and her tone was carefully measured.
“
You know that it is always against the rules to throw a tantrum, and that is what your stomping is. It’s a nasty temper tantrum.
”

It took half a dozen more trips that were quiet, but with a sullen face, before Cari relaxed her features and threw herself into Aggie’s arms.
“
I’s sowwy, Aunt Aggie. I’ll walk nice now.
”
Without being told, she turned and strolled to the back door, opened it, stepped through, closed it, and then reopened it with a genuinely contrite look on her face. At Aggie’s side, she asked,
“
Do I pwactice again?
”

Visibly sagging with relief, Aggie sent the girl to follow her sister and sank to one of the barstools that she kept near the island. She laid her head onto her arms, leaning onto the smooth cool countertop, and sobbed.
“
I can’t do this, Luke. I am such a failure. Everything I do is wrong. I
--”

“
Mibs
--”

“
Stop calling me that! I don’t even know what it means. I’ve got out of control children, a house tha
t is more than I can handle, no
where to hide, and that’s probably a good thing, because if I do hide, chaos erupts, and
--”

Tavish burst into the kitchen, oblivious to the pity party in full swing, and announced,
“
There’s a wasp’s nest out there! Can you believe it! I’ve got to get my book and see what kind they are!
”

Before Aggie could process Tavish’s alarming information, the boy was thundering up the stairs in search of his encyclopedia of insects. Luke started out the back door and down the steps. Just as his foot stepped onto the grass, he heard Aggie’s voice, cracked, wavering, and off-key, sing,
“
The Lord is in His holy temple. Let all the earth keep silence before Him
--”
The song ended abruptly with a sniffle and a hiccough.

One glance at the combination summerhouse-carport, and Luke saw that Tavish was correct. He shooed the children away, insisting that they play in the front yard until they’d eradicated the pests. How he was going to do it, he didn’t know. Whatever he did, it needed to be before Aggie’s nerves snapped.

~*~*~*~

By dinnertime, the nest was a bitter memory in Tavish’s budding-entomologist’s heart. As was a frequent custom in Aggie’s house, the children trooped into the kitchen, like clockwork, begging for a dinner that she hadn’t even considered yet. After a debate between
“
leftover buffet
”
and pizza, Aggie grabbed the phone. The moment the pizzeria answered, they placed her on hold, and Tina and Vannie entered the house bearing buckets of KFC.

Grateful for a break from pizza rescues, Aggie allowed Vannie to take the baby while she pulled out plates, loading each as swiftly as possible.
“
Luke, it looks like there’s plenty here. Why don’t you take a shower and join us? You left those jeans and t-shirt here the other day. They’re in the mudroom in the cabinet to the left of the dryer
--
top shelf.
”

She watched him hesitate and then nod. As she listened to the children fill Vannie in on the great wasp eradication, she relaxed for the first time all day. With all of her failures, she hadn’t managed to destroy the close and loving relationship that the children had with one another.

Dinner was always a noisy affair, and that night was no exception. By the time Luke rejoined them, the children were laughing at the dance he’d done with the bellows he’d used to try to smoke the wasps into a stupor.
“
And then he rushed to bomb the nest and tried to run away without being stung. He almost did it too,
”
Tavish raved.
“
He’s good with pests.
”

Cari’s little voice piped up importantly.
“
Of couwse he is! I heawd Aunt Aggie tell Aunt Tina that he’s vewy good wif me!
”