For Keeps (Aggie's Inheritance) (65 page)

“
You didn’t cut yourself on the glass, did you?
”
Lorna held out her hands for inspection, shaking her head as she did.
“
Good. It’s never a good thing to try to cover up your mistakes. It’s always better to confess to an adult in charge. Ok?
”

“
Yeth, Aunt Aggie. When I break something else, I’ll tell you before I move anything.
”

Although not comforted by the assurance that Lorna expected to break more items, Aggie couldn’t help but be charmed by the little lisp that always emerged when she was troubled. It never lasted long, but it did help Aggie differentiate between the girls at times. She sent the little one on her way, made her bed, and pulled fresh clothes from the closet.

Getting dressed hadn’t been so fun in years. Now that she was no longer forced to exist in stained, worn, dingy clothing, the variety alone was a treat. In addition, knowing that seeing her dressed nicely made Luke happy helped keep the interest in her appearance from getting lost in the shuffle of life as a home-school
“
mom.
”
She brushed her hair until it shone, left it down now that she had no worries about becoming a rogue paintbrush, and smiled at her reflection in the mirror. She’d never be the kind of beauty Tina was, but she looked nice.

On her way down the second floor hall to Vannie’s room to retrieve the broken frame, Aggie stepped on something that sent a sharp pain through her foot. She reached down to pick it up, carrying it with her on her errand. How she would later wish that she had tossed it in the bathroom wastebasket just a few feet from where she stepped on it.

Mibs says:
Libby? Are you there?

Libby says:
Hello, home-school aunt of the week!

Aggie says:
There, I changed my name. I think home-school flop of the week is more like it.

Libby says:
You’re too hard on yourself. My Luke says you’re doing a wonderful job.

Aggie says:
I think he’s a bit biased, but right now, I can take all the support I’m offered.

Libby says:
I understand you and he had quite the conversation the other night. My Luke saved it.

Aggie says:
Oh, I wish I had thought of that. It might be nice to read them again later. Especially if… well, you know.

Libby says:
I think that was his thought as well.

Aggie says:
I dinged him and asked for a copy, but it says he’s offline. At least now, he’ll get it when he’s on. It’s odd though, he’s always on at this time.

Libby says:
That’s because he’s here fixing my garbage disposal. One of Olivia’s girls dropped a quarter in it and now it’s all seized up.

Aggie says:
Well then, maybe I can ask him about the conversation when he’s done.

Aggie says:
Did he tell you what he did today?

Libby says:
Oh, tell me all about that!

Aggie says:
Well, I woke up to excited girls, a beautifully wrapped package, and an unusual bowl-vase of flowers from him.

Libby says:
Not to brag on my boy or to give away secrets, but I know my Luke went to a lot of trouble with those flowers. He called every florist and gardener we know to get just the right colors and species. Some were very difficult to find, and I think one of them is actually silk.

Aggie says:
I’ll bet it’s the mignonette. That’s probably why it didn’t look quite like the book.

Libby says:
You’re probably right. So how did he deliver them? He didn’t tell me, but it seemed like he had something up his sleeve.

Aggie says:
I don’t know. Let me run see if Vannie is still awake. BRB.

Libby says:
All right.

Aggie says:
Back. I think HE delivered them. Incognito.

Libby says:
Why do you say that?

Aggie says:
Vannie says that a man with a gray mustache and gray
hair, wearing a t-shirt that read,
“
ELSS DELIVERY SERVICE
”
on it. She said she remembers the letters because she wondered what an
“
elss
”
was. Those are his initials, right?

Libby says:
Oh, you’re right. That must have been him! He can be so clever about these things. He has a sense of humor that most people tend not to expect, but when he’s among friends, he loves his practical jokes.

Aggie says:
I’m learning that about him.

Libby says:
May I put on my over-protective mother hat?

Aggie says:
Of course!

Libby says:
I know you’re in a bit of an awkward position, and I don’t want to be insensitive to that, but I’m watching my son and am concerned for him.

Aggie says:
Concerned?

Aggie says:
Libby, you don’t approve?

Libby says:
Of course, I do! I love you and your family very dearly. I hope you know that.

Aggie says:
I do. I just wasn’t sure if that translated to you being ok with Luke and me as something more than we are now.

Aggie says:
That was an awkward sentence to write.

Libby says:
It was actually very well worded. No, I am concerned for my Luke because of how he’s reacting to this whole situation. He loves you
--
more than you know, I think. I’ve never seen him so happy and so sorrowful. He concerns himself so much with your feelings that I worry he’ll forget to guard his heart adequately.

Aggie says:
That’s perfectly understandable. Any mother would be concerned.

Libby says:
Please just remember he has put his heart on the line for you if you decide he isn’t the man for you.

Libby says:
Now, if that isn’t an awkwardly worded sentence!

Aggie says
: I understood it, though. Do you want me to let you in on a
“
secret?
”

Libby says:
Absolutely. If you really want to share, that is.

Aggie says
: I don’t see that happening
--
the deciding he’s not for me thing. I just don’t see it happening. He’s already endeared himself to me in so many ways.

Libby says:
I’d hoped I wasn’t wrong in what I saw in you.

Aggie says:
Well, I didn’t know it until that awful day when William messed things up. Since then, I’ve noticed that I’m not exactly immune.

Aggie says:
Is it silly that I refuse to give him less than my whole heart?

Libby says:
I think that’s wise. You wouldn’t want to wonder if you
“
settled
”
for him.

Aggie says:
Well, that and he only asked me to CONSIDER it. He never asked if any of it was his. He just assumed…

Libby says:
That is so like a man
--
that combination of over confidence and insecurity is too funny sometimes.

Libby says:
Now, what else happened around your household today? I miss being there with you all.

Aggie says:
Well first, the girls woke me up with the flowers, so we looked them all up in the book he sent to find the meanings of each flower.

Libby says:
All? Who all was there?

Aggie says:
Vannie and Kenzie who woke me up, and then Ellie followed them back in with the flowers, and Tina arrived about the time we started looking them up.

Libby says:
Oh my! That could be a bit… awkward.

Aggie says:
Oh, it was, let me tell you. If I’d been awake, I think I would have saved the research for when they were otherwise occupied, but I’m kind of glad I wasn’t. It’s probably good for them to see what
“
real
”
romance looks like. Thus far they only have a few memories of their parents and Hollywood for examples.

Libby says:
That’s very insightful of you. So, what did they think of the flower language?

Aggie says:
I have starry-eyed girls who are going to upset the very delicate testosterone levels of this house.

Aggie says:
Oh, and then Kenzie said the funniest thing.

Libby says:
And are you going to share?

Aggie says
: Sorry, I dashed to refill my lemonade. See, when I read the list of all those very personal things, my stomach did that flip-flop thing you read about in books or hear about in movies, and I mentioned it.

Libby says:
Uh, oh. I think no one warned you that anything you say
can and will be used against you by your children.

Aggie says
: LOL. Well, that’s about right. Kenzie piped up and asked if I wasn’t allergic to Luke. She strongly suggests allergy medicine.

Libby says:
Oh, now that is too precious. You need to put that in her scrapbook. May I show Luke?

Aggie says
: Sure. While you read, I’ll type out what happened with Lorna. Just tell me when to send it.

Libby says:
Excellent. BRB.

Libby says:
Ok, we’re ready for Lorna’s story. I should tell you, my Luke is sporting a lopsided grin. I think he is very pleased to hear you felt
“
funny
”
about him.

Aggie says:
Well, Lorna came to me after the whole flower thing and confessed that she broke something and hid it under Vannie’s bed so I wouldn’t find it. Can you imagine?

Aggie says:
I told the girls he would be pleased to hear that, but Kenzie didn’t believe me. Tell him not to get a big head.

Libby says:
I’m afraid he already has one.