Here We Come (Aggie's Inheritance) (107 page)

Mel
and
Cassie
nodded.
“Stay
out
of
her
way
if
Corinne
is
riled
over
someone
mistreating
her
Luke.”

“Girls,
you’ll
convince
Aggie
that
I
raised
a
pack
of
half-crazed
hyenas!”

“
But
Mom,
you
did!”
Cassie
said,
pulling
Aggie
to
a
spot
next
to
her
at
the
table.
“I’ll
sit
here
and
you
sit
there
by
M
om’s
chair.
That’ll
keep
you
a
little
insulated
from
the
rest.”

The
banter
would
have
been
amusing
had
Aggie
known
anyone
and
had
she
not
been
quite
so
nervous.
Luke
had
been
excited
about
the
lunch
for
days,
but
her
initial
excitement
had
slowly
given
way
to
nervousness.
Now
she
found
herself
tongue-tied
and
eager
to
go
home.

“What
is
your
favorite
thing
about
Luke?”

Aggie’s
throat
went
dry.
What
kinds
of
questions
were
these?
Was
she
there
to
get
to
know
the
sisters
or
to
be
inducted
into
the
Sullivan
Sorority
,
complete
with
hazing
and
rush
week?
“I
think,”
she
began,
unsure
how
she’d
finish,
“it
would
be
impossible
to
narrow
him
down
to
ten
favorite
things
much
less
one.”

“Corinne,
really.
Aggie
isn’t
accustomed
to
your
sense
of
humor.
If
I
didn’t
know
you,
I’d
think
you
were
trying
to
make
her
feel
unwelcome.”

There
was
an
edge
to
Libby’s
tone
that
Aggie
recognized.
She’d
heard
it
when
Luke’s
mother
admonished
him
or
one
of
the
children.
It
meant
that
they’d
gone
too
far.
Corinne
turned
to
Aggie,
an
apology
on
her
lips,
but
it
seemed
to
Aggie
that it
didn’t
meet
her
eyes.
“I’m
sorry.
I
forget
that
you
don’t
know
as
much
about
us
as
we
know
about
you.
Mom
talks
about
you
all
the
time
and
even
Luke
does,
but
I
bet
he
doesn’t
say
much
about
us.”

It
seemed
necessary
to
put
herself
out
there,
so
Aggie
shook
her
head.
“Actually,
he
does
speak
of
you
all—often.
Melanie
who
married
her
Ryan
without
benefit
of
the
whole
dating
scene.
He’s
very
proud
of
that.
I
like
that
he
recognizes
that it was
best
for
you
without
seeming
to
condemn
anyone
else
for
a
different
decision.
She
also
transplanted
garden
plants
that
Cassie
started
in
pots.
”

She
turned
to
Olivia.
“I
learned
that
you
were
named
for
your
mother
and
that
Libby’s
name
wasn’t
Elizabeth
because
of
you.
You
have
two
daughters
and
you
weren’t
mentioned
in
the
grand
gardening
scheme,
so
I
think
perhaps
you
didn’t
like
to
get
dirty.”

“She
got
that
right,”
Corinne
snickered.

“Well,
considering
you
were
the
great
planner,
it
doesn’t
sound
like
you
cared
much
for
the
grunt
work
either.
You
have
a
son
Rodney
who
is
the
dearest
little
boy
,
and
you
or
your
mother
taught
him
to
sign
songs
during
church—I
imagine
to
keep
him
occupied.
I
think
you
have
another
boy
and
a
girl,
but
I
might
have
that
mixed
with
someone
else.
”