Here We Come (Aggie's Inheritance) (11 page)

“I
love—”
she
began,
but
his
truck
was
already
pulling
away
from
the
house
.
She
pushed
it
all
the
way
shut
before
he
drove
off
with
it
open
.
“You
too.”

Quietly,
she
let
herself
back
into
the
house
and
kicked
off
Vannie’s too-small boots
by
the
door.
Dishes
rattled
in
the
kitchen,
telling
her
that
Laird
was
still
awake
and
hungry.
“Need
help?”

Startled,
Laird
dropped
his
plate
into
the
sink.
“Oy!
You
scared
me!”

“Sorry.
There’s
some
carrot
cake
left—not
enough
for
everyone
tomorrow.
”

“Thanks.
Do
we
have
any
soup
left?
I’m
freezing
.”

“Doesn’t
Luke
have
heat
over
there?”

“Yeah,”
Laird
explained,
“it’s
just
t
hat
once
you
get
wet,
it’s
so
cold
that
you
never
get
dry
and
then
you’re
cold
all
the
time.”

“Why
don’t
you
go
up
and
take
a
hot
shower
and
get
into
warm
clothes?
I’ll
fix
you
some
food.”

“Thanks,
Aunt
Aggie.”
His
feet
pounded
up
five
stairs
before
she
heard
him
turn
and
come
back
down
again.
“Hey,
Aunt
Aggie?”

“Yes?”

“Do
we
have
any
space
heaters?
Luke
could
use
one
to
help
dry
stuff
out
where
he’s
working.”

Aggie
dumped
the
soup
into
the
pan
and
turned
to
Laird,
broth
dripping
from
the
edge
of
the
now
empty
container.
“
He
doesn’t
have
the
furnace
going?
”

“He
does,
but
it’s
too
expensive
to
heat
that
big
house
just
for
working
in
one
room,
so
he
has
it
turned
down
low.”

“I’ll
get
him
a
heater.
I
can’t
believe
he
doesn’t
have
one.”

“He
does,
but
it’s
at
some
house
in
Marshfield
he
was
working
on
and
he
doesn’t
have
time
to
go
get
them.”

As
she
listened
to
Laird
return
upstairs
and
then
to
the
water
coming
on
in
the
bathroom,
Aggie’s
mind
whirled.
She
wiped
up
the
soup
from
the
floor,
pausing
to
marvel
that
she
thought
to
do
that
now
when
she’d
never
considered
such
a
thing
at
the
house
in
Rockland,
and
then
stirred
the
soup.
Cake
went
onto
a
plate
and
half
a
sandwich
did
too.
She
poured
milk
into
a
glass
and
placed
it
all
on
the
island.

When
Laird
entered
the
kitchen,
she
smiled
at
how
boyish
he
looked
when
just
minutes
before
he’d
seemed
old
for
his
age.
Aggie
grabbed
her
cell
phone
and
her
keys.
“I’m
going
to
go
grab
a
couple
of
heaters
from
the
basement
and
drive
them
over.
I’ve
got
my
phone.
Eat
and
go
to
bed.
If
you
need
anything,
call
me.”

He
waited
until
she
reached
the
door
before
Laird
called
to
her
again.
“Aunt
Aggie?”