Ready or Not (Aggie's Inheritance) (59 page)

“
Of course, you
’
re forgiven. It
’
s over. Let
’
s just pretend tonight didn
’
t happen, ok?
”
She prayed he
’
d agree readily.

William smiled for the first time all evening.
“
Definitely. We could retry the dinner too. This time I promise not to forget to make reservations.
”
William
’
s invitation was almost an order, but Aggie was beginning to understand how to read him better and realized how difficult it was for him to offer. He
’
d just made himself vulnerable when he had riled her so thoroughly and recently. Aggie didn
’
t know how to respond. In the short time that they
’
d spent together, Aggie realized that she wasn
’
t ready to consider a dating relationship. Maybe she wouldn
’
t ever; she wasn
’
t sure. Aggie just knew that at this point in her life, she wasn
’
t ready.

“
William, I appreciate the invitation, honestly. This has nothing to do with this evening or anything, but, well
--
I just don
’
t think I am ready to date or anything like that. I don
’
t have time to focus on anything but learning to be a mom right now.
”
Aggie paused and took a deep breath.
“
I
’
d love to have you visit. Watch an old movie with us; help us paint a wall…
”
She winked and then hurried on before he could interject anything.
“
I would rather we became better friends, without the trappings of the whole going out thing. If something did happen to develop, then fine, but I
’
d like to become better friends first.
”
Aggie prayed her words weren
’
t offensive as the seconds ticked into minutes.

Thankfully, William seemed relieved. He smiled and released a very deep sigh.
“
Aggie, that
’
s the best idea I
’
ve heard in days. I
’
d love to spend time with you and the children.
”
He pulled into the driveway and parked in front of the porch.

Aggie smiled, but before she could speak, William asked wearily,
“
Is Sullivan
always
here? I think I
’
d rather make one new friend at a time.
”

Aggie laughed as she climbed out of the vehicle. Leaning back inside through the window, she winked at him again and said,
“
Luke leaves by six and usually isn
’
t here on Sundays. He mentioned being gone for a week or two soon too.
”
With that, she waved and skipped up the porch steps and into the house.

William watched her go inside and realized, despite her words, Aggie was upset. Putting the car in gear, William drove away as he mentally kicked himself into unconsciousness. He had taken an evening that could have been a wonderful time to get to know an unusual young woman and turned it into a sulk-fest. He thought of Marcus Vaughn
’
s words on Sunday about intimate relationships with the Lord and turned his car around. He
’
d go have a talk with Marcus. It was time to start tearing down the walls he
’
d erected in his life.

* * *

Luke turned off the movie and started shooing children to bed, with orders for pajamas and clean teeth. Zeke, still seated on the couch, was deep in thought and absently playing with Ian. Luke scooped up the little tyke and smiled ruefully at his uncle.
“
Uncle Zeke, are you seeing what I see every day?
”

Zeke nodded.
“
These children haven
’
t grieved right. They are wound up tighter than an over-tuned fiddle. Any time now, one of them is gonna snap, and then there
’
s gonna be trouble, son.
”
The old man looked thoughtful.
“
For now, I think it
’
s time that Aggie deals with her own grief. She had to jump in here so fast…
”
He rubbed his chin in the familiar manner that he had when he was thinking.
“
It
’
s mighty strange, Luke. Children usually don
’
t know how to stuff it down like this. I
’
ve never seen anything like it.
”

“
I think their grandmother and her sense of propriety has something to do with it. I overheard Aggie talking to someone on the phone one day about how the first thing she heard when she arrived at the house for the funeral was the grandmother admonishing the children to be strong and brave and not give way to tears.
”

“
I wonder why her parents don
’
t help more. Why is she doing this all alone?
”

Luke was hesitant to share private news. He knew why Aggie
’
s parents had been in the background, and he also knew how hard it was on them. While Zeke waited for one of his characteristic silences to end, Luke wrestled with the delicate balance of helping Aggie and revealing what might be considered a confidence. At last, he spoke.
“
Well, Uncle Zeke, this I know. It isn
’
t that they aren
’
t willing to help. They didn
’
t just abandon her and drive off into the sunset.
”
Satisfied with his answer, he stood, grabbed the tote of dirty dishes, and carried them into the bathroom.

Scrubbing the dishes in that tub nearly killed Luke
’
s back. When he thought of Aggie trying to clean dishes that way, he realized things had to change. The last thing that she needed was a regular chiropractic appointment, because she didn
’
t have a sink for washing dishes. With dripping hands, he pulled out his notebook and made a note to install a laundry sink the next day. Meanwhile, he worked as quickly as possible to finish the job and stretch his kinked muscles.

Luke wondered for what seemed an infinite number of times, how Aggie managed to keep a cheerful attitude with the overwhelming amount of work allotted to her. Was she just in denial? Did the hymns she sang repeatedly, and at the oddest times of day or night, really give her strength for the next trial?
“
Perhaps,
”
he thought to himself,
“
she has a faith that I need to learn, rather than sit here and doubt her.
”

The screen door seemed to shut with a very decisive
“
whap.
”
Luke peered around the corner of the dining room-turned-kitchen and saw Aggie listlessly walking across the room. Drying his hands on a nearby towel, Luke crossed the room and put his hand on her shoulder.
“
Did you have a nice time?
”

Aggie sighed and then put on what she thought was a bright smile and said,
“
Well, that diner has a lot of local flavor, doesn
’
t it?
”
Her chuckle was nervous, her smile wooden. Luke didn
’
t have to be the perceptive person he was to realize something had gone terribly wrong.

Luke
’
s voice showed concern and a hint of firmness when he finally spoke.
“
Aggie, your demeanor doesn
’
t quite mesh with your words.
”

Aggie tried to be flippant. She really wasn
’
t in the mood to talk about anything and was still mortified that she
’
d gone on a double-blind-but-know-the-guy, date.
“
Demeanor… My, we
’
re quite the thesaurus tonight, aren
’
t we? Got any other
‘
fifty dollar words
’
in your hip pocket?
”
Her joke was flat, and she knew it.

Luke led Aggie to the bench on the front porch where she received the detestable invitation in the first place. Grimacing at the irony of it, she sat down for what she knew would be a very painful talk. She half-listened as Luke attempted to drag what she considered a sordid tale from her. Leaves rustled in the evening breeze as the crickets chirped, and the lightning bugs danced across the lawn. Her heart just wanted to escape into their world for a time and forget the last couple of hours.

“
Aggie.
”
A sharper edge to Luke
’
s voice broke her reverie. Aggie turned to him, emotionally and physically drained.
“
What happened? I can see that you didn
’
t have a nice time. You are still upset and hurt by something.
”
The silence was deafening to her, as Aggie waited for Luke to continue.
“
I think you
’
d feel better if you talked it out.
”

Aggie was thoughtful for a while and finally decided that Luke was right. She
would
feel better if she could say what she really thought. What would Luke think of her? Aggie shrugged off that thought. Who cared what anyone thought, and how much more humiliated could she be?
“
Well, I
’
ll swallow my pride and tell you. William didn
’
t invite me to dinner tonight. It was my first so-called date, and it was unequivocally a total wash. We spent the whole time in silence. Irritated. It was ridiculous.
”

Aggie gave a tentative glance in Luke
’
s direction. She wasn
’
t sure how to continue or even if she should. His face was a study in contrasting emotions. Relief, confusion, and anger flickered over his features. Aggie watched his brow furrow and his eyes harden, and yet she realized that she had never noticed how much compassion shone in Luke
’
s brown eyes. Should she burden him with her problems? Well, if he didn
’
t want to know about them, he shouldn
’
t have asked. Shrugging off the questions that grew rapidly in her mind, Aggie plunged on.