Ready or Not (Aggie's Inheritance) (77 page)

If she thought she would distract him, she was wrong. Luke, still leaning on the door jam, waited until she was halfway down the hallway and said,
“
Aggie, you look very nice. Then again, you always do.
”

She glanced back at him, but Luke didn
’
t move, and he didn
’
t say anything more. Unsure how to respond, Aggie settled for a simple thank you and hoped that he wouldn
’
t be offended by her lack of enthusiasm.
“
What
’
s gotten into him?
”
she muttered to herself, thinking she wouldn
’
t be overheard.

“
Can
’
t imagine.
”
This time, his voice was near her ear.

Aggie jumped. How did he move so quickly and quietly?
“
Well, I can
’
t either!
”

“
Can
’
t what, Aunt Aggie?
”
Kenzie looked up the stairs expectantly.

“
Can
’
t wait to try this cobbler. Blackberry is my favorite.
”
Aggie grinned at the little girl and accepted the plate Libby offered her.

Halfway through dessert, Libby spoke.
“
How selfish can I be? I
’
ve been struggling within myself since you shared your ideas for the porch.
”

“
Why? Do you have a different idea?
”
Aggie took another bite and tried to decide how to show Libby that she wouldn
’
t take offense at alternate suggestions.

“
No, I was thinking about my mother-in-law
’
s wicker furniture. It would look so lovely on your wide porch, but I was hesitant to offer it. It
’
s all been covered in sheets up in my attic for years, because I have no room for it all, whatsoever. If you
’
d like them, I
’
ll send them out with Luke tomorrow.
”

“
I can
’
t take your mother-in-law
’
s things! They belong in your family. Surely one of your daughters
--
”

“
Mom
’
s right. They
’
ve been up there since I was in high school. If any of the girls wanted them, they
’
d have asked by now.
”
He waved his hands at her objections and motioned for Laird to follow him.
“
I
’
m going to go get them now.
”

An hour later, Luke and Laird unloaded the loveliest wicker settee, chairs, and table that she
’
d ever seen. There was even a matching hammock chair to hang from the porch roof. Aggie had always wanted one of those hanging chairs. The weaving pattern looked ripped from the pages of Southern Living magazine, and Aggie gasped as Luke set them down in the curved section of the porch in exactly the places she
’
d hoped to put them.
“
They
’
re so beautiful! Are you sure you want to part with them?
”

Libby nodded.
“
I
’
m happy to see them loved by someone who appreciates them like Mama Sullivan did.
”

“
I just can
’
t imagine anything more per
--
”
Aggie
’
s words caught in her throat, as Luke pulled the cushions from behind the seat of his truck.
“
--
fect.
”
The cushions were hideous.

Before Aggie could find a way to ignore the atrocious print on the cushions, Libby shook her head in disgust.
“
Now, I know the cushions are horrible. I mean, I still can
’
t understand how Mama Sullivan tolerated something so vile. But, you can get some new ones on clearance this time of year.
”
Libby Sullivan
’
s eyes twinkled.
“
I considered raving about them to see what you
’
d do, but honestly, what can you say about them that isn
’
t awful? My daughter, Corinne, says that Grammie was into Shabby Chic, without the chic.
”

While discussing the merits of different fabrics and colors, Aggie noticed a familiar car pass her road and continue down the highway.
“
Oh, my, I think that was Tina. She missed the street. I think I
’
ll go down to the corner at the highway and flag her down.
”

When she reached the corner, Aggie saw her friend
’
s car returning. She waved to get Tina
’
s attention, and then laughed as her friend exclaimed,
“
Well, lookie me… I got myself a pretty little hitchhiker!
”

“
You came early!
”

“
Yeah, well, I found someone else to sub for me. I thought maybe I
’
d make it in time for lunch, but I had a flat and my spare was flat too.
”

“
I
’
ll reheat you a plate. Mrs. Sullivan brought the most amazing blackberry cobbler you
’
ve ever had in your life.
”
Aggie pointed to her driveway and then laughed when Tina said she
’
d been looking for Aggie
’
s Beetle convertible.
“
I haven
’
t had that for months.
”

“
Well, I kind of forgot about your new monster van. I took one look and kept going.
”

Libby appeared with a hot tray of food just as Aggie finished making the introductions.
“
And this is Luke
’
s mother, Libby Sullivan.
”

Sometime later, Ellene crossed the lawns through a gate Aggie hadn
’
t ever noticed. Aggie rose to greet her, and trying hard to keep distrust out of her face and voice, she introduced her to her guests. Flustered, her greeting came out all wrong.
“
Murphy! Welcome! You
’
ve come at a great time.
”

Ellene
’
s face was a picture of confusion, but Aggie continued with her introductions.
“
You
’
ve met Luke. This lady is Luke
’
s dear mother, and that is my friend Tina over there. She
’
s visiting me for a few weeks before classes start again.
”

The odd looks that Ellene sent her way made no sense to Aggie at first, but when Luke jumped up and said,
“
Here, Ellene, take my seat,
”
she turned red and excused herself. Luke followed close behind her. At the bottom step of the stairs, he caught her arm before she could go up to her room. With a sympathetic grin, he said,
“
Your thoughts will always catch up with you, Aggie. Just go out there and make a clean breast of it. If you mention losing Ian and the run in with the nurse over at the clinic, everyone will find it funny, and she won
’
t be upset.
”

She sighed and nodded. Luke was right. Again. Aggie forced herself to return to the porch and sat on the floor across from Ellene. Laird started to offer his chair, but she shook her head.
“
I
’
m fine here, Laird, but thank you.
”
She smiled up at Luke leaning against a post before turning to her newest guest.
“
Ellene, I owe you an apology. When you came over, the day we lost Ian, I was so upset about the baby and everything, that I wasn
’
t rational. When you were questioning William, my mind saw you dragging the children away, and it killed me to think of it when they
’
ve lost so much already. I took an instant dislike to you, and in my anger, I christened you Murphy.
”
Ellene just looked at her as if she
’
d grown two heads. Trying to clarify, Aggie added,
“
You know, Murphy
’
s Law?
‘
If anything can go wrong it will…
’”

Laughter erupted as the two women tried to build a bridge between them. Good-natured teasing flew back and forth between everyone until the walls that Aggie had started to build were demolished. They might never be dear friends, but Aggie no longer felt that Ellene was an enemy.

The evening passed pleasantly. Luke fired up the grill, while Aggie set up a croquet court on the lawn. William arrived, much to the delight of Ellene, the curiosity of Tina, and the amusement of Libby. The children sang silly songs, and Vannie recited a poem. Rodney and Ian fell asleep, side-by-side, on a blanket under the biggest oak tree, while the youngest twins cuddled on the couch.

Long after sundown, Luke and William cleaned up after the evening meal, while Mrs. Sullivan and Aggie put the children to bed. Tina and Ellene chatted while they washed the dishes and then sat back on the porch getting to know each other. Ellene learned a whole new side to Aggie through Tina
’
s eyes, and with a broader picture of the circumstances, the new neighbor developed a genuine admiration for the inexperienced aunt-turned-mother.

When everyone had gone, Aggie and Tina chatted. After an afternoon of observing Aggie in her new home, with her new friends and neighbors, Tina thought that she had a realistic picture of how things were in Brant
’
s Corners. She also realized that everyone in Aggie
’
s life was too close to the situation to see how things stood. She
’
d watched Ellene relate with Aggie, Luke, and William. She watched the foursome interact and knew that things would be getting interesting, and unfortunately, she also realized someone was bound to get hurt.