Here We Come (Aggie's Inheritance)

by Chautona Havig

  Once they turned off the loop and onto the highway that led to Fairbury, one last question twisted Aggie’s heart. “Is Tavish with Grandfather yet?”

  “With Mr. Stuart? No, he’s at home, worried about you.”

  “Why? He’s supposed to come with Josh to Grandfather’s today.”

  Aggie says: Did you make it home ok?

  Milliken says: Twenty minutes ago. Mom is sleeping already.

  Aggie says: Was it too much for her? Such a long trip for nothing.

  Milliken says: I wouldn’t say nothing.

  Aggie says: You know what I mean. Anyway, thanks for coming. I

  wish I’d have known we’d find her.

  Milliken says: I think by that point, we needed to see that she was ok ourselves. Does Ellie understand yet what happened?

  Aggie says: She thinks it was a mix up in communication. She prayed tonight that Grandmother Stuart wouldn’t have the same memory problems as Grandfather Stuart.

  Milliken says: Ellie thinks Geraldine forgot to get the permission she said she got?

  Aggie says: Something like that. They’re still looking for Josh. Apparently Geraldine refuses to give any information about him.

  Milliken says: Well, the police will take care of it.

  Aggie says: I suppose. Anyway, I am tired and I know you are. I’ll talk to you tomorrow. I think I’ll finally get real sleep tonight.

  Milliken says: Night, Aggie. We love you. Have fun planning wedding stuff tomorrow instead of child retrieval strategies.

  Aggie says: I have to go get a cashier’s check and take it to a sales associate at Willis & Foster.

  Milliken says: Now that will feel good.

  Aggie says: It sure will. I almost asked William to do it for me, but I think Ellie will feel most normal if I don’t hover. I want to hover.

  Milliken says: Will you try to explain what really happened?”

  Aggie says: I don’t think so. It seems like it’s best just to continue with life. She isn’t really bothered by the experience; she thought it was all pre-arranged, and insisting she understand the reality at this point isn’t going to help anything.

  Milliken says: I think that’s probably wise. She’ll figure it out soon

  enough if it comes up.

  Milliken says: I’m tired. I think I’ll take your advice and go to bed.

  Aggie says: Night, Dad. Love you. 

  Milliken says: Night girl-o-mine.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Can’t Catch a Break

  Monday, January 26th

  “She is not evil! She’s our grandmother! What is your problem?”

  “She kidnapped you. That’s the problem. You act like it’s a normal thing for some strange man to pretend to be someone you know and take you away like that. I was scared, Ellie! Why didn’t you come in and at least say something like, ‘Luke is going to take me to see Grandmother?’ At least that way, I could have stopped it.”

  “But I wouldn’t want you to stop it. Don’t you want to see Grandfather before he dies too?”

  “She wasn’t going to take you there, Ellie. Don’t you see? It was just a lie to get you to come with her without fussing.” Vannie’s disgust showed in every piercing word.

  “She was too! I even saw the letter that Aunt Aggie sent saying it was ok and the letter from Grandfather saying that he wanted to see each of his grandchildren before he died.”

  The argument raged as the two girls played with the dogs, throwing sticks across the yard. In the house, oblivious to the war outside, Aggie assembled enchiladas, humming and singing occasionally as she worked. “…of the soul, blessed kingdom of light. Free, from all care, and where fall…mmmmm.”

  “It’s good to be home where Aggie sings and hymns fill the house.”

  Nothing thrilled Aggie more than to feel as though life was normal again. She smiled at Tina as she spooned another bit of enchilada sauce over the next one. “It’s just amazing how a couple of weeks ago I felt like a big failure and today I feel like I can conquer the world.”

  “How about conquering a wedding instead?”

  “What’s next?”

  “Reception. Oh, and your dad informed me that they’re paying for at least the reception hall and the caterer. Apparently they’ve been saving for it for years.”

  “Yeah… I forgot about that, but they have.”

  Luke burst into the house, stomping snow off his feet and shaking his jacket out over the laundry sink. The two women listened to every movement and knew, even without seeing, when he started down the hall for the kitchen. “Have I got good news all around!”

  “Have you?”

  “Yes! Thank you for asking, Tina. First, the house is officially in escrow and it’s going to be a short one. I’ll be putting a couple of offers in this week. It’s a cash offer, so no waiting on financing etc.”

  “That’s cool,” Aggie said while hiding a smile.

  “Sure is. I’m going to love it.”

  “And second—wait, what?” He stared at Tina, confused.

  “The house. I’m going to love it. Can I start putting things in now?”

  “You—” He stared at Aggie for some kind of confirmation, “She—”

  “Bought the house. Yes.”

  “You knew this?” Luke seemed stuck in stunned mode and incapable of moving forward.

  “I found out the day I bought my dress. Tina told me then.”

  “Why didn’t you tell me you wanted it? I could have given you a good deal and still made a nice profit.”

  “You did. You gave me the deal you really wanted and I was perfectly happy with it,” Tina assured him. This way I can tell my father about the twelve thousand you knocked off the price and that I did it without you knowing it was me. He’ll be tickled pink that I got one over on you—in his mind anyway—and it’ll give him something to brag about. I consider it essential to his recovery.”

  After several long moments of his head swinging back and forth in search of something from the girls, Luke shook his head and asked, ”Is this what it’s going to be like?”

  “What?”

  “Marriage to Aggie. Never knowing what you two will come up with next?”

  Tina laughed while patting his arm on her way out to check on the children. “As long as I’m her friend, pretty much.”

  “Wait, don’t go. The other thing—I figured out a reception hall. Close, inexpensive, gorgeous, and perfect.”

  “Where’s that?”

  “That private school that meets in the old schoolhouse. That whole place has been completely restored. It’s amazing in there—just beautiful. There’s also that huge deck outside so the kids would have a place to go out without getting all dirty if it’s muddy that day.”

  “Is it available?”

  Luke flicked Tina’s phone across the island toward her. “Only one way to find out, coordinator lady.”

  Excited, Tina snatched up her phone and hurried to grab her coat. Aggie went back to rolling enchiladas, her mind already decorating her mental image of the schoolhouse. “Is it painted wood inside or stained?”

  “What?”

  “The schoolhouse.”

  “I think it’s all wood. The walls are painted though. It’s very bright and airy.”

  “It has those really nice windows, doesn’t it? I wonder if they would let us take down the curtains and put up tulle…”

  “Tulle?”

  “Well, I don’t know it, of course, but I’m picturing the curtains in there to be pretty old-fashioned—kind of like ruffled country things.”

  “True. Hmm…”

  “Can you text Tina and ask her to ask about it—never mind. We can do that when we go look.”

  “From the way she’s dancing like a crazy woman, I think that’s going to be right about now.”

  ~*~*~*~

  The room was large—surprisingly immense. The director of the school showed them where the original teacher’s quarters had once been behind
a wall. “When we renovated, we tore that wall out. It wasn’t even a full wall to the ceiling. They’d just built it like a permanent screen. So, we didn’t think it was too inauthentic.”

  “What’s the maximum capacity?” It was perfect in Aggie’s mind.

  “A hundred forty-eight with tables. More just sitting in rows. They built with an eye to the future. It was one of the later schoolhouses. It was technically one room designed for expansion when the area grew, but it didn’t. Brunswick grew instead.”

  “What decorating leeway would we have?” As she spoke, Aggie’s eyes traveled to the curtains and then back to Tina.

  “Nothing permanent or disfiguring, but as long as everything is back in place and undamaged by Monday…” The woman glanced around her. “What did you have in mind?”

  It sounded lovely, but Aggie wanted the curtains changed—or at least removed. Tina stepped in. “Curtains. Can we remove them? We’d envisioned hanging tulle instead, but we’d be fine if we could just remove them.”

  “That shouldn’t be a problem. They are just pocket rod style. Go ahead. Anything else?”

  While Aggie tried to imagine where the cake would go and what kind of table set up she’d have, Tina discussed particulars. “Let Luke know that I’m on my way,” she called as plans were finalized. “If he likes it, you guys can sign the contract.”

  Ten minutes later, the contract was signed and Aggie and Luke stood in front, grinning. “I feel like celebrating.”

  He slid open his phone and typed out a text for Tina. WE NEED A COUPLE OF HOURS. MIND STAYING ON DUTY A LITTLE WHILE LONGER? “There. How’s that?”

  Aggie peeked at it and grinned. “Send it.”

  In less than fifteen seconds, a message came back. DON’T COME HOME BEFORE TEN. PRETEND YOU’RE TEENAGERS AND BE LATE FOR CURFEW. DARE YA.

  “Where do you want to go?”

  “Show me your new houses and then feed me.”

  “We can’t go in, but we can try to take a peek through the windows. I’ve got a flashlight in the truck.”

  The first house was brick and beautiful externally, but the interior was lost in the mid-seventies and half-demolished. “What happened in there?”

  “People started demo-reno but obviously didn’t have the skills to go any farther.”

  “They just knocked out part of the drywall? Why?”

  Luke showed the top of the wall near the ceiling. “They were looking to see if it’s load bearing. My guess is they thought it was and quit there. It’s not. That wall is coming down.” He led her around the corner, dodging a half-dead shrub, to the next bedroom. “This is a four bedroom, but it’s going to become three with a large master and a master bath.”

  “How do you see this stuff? To me it looks like a scary nightmare. That carpeting looks like it was vomited there by leftovers from the reject vault.”

  “Let’s go see the other one. It’s just a few streets over.”

  The next house was almost the antithesis of the last. The outside looked horrible. Peeling paint, no landscaping at all, and a sagging roof made her nervous to get close, but peering into the old Victorian styled home made her excited. “Wow. Look at that dining room. Are those pocket doors?”

  “The inside is almost perfect. There’ll be a bit of interior stuff upstairs when I rip off the roof, but—”

  “Rip off the roof? The whole thing?”

  “Yep. I’m taking it down to the rafters and maybe replacing those.”

  “Wow.”

  “Laird is excited about it. He’s convinced that we’ll find some kind of historical something in the attic and the house will be worth millions.”

  “For a laid back kid,” Aggie said as they walked back to the car, “he sure has an imagination on him.”

  “Not to change the subject—”

  “Yeah, I’m hungry too.”

  “Where do you want to eat?”

  “Surprise me.”

  ~*~*~*~

  Their table at Marcello’s in Fairbury overlooked the ice rink—something that added to a romantic ambiance neither was accustomed to and therefore resisted. Aggie half-choked on her salad, tears flooding her eyes. Luke’s hand reached across their little table and covered hers. “You ok?”

  “Not really, no.”

  “Feels awkward, doesn’t it?”

  “If I told you…”

  Luke squeezed her hand. “Tell me.”

  “I feel like I’m out with William again. It feels all fake and horrible.”

  There were worse things she could have said, of course, but he couldn’t imagine not preferring even something worse to any reference to her date with the deputy. Luke swallowed hard and thought quickly. If only his lips followed the speed of his brain, awkward moments like this might be a much rarer occurrence. “Close your eyes and tell me what is fake about it?”

  “Candles,” she said instantly. “We don’t use candles at home. If Ian didn’t knock them over and burn the house down, Cari or Lorna would.”

  “If you could, would you like candles at home sometimes? Maybe on the coffee table or even on the mantel?”

  “The mantel would be pretty. They’d be nice on the coffee table after the kids go to bed and we have dessert alone.”

  Alone sounded good. Luke could feel eyes on them and knew that someone, if not many someones, had realized everything at the table by the window wasn’t peachy. “You could also have them in your room. The mantel in there would be pretty with candlelight on it.”

  “I don’t think I’m used to candles, but I like them.”

  “Let’s go get some on the way home.”

  She stared at him as if he’d lost his mind. “Are you kidding?”

  “No. This feels fake because it’s unfamiliar rather than unreal. Let’s make it familiar and then we’ll enjoy ourselves next time.”

  “Ok…”

  “What else?”

  Though she appeared uncomfortable, Aggie seemed to try to enter into the spirit of his exercise. “The music. We never have music playing in the house.”

  “That’s because we have you.”

  She flushed. “I’m not exactly Wagner.”

  “Is that what this is?”

  She shook her head. “No, I think this is Glenn Miller.”

  “Doesn’t sound like Miller.” This felt better. She seemed relaxed now and nothing seemed forced.

  Aggie swallowed and took a sip of water. “No, I mean he wrote it. “Moonlight Serenade.” Dad loves this song. It’s just a different arrangement.”

  “It’s pretty.” He skewered a shrimp with his fork and as he chewed, tried to think of what to do to regain that brief moment of normalcy. “Look, someone’s skating.”

  “She’s good.”

  By the time the skater warmed up and began jumping and spinning, Aggie was visibly excited. “You know, we should bring the kids. They’d love this.”

  “Saturday?”

  “No, I think sometime before Friday night—while everyone is in school. It’ll be P.E. and we’ll have most of it to ourselves, I bet.”

  “I can come Wednesday if you go then.”

  A grin showed a piece of lettuce stuck to one tooth, but Luke said nothing when he heard her say, “Then we’ll have to come Wednesday.”

  The awkwardness was back almost instantly, but this time, Luke knew the source. “I know what’s wrong.”

  “You do? Enlighten me. I’m lost.”

  “We’re trying to avoid talking about the kids.”

  “We are?” She shook her head. “No, we just decided to bring them skating on Wednesday.”

  “Yes, and the minute that was decided, we both clammed up as if we felt guilty.”

  Her protest died on her lips before the second syllable escaped. “You’re right. That seems weird.”

  “We’re acting like we are on a ‘get to know you’ date rather than an engaged couple who are out to enjoy a nice quiet meal.”

  “So when you’re out with you
r fiancée, it’s ok to plan a party for your twins—a party that will have to happen within days of returning from your honeymoon?”

  Luke speared another shrimp and passed it across the table. “Taste it, and yes it is. What were you thinking?”

  “I don’t know anymore. Right now I’m too busy enjoying just being here.”

  Wednesday, January 28th

  The ice looked like a safety advertisement. Nine bodies were decked out in helmets, elbow pads, and kneepads. Luke alone risked life and limb without protective head and joint gear. The girls wore snow pants under their skirts and looked positively ridiculous in Aggie’s opinion, but they all insisted. She, on the other hand, wore two layers of thermals covered by her thickest knit tights under her warmest skirt. “I should have considered all ramifications of my decision to stick to skirts for the girls’ sake,” she complained as the third down on the ice managed to ensure her backside was officially frozen.”

  Luke helped her up again and waited for her to steady herself before taking her hand and leading her around the rink. “I think it was a wise thing to do.”

  Aggie pointed to the walkers the twins and Kenzie were using to help steady them as they skittered across the ice like a dog on a slippery floor. “That was a wise thing to do. Brilliant.”

  “Mom suggested I stop at the thrift store and they had exactly three.”

  Tina whizzed by with Ian in the stroller. “Now that’s what I like to see!”

  “What?”

  “You two acting like two people in love!” she screamed. The children tittered.

  “We obviously are much too staid for her tastes.”

  A wicked gleam filled his eye, making her laugh. “You know how to look absolutely diabolical which, considering I know you’re probably thinking of something like calling William to come get her mind on her own romance, is pretty funny.”

  “Oh, that’s a good idea! Think I should?”

  “I think if he wasn’t working, he’d be here. I have no doubt she already asked him.”