For Keeps (Aggie's Inheritance) (71 page)

“
And you came into the middle of a conversation without hearing the beginning,
”
Aggie corrected.
“
Tavish and Ellie have finished their work, so of course they have more free time.
”
She turned to the expectant twins.
“
I’ll correct this now, but why don’t you go wash some apples and use the slicer to cut them up for everyone?
”

All ideas of sharing work went out the window as Aggie corrected the papers. Tavish, just as Ellie predicted, made several simple and unnecessary math errors, while she missed none. Her answers to comprehension questions included possible motives and thoughts of the characters while Tavish’s answers were strictly focused on the facts that the story presented rather than the ideals. However, in science and history, Tavish’s work included details that made his answers interesting to read, while Ellie’s answers included only exactly what was required.

The work needed to have mistakes corrected, but she didn’t find any more errors than usual. She’d expected, at the least, to find dozens of sloppily written answers, but instead, it was clear they’d done the work, done it right, and well. It seemed as if two of her students might have hit a groove for their new educational program.

Laird’s voice reached her from the kitchen, and Aggie frowned. He needed to be finishing his work as instructed. She’d helped him find the answer to his history question, but he was supposed to go back to his room and finish the lesson before he came down for a snack. Just as she entered the dining room, Aggie froze.

“
But how? How can you get so much done. Come on, did you take the answer keys? What?
”

“
No. We just realized that avoiding the work was wasting a lot of time. If we got it over with, kind of like taking out the trash and wiping down the cupboards, we’d have more time for what we want to do.
”
Ellie always sounded so much more mature than her age.

“
But if we do that, she’ll never send us back to school. We’ll be stuck at home forever.
”

Tavish’s voice stunned her.
“
Good! Why would we want to go back if we can do the same stuff here in half the time? Who wants to sit on the bus for an hour, sit in school for several more, go back on the bus… This is better. I’m thinking about doing the rest of the week tomorrow. Then I don’t have to do anything until Monday.
”

“
You think she’ll let us?
”
Even Aggie could hear the gears grinding in Laird’s mind.

“
Sure. We’re supposed to do the work and learn the stuff. She keeps saying how it’s ok that we’re behind because all that matters is we learn it. Well, we’ll learn it
--
just faster!
”

The boy’s words sent her heart racing. What would she do if she couldn’t keep them occupied all day? The fact that she hadn’t had a problem with them remaining occupied a month earlier didn’t cross her mind until much later. Though tempted to march into the kitchen and inform her students that they would not get a day off if they worked ahead, Aggie returned to the library and dug through the home-school group’s co-op list. The six-week classes all started that coming Friday, and suddenly, Aggie’s prior decision to consider co-op classes for the next semester seemed like a very foolish idea. With a calendar in hand, she picked up the phone and called the coordinator. It was time to get serious about this schooling thing.

~*~*~*~

Tina stared as Aggie dumped container after container of leftovers into the garbage, muttering the whole time. After the third attempt to find out what the problem was, she turned, dug her cell phone from her pocket, and searched for Luke’s number in her phone list. Luke, sounding slightly panicked, answered on the second ring.
“
Is something wrong?
”

“
Hello to you too.
”

“
Sorry,
”
he sounded like it too.
“
I’m not used to seeing your name on my phone. I was sure someone was half-dead.
”

“
Well, Aggie’s gonna be unless you get over here and stop her.
”

“
What’s she doing?
”

“
Well,
”
Tina began, peeking around the corner before she hurried back toward her bedroom.
“
Right now, she’s throwing everything in the fridge away. I asked what the deal was, but she either can’t hear or is ignoring me. I think she needs an infusion of Luke mellowy goodness.
”

“
That sounds like the insides of a s’more. Ew.
”
His laughter assured her that Luke wasn’t offended.

“
Whatever it is, you calm her when she’s agitated, and man is she agitated!
”

“
I’m coming. Should I bring coffee?
”

“
Is that place open this late?
”
Tina glanced at her phone.
“
Don’t they close at like seven?
”

“
Usually, but I saw something about being open on Tuesday nights until nine for study groups. I think I can barely make it if I leave now.
”

“
Then what are you waiting for,
”
Tina shook her head at the phone as if it’d tell him something he needed to hear.
“
Get going. Get her a brownie too. Maybe this is PMS.
”

“
Oh, ugh. I forgot about that. I’ve been away from daily living with my sisters for too long. Brownies it is.
”

Luke snapped his phone shut and grabbed his keys. His note, abandoned at the table as he answered the phone, looked a little forlorn and unfinished, but he’d finish it some other time. Aggie was more important.
“
Ok, Lord. Here we go!
”

It took him longer than he expected to get the coffee in the packed little café. The brownies were hot out of the oven and couldn’t be wrapped or iced, but Luke wheedled three out of the barista anyway. With brownies stuffed in clear containers, he watched impatiently as she stacked them in a brown paper bag and added napkins for good measure. Once his arms were full of coffee and brownies, he tackled the task of extricating himself from the crowds of non-studious teenagers using the special opening as an excuse for an outing on a school night. After all, what parent would forbid a
“
study group
”
?

Driving with one hand steadying three very hot cups of coffee wasn’t as easy as with two, and trying to keep the brownies from sliding all over the seat nearly caused him to sideswipe a car. By the time he pulled into Aggie’s drive, Tina was on the steps with feet and hands tapping exaggerat
edly
. She jogged to his truck, and opened the door before he could turn off the engine.

“
Took you long enough! Do you hear that?
”

Aggie was singing
--
that much he could tell. He strained to hear the words but they were indiscernible.
“
She’s singing.
”

“
Take the cof
--”
She stared at the three cups in the holder he carried.
“
You got me one?
”

“
Well, sure! I wasn’t going to leave you out!
”

“
You have my permission to marry her.
”

Luke gave her a mock disgusted look.
“
Get her to agree with you and that’ll mean something to me.
”

Tina shoved him toward the door and demanded he resolve her friend’s angst fest.
“
I’m going to my room.
”
She grabbed her coffee and turned, but Luke tapped her shoulder.

“
Brownie?
”

“
Man, do me a favor.
”

“
What?
”

She winked as she took the plastic container from him.
“
Train my boyfriend whenever I get one.
”

“
I don’t think I could train a boyfriend. I don’t even know how to be one!
”
Luke opened the front door for her.

“
Could have fooled me.
”

Her words were lost on him. The moment Luke stepped into the house, he heard Aggie singing and frowned. It was after nine o’clock and she was in the kitchen singing about work?
“
What the…
”

“
Toiling on… toiling on… toiling on… toiling on… Let us hope and trust…
”

“
Aggie?
”

The frenzied young woman whirled at the sound of his voice, flin
ging a bowl full of unset Jell-O
across the kitchen. He watched as she closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and continued the chorus she’d been singing.
“
… and labor ‘til the Master comes.
”

It didn’t work. Despite her attempt to reign in her emotions, Aggie burst into frazzled tears. Somehow, Luke managed to find the self-control not to laugh as he set the coffee and brownies on the counter and attempted to circumvent the piles of
dishes and puddles of Jell-O
.
“
Mibs, come here.
”

Aggie didn’t seem to hear him. Instead, she sank to the floor, covered her face with her hands, and allowed herself to dissolve into unexplained hysterics. He paused, assessed the situation, and then pulled Aggie up from the floor, leading her through the mess and out the back door. At the porch swing, he pulled her down next to her and held her, letting her cry out her frustrations without trying to staunch the flow of tears.

When her sniffles became pronounced, he untangled himself, hurried into the kitchen, and grabbed a handful of napkins from the basket on the island. Aggie, blowing her nose and trying hard to regain some self-control, murmured apologies, but Luke resumed his position of chief Aggie comforter and again pulled her into his arms.
“
It’s ok, Mibs. Just let it out.
”

“
I feel so st
upid. Crying over spilled Jell-O
. How idiotic can you get?
”
She struggled to get up, but Luke refused to budge.