Here We Come (Aggie's Inheritance) (58 page)

Discouraged,
he
turned
away
and
went
back
downstairs.
The
cleanup
progress
was
impressive
for
such
a
short
amount
of
time.
Sleigh
Ride
tinkled
from
his
phone
and
he
clicked
it
on.
“Mr.
Farley?
Hey,
thanks
for
calling
me
back.
Yeah,
I’ve
still
got
problems
with
the
water
heater.
Might
have
to
put
in
a
new
one.
Right.
I
don’t
know
if
I’ll
be
done
or
not.
I
feel
like
I’ve
wasted
your
time,
but
I
had
no
choice.
Yeah.
Thanks.”

After
pocketing
the
phone,
he
glanced
around
him.
“Are
there
dinner
plans
in
the
works
yet?”

Vannie
shrugged.
“I
don’t
know.
I
don’t
think
so.”

The
refrigerator
didn’t
seem
to
have
anything
thawing
in
it
and
the
counters
were
bare.
He
flipped
through
the
leftovers
on
the
shelves
and
decided
there
was
enough
for
a
smorgasbord.
Dinner
would
be
easy
even
if
the
resulting
dishes
drove
whomever
had
to
load
the
dishwasher
a
bit
nutty.

“How
about
schoolwork?
Who
got
theirs
done
today?”

No
hands
raised.
Ten
eyes
avoided
him
while
six
others
didn’t
bother
to
look.
One
finger
pointed
to
the
school
room.
“Go.
Don’t
come
out
until
you’re
done.
I’ll
take
the
baby.”
He
crooked
his
finger
at
Cari
and
Lorna.
“Come
with
me.”

“I
don’t
want
to!”

“I
didn’t
ask
if
you
wanted
to.
Let’s
go.”
He
waited
for
the
continued
protest.
It
usually
would
come,
but
for
some
inexplicable
reason,
Cari
grinned
and
said,
“Okay!”

“Hey,
Luke?”

“Hmm?”

“I
only
have
about
ten
minutes
worth
of
math
and
then
I
can
stop
for
the
day.
I
worked
ahead.”
Laird’s
eyes
looked
upward.
“If
you
wanted
to
go
upstairs…”

“Why
didn’t
you
say
that
earlier?”

“You
asked
who
got
theirs
done.
Mine
isn’t.”

With
a
tongue
full
of
bite
marks,
Luke
nodded
and
said,
“Ok,
just
get
it
done.
”

Lorna
piped
up
and
asked,
“Can
we
play
with
Play-doh?”

“Great
idea.
Why
don’t
you
get
it
out?”

Juggling
Ian
while
tearing
apart
salad
greens
was
not
as
easy
as
he’d
anticipated.
Relief
washed
over
him
when
Laird
arrived
to
take
over.
“Can
I
take
them
downstairs?”

“Sure.
I’m
going
to
get
some of these dishes
in
the
oven
and
then
go
talk
to
Aggie.”

By
the
time
he’d
gotten
the
salad
assembled
,
Play-doh
was
hardening
,
abandoned
on
the
counter.
Luke
impatiently
stuffed
the
lumps
into
the
little
plastic
containers
and
snapped
the
lids
on
tight.
A
glance
at
the
clock
told
him
it
had
been
a
good
half
hour.
Maybe
she’d
be
ready
to
talk
now.