Here We Come (Aggie's Inheritance) (65 page)

“I
can’t
get
into
the
habit
of
using
you
to
bail
me
out
of
hard
days.”

“Is
that
what
your
mom
is
doing
when
she
needs
someone
to
take
her
to
the
doctor
or
to
do
something
that
she
physically
can’t
handle?
You
are
young,”
he
said,
his
hand
reaching
up
to
touch
her
cheek
with
a
gentleness
that
stole
her
breath.
“But
you
are
not
invincible.
Let
me
help.”

“You
may
regret
that.”

He
pressed
his
cheek
to
the
top
of
her
head,
holding
her
close
for
just
a
moment
longer.
“I
doubt
it.”

“Regrets
come
in
all
shapes
and
sizes—even
for
things
you
were
sure
you
wanted.”

Luke
winked.
“Is
that
a
hint?”

“It’s
a
fact.
I’m
glad
you
put
a
stop
to
it
with
Vannie.”

“I
am
too,”
he
agreed,
“but
I
think
God
knew
what
He
was
doing
when
He
gave
your
father
to
you.
Some
temptations
are
best
avoided.”

“Easy
for
you
to
say,”
she
muttered.

“That’s
what
you
think.”

Monday,
December
22

“Laird!
Get
back
in
here!”

The
boy
shuffled
in
and
picked
up
the
book.
“I’ll
put
it
away,”
he
grumbled.

“Um,
you
might
not
want
to
do
that
yet.”
Aggie
passed
him
his
“book
report”
with
a
huge
red
F
marked
across
the
single
sentence
on
the
page.

“What?
Why!”

“A
single
sentence,
Laird?
Really?
You
thought
I’d
let
you
get
away
with
a
single
sentence
for
an
entire
book
report?”

“You
told
me
it
had
to
be
a
report
about
what
I
liked
about
the
book.
That’s
what
it
is.”

Aggie
frowned.
“And
you
think,
‘
I
liked
the
book
Bad,
Bad
Beginning
because
it
was
short’
is
a
sufficient
book
report?”

He
started
to
argue—the
angst
and
frustration
written
on
his
face—and
then
he
shook
his
head.
“Ok,
how
many
words
or
pages
do
I
need?”

“Fill
the
pa
ge.”
He
made
it
to
the
door
before
she
added,
“In
normal
sized
handwriting.”

The
genuinely
confused
expression
on
his
face
made
her
want
to
kick
herself.
“Don’t
get
any
ideas,
boy.
Just
do
your
assignment.”

An
hour
l
ater,
the
finished
report
was
placed
in
front
of
her
and
her
red
pencil
offered
with
relish.
A
giggle
near
the
staircase
warned
Aggie
that
this
was
going
to
be
good.
She
flipped
over
the
paper
and
began
reading.

In
my
personal
opinion,
the
book
The
Bad,
Bad
Beginning
by
Lemony
Snickett
was
a
good
choice
for
this
book
report
.
The
size
of
the
book,
as
well
as
the
number
of
pages
and
words
,
make
it
optimal
for
a
person
like
me
to
choose
for
a
book
report.
Additionally,
the
frequent
use
of
illustrations
to
break
up
the
pages
also
contributes
to
the
things
I
like
about
this
book.