Ready or Not (Aggie's Inheritance) (48 page)

“
Um, Lord? Just want to put quick thanks in for prompting me to get the dishes done before I relaxed. I
’
d be needing some stitches right about now…
”
A new thought crossed her mind.
“
Then again, I might still be collapsed on the couch and would only have one glass mess to clean up. Couldn
’
t you have let me be lazy this morning?
”

The immense pile of washed dishes was only overshadowed by the even more enormous pile of unwashed ones. Aggie shrugged and grabbed the broom.
“
Ok, point taken.
”

“
Talking to yourself again, Aunt Aggie?
”
Laird looked suitably penitent but tried to lighten the mood with a joke. It fell flat.

“
Well, actually, I was asking the Lord how to deal with a kid who broke about thirteen rules in the space of about as many seconds.
”

With an expression that would one day melt the hearts of women, Laird shrugged.
“
Mom would have made me pay for the window. Does that help?
”

“
Well, somewhat. There
’
s just one problem.
”

“
What?
”
He no longer looked charming and irresistible. Now Laird looked positively nervous.

“
You don
’
t have any money. I haven
’
t even started to consider allowances and things.
”

“
Oh! Is that all? We have lots of money
--
in our bank accounts anyway. You could do an online transfer. That
’
s what Mom always did.
”

Aggie passed Laird the broom and pointed to the plate fragments.
“
Clean that up. I need to sit.
”

“
But, Aunt Aggie, I didn
’
t break the plate
--
”

“
By proxy, you did. Clean it up. I
’
ll be back.
”

One day, Aggie would look back at her next move and shake her head. Today, however, it was all too much. She climbed the stairs and entered Laird
’
s room, noting the irony of improving the room of the boy who had just destroyed part of another one.
“
Laird broke a window.
”

“
Well, we were replacing the downstairs windows anyway.
”
Luke wiped a drip from his roller onto his jeans and turned to Aggie.
“
I can do that when I
’
m done in here, if it
’
s a standard size. Which one is it?
”

“
I don
’
t know.
”

She looked lost, confused, and even a little helpless. It wasn
’
t like her.
“
Well, I
’
ll look at it soon and then see what has to be done. It
’
ll be ok.
”
He didn
’
t know what else to say.

“
What do I do about Laird?
”

“
What do you mean?
”

Aggie tried again.
“
He knew he wasn
’
t supposed to use that sling-shot near the house. I told him it had to be out in that field across the highway. He did it again. I can
’
t let him get away with that, can I?
”
She almost sounded like she hoped Luke would say yes, and she knew it.

“
I see. You
’
re right. He can
’
t get away with it.
”

“
He says Allie would have made him pay for it.
”

A smirk appeared on Luke
’
s face before he could turn to the wall and roll the paint on it. Aggie demanded to know what was so funny.
“
Well, not that I know anything about being a boy or anything, but it
’
s been my experience that when a kid offers a consequence voluntarily, it
’
s usually the one thing he doesn
’
t care about.
”
He loaded the roller again and then turned back to Aggie.
“
I
’
m not saying it
’
s not true. I have no doubt that your sister was wise enough to require her children to make restitution when they ruined things. I
’
m just guessing there
’
s more to it than that. I take it he has enough money to pay for a window? They can be expensive.
”

“
I didn
’
t know they had any, but apparently they have accounts in some bank. I have no idea
which
bank. I hope they know.
”

“
I
’
m guessing it
’
s the bank that you got about twelve statements from the other day. All were forwarded from your old address. You should change that with the bank, by the way.
”
Luke rolled the last bit of the wall and stood away to examine his work.

“
Oh. Yeah.
”
She bit her lip. It wasn
’
t the time to admit she had boxes of unopened mail, dating back to February.
“
So, if Laird was your son, what would you do?
”

“
How many times has this been a problem?
”

She sank to the middle of the floor, pulled her knees to her chest, tucked her skirt around her ankles for modesty, laid her head on her knees, and sighed.
“
Since he found it in Doug
’
s things.
”

Luke had decided what to suggest the moment he heard,
“
found it,
”
but Doug
’
s name changed things.
“
Hmm. Do you want me to talk to him? I could tell him that he does have to pay for the window, as per your words, but maybe he needs a guy to talk to. Until you said Doug, I was going to suggest taking away the
slingshot
. Now I
’
m not so sure. I think maybe he needs that right now. I will tell him it goes if there
’
s another problem, and I could require him to help me fix the window.
”

The tears still wet on her cheeks, Aggie
’
s head slowly rose, and her eyes met Luke
’
s.
“
Would you? Is that cheating?
”

Silence was her only answer. Luke dropped the roller in the paint tray, pounded the lid back on the can of paint, and pocketed the funky hook-like thing he used to open the cans. Aggie
’
s head dropped back to her knees. When a sniffle escaped before she could stop it, she cringed. How pathetic could she get?

Seconds later, she felt a hand on her head.
“
It
’
s not cheating, Mibs. I
’
ll go talk to him.
”

She sat there for several more minutes, until his words fully registered.
“
Mibs? What on earth are they, and what do they have to do with anything?
”
As she descended to the bottom of the stairs, she heard Luke talking to Laird on the porch. She leaned against the wall beside the door and listened, curious about what he would say.

“
…needs your cooperation. She has enough to do, trying to keep the younger children in clothes, food, and out of trouble, to have to worry about something so easy to avoid. It
’
s a two minute walk across an empty highway.
”

“
I
’
m sorry, Luke. I didn
’
t mean to shoot it. I was just check
--
”

“
Laird. The rock didn
’
t jump in the sling by itself. You may not have planned to release, but you made a foolish decision to risk that possibility. You
’
re responsible for your actions.
”

Laird
’
s defensiveness melted audibly.
“
You
’
re right. I knew better. How much is that window going to cost me?
”

“
Which window is it?
”

Misery crept into the boy
’
s tone.
“
The dining room.
”

“
Big or little?
”

“
Big.
”
Misery melted into despair.
“
Expensive, huh?
”

“
Ca-ching.
”

Wednesday, June 26
^th

Aggie glanced around the downstairs, overwhelmed. Though the children
’
s bedrooms were almost all completed, the furniture couldn
’
t be carried upstairs until Sunday, at the earliest
--
assuming it didn
’
t rain and keep the floor from curing properly. Aggie
’
s room was also painted, and though she wanted to create a quiet hideaway, she decided that during the fall school days she
’
d have more time to work on it. For now, her new bed and an old highboy were all the furniture pieces that Aggie had to put in there anyway.