For Keeps (Aggie's Inheritance) Read Free Page B

evidence that it killed me? ”
    “ You’d think. ”
    “ Qualified or not, I have to get the paint out of this thing. ”
    Luke took the wad of sodden fabric from her hands, opened the trash cupboard, and dumped it in the bag. “ There. ”
    “ Hey, I was --”
    “ Wasting your time. ”
    “ It just seems so wasteful, ” she admitted.
    “ Will you put it on him if it’s stained? ”
    “ No, but… ”
    His laughter surprised her. “ You’re dodging the subject! It actually worked. We were discussing your propensity to expect too much from yourself. ”
    Before Aggie could respond, the twins came tearing through the kitchen in search of something, but Aggie sent them back to the door to walk. “ Again. ” Cari sent her a dirty look but retraced her steps outside for a third time. The defiance on the child’s face wasn’t lost on Aggie. “ And again… ”
    “ But --”
    “ And again… ” With almost exaggerated nonchalance, Aggie shrugged at Luke, fighting to keep her expression curious, interested, even bored -- anything but irritated or angry.
    Scowling with every step, Cari stomped back and forth from the island to the screen door, until Luke was sure that Aggie would give in, but the young woman surprised him. She saved the DVD collection from Ian’s curious hands, wiped up the counter, found Tupperware for the baby to play with, and carried on a conversation about floor finishes, all while repeating “ again ” to Lorna and Cari.
    After half a dozen trips, Lorna, who hadn’t shown a nasty attitude, was sent to play again, but Cari marched back and forth with a vehemence that would have terrified Aggie six months earlier. “ You should just behave, Cari. I want to play. ”
    “ I am behaving! I’m coming in and out just wike Aunt Aggie says. It’s not faiw ! ”
    “ I said to come in quietly. Your stomping isn’t quiet. ”
    For a few seconds, it looked like Cari was cooperating. She opened the door with the sweetest expression that anyone had seen from the child. However, when Aggie sent her back for one last round, the child stomped to the back door, opened it, and slammed it shut. She then opened it again, quietly shut it, and walked sedately across the floor as if incapable of creating such a nasty display of temper as she’d just exhibited.
    “ If you think that you will get away with any bad attitude at all, you’re mistaken. I did say you had to come in quietly. I did not say you had to leave quietly, it’s true, but, ” Aggie’s voice grew very quiet and her tone was carefully measured. “ You know that it is always against the rules to throw a tantrum, and that is what your stomping is. It’s a nasty temper tantrum. ”
    It took half a dozen more trips that were quiet, but with a sullen face, before Cari relaxed her features and threw herself into Aggie’s arms. “ I’s sowwy, Aunt Aggie. I’ll walk nice now. ” Without being told, she turned and strolled to the back door, opened it, stepped through, closed it, and then reopened it with a genuinely contrite look on her face. At Aggie’s side, she asked, “ Do I pwactice again? ”
    Visibly sagging with relief, Aggie sent the girl to follow her sister and sank to one of the barstools that she kept near the island. She laid her head onto her arms, leaning onto the smooth cool countertop, and sobbed. “ I can’t do this, Luke. I am such a failure. Everything I do is wrong. I --”
    “ Mibs --”
    “ Stop calling me that! I don’t even know what it means. I’ve got out of control children, a house tha t is more than I can handle, no where to hide, and that’s probably a good thing, because if I do hide, chaos erupts, and --”
    Tavish burst into the kitchen, oblivious to the pity party in full swing, and announced, “ There’s a wasp’s nest out there! Can you believe it! I’ve got to get my book and see what kind they are! ”
    Before Aggie could process Tavish’s alarming information, the boy was thundering