For Keeps (Aggie's Inheritance) by Chautona Havig Page A

deep sigh, she punched the familiar numbers and waited, but to her disappointment, his voice mail picked up. It seemed like life was growing more complicated every second. If Luke would just come early the next morning, she could go and try to explain her irrational behavior to William over a cup of coffee. If only it was that simple.
    The beep came, but she left no message. Instead, she clicked off the phone and flipped up her laptop. Maybe he’d be online. Even Iris or Libby would work. She glanced at the couch and smiled at a snoozing Mrs. Dyke. The dear old woman needed to go home.
    “ Mrs. Dyke? ” Aggie shook the woman’s arm gently. “ I’m home. Would you like me to walk you home? ”
    “ I’ll do it, Aunt Aggie. ” Vannie stood at the bottom of the stairs with a hopeful smile on her face.
    Their neighbor fought to open her eyes and pulled herself to her feet. “ That’d be very thoughtful of you, Vannie. ” To Aggie she added, “ You have a gem of a girl here. I don’t think I was really necessary tonight. ”
    “ Of course, you were, Mrs. Dyke. You made Cari go to bed when she didn’t want to listen to me, and you stopped Kenzie from putting the kitty in the microwave to dry him off. ”
    All the way out the door and down the steps, Aggie listened as Vannie chattered about the fun she’d had with the elderly woman. To listen to her talk, Aggie would have assumed Vannie had the time of her life watching Mrs. Dyke play with the kitten, rock Ian, and sing Lawrence Welk songs to the little guys from the hallway.
    Luke popped up on the messenger just as Vannie returned, so Aggie typed a quick, “ I need to talk to you, bbiab, ” meaning be back in a bit, and turned to her niece.
    “ Thanks for helping with the children. ”
    “ She really did a lot more than she said. ”
    Aggie followed her to the stairs, giving the girl a hug. “ Thanks anyway. ” She waited for Vannie to go back upstairs, and then returned to the kitchen. Just as she started to grab the laptop and carry it to her favorite spot on the couch, she heard the shuffle of feet on the hardwood floor. Vannie stood in the kitchen doorway, her red hair curling into tight ringlets, and hanging down around her shoulders. “ You know, “ You could pass for Anne Shirley wearing that gown with your hair like that. ”
    “ Did she have frizzy hair or was it just red? ”
    “ Who knows? I just think it’s beautiful. ” Aggie sighed. “ So, do you need something? ”
    “ You looked upset when you came home. Is everything ok? ”
    She stifled another sigh, slid her laptop back onto the counter, and pulled two bowls from the cupboard. In the freezer, she found Rocky Road and Mint Chip ice cream. “ Which one? ”
    “ Rocky Road. ”
    With heaping bowls of ice cream in each hand, Aggie led the way to the living room couch, and passed one to Vannie. “ Eat up. ”
    “ Ice cream this late? What would grandmother say? ”
    It took every ounce of self-control, but she did manage not to say, “ Hopefully something horrible. ” Instead, she shrugged. “ I guess that’s why Allie and Doug asked me to take care of you guys. They knew I’d know when it was best to sleep and when you need ice cream to sweeten your dreams. ”
    “ What’s wrong, Aunt Aggie? Didn’t you have fun with William? ” The girl’s disappointment was evident from the sad eyes to the droopy lips that should have been enjoying the ice cream.
    “ Nothing is really wrong, sweetie. I just learned tonight that I don’t ever want to go on another date again. ”
    Perplexed, Vannie asked the expected questions. “ Don’t you like Mr. Markenson? Didn’t you have fun? I thought that’s why people went on dates -- to have fun. ”
    “ Well, ” Aggie began, praying for wisdom in how to explain her new thoughts to her niece. “ Yes, some people do go on dates to have fun. Others do it as a way to get to know someone they think might be a good candidate for marriage, and