Here We Come (Aggie's Inheritance) (88 page)

“Yes
you
are!
I
remember
my
mother
embroidering
me
a
very
special
dress
for
spring
one
winter.
By
the
time
she
finished
it
and
spring
was
here,
she
had
to
add
an
underskirt
so
it
wouldn’t
be
too
short.
I
think
I
got
two
sets
of
clothes
that
spring
and
summer.
About
the
time
we’d
finish
something
and
I’d
wear
it
for
a
month
or
two
,
it’d
be
looking
like
time
to
start
making
more.”

“Did
your
sister
get
your
old
clothes?
We
get
Kenzie’s
old
clothes
sometimes.”

“I
didn’t
have
a
sister.
Just
my
mother.”

Lorna’s
eyes
welled
up
with
huge
tears.
“That’s
terrible!
You’re
like—like
an
orphan!”

“Lorna!”
Aggie
sighed,
apologizing
quickly.
“I
think
they
were
too
young
to
see
even
our
highly-edited
version
of
Annie…”

Willow
caught
Aggie’s
eyes
over
the
heads
of
the
children
and
shook
her
head
slightly.
“Yes
I
am.
I
don’t
have
a
mom
or
a
dad.”

“We
don’t
either,”
Cari
said.
“Does
that
make
us
orphans?”

“Well,
yes
,”
Willow
said,
“but
you
have
other
family
like
your
aunt
and
your
grandparents.
I
don’t
have
anyone—not
really.”

“Your
mommy
should
have
had
more
children.”

“Cari!”

Willow’s
attempt
to
stifle
a
snicker
failed.
“I
remember
Mother
saying,
‘Children
say
the
darndest
things,’
but
I
never
knew
what
that
meant.
I
understand
it
now.”

The
children
were
sent
to
play
while
Aggie
and
Willow
sat
on
the
couch,
chatting.
“
Are
you
all
set
for
the
wedding?”

At
first,
Aggie
assumed
the
question
was
a
joke,
but
the
confident
expression
on
Willow’s
face
assured
her
that
the
question
was
spoken
in
earnest.
“I’ve
hardly
done
anything
and
now
my
organizing
friend
has
had
to
go
home
just
as
I’ll
have
time
to
do
something.”

“Well,
it
can’t
be
that
much
trouble,
can
it?
I
thought
Chad
said
you
were
doing
it
at
home.”

“We
are,
but
there’s
the
reception,
and
I
have
to
find
someone
to
cater
the
thing.
Mom
can’t
do
a
lot
of
the
things
that
we’d
want
to
if
she
was
in
better
health
and
I
wasn’t
busy
with
a
brood.”

“Books
always
make
weddings
sound
like
such
a
hassle,
but
when
they
describe
what
is
causing
the
trouble,
it
never
seems
like
a
very
serious
problem.
I
suppose
that’s
fiction
for
you.”
Willow
didn’t
sound
as
though
she
thought
the
problem
lay
with
stories
,
but
with
people.

“I
don’t
know.
I’ll
tell
you
once
it’s
all
over.
It
sounds
daunting,
but
it’s
probably
not
that
bad.
We
do
have
to
get
going
on
things.
I’m
so
glad
I
had
you
take
care
of
the
dresses
early
enough.”