And So It Goes (Stevens Book 10)

Chapter 19

Agatha had gone to New York, but it wasn't home. Savannah was her home, and she missed it.

The Stevens had a large rambling farmhouse that was an hour from the city. It was built in the late 18th century and had large fireplaces, deep windowsills that were perfect for watching the snowfall, wide-planked wooden floors that had been worn away from centuries of footsteps, and low ceilings. The whole environment was cozy, especially once Aunt Lizzy had her way with it and placed lots of deep comfy armchairs and pillows everywhere.

It had been purchased when the cousins had been born. The family spent so much time in New York that they felt they needed somewhere for the kids to run and play without being watched all day. Between this house and the ranch in Texas, Agatha had had many outdoor adventures as a child.

Now it was conducive to long walks and deep contemplative thoughts. Sometimes they were too contemplative as Agatha wondered over and over if there was anything that she could have done differently with Merrick. She spent hours thinking about her service overseas, and she even thought about rejoining the service. At least in the Army, she had been useful. Here she was just a waste of space. Thoughts about getting a job entered her head, but if it wasn't in Savannah, she didn't want it.

The door to the living room opened and let in a burst of cold from the house's main hall.

"There you are!" her cousin Beth said as she fell onto the couch behind her. Her cheeks were rosy from the cold, and her blond hair was messy from the wind, but she looked content. She had fallen in love and married the man of her dreams about eight years previous. Beth and her husband, Wyatt, had two children, one was six, and one was three, and they brought new energy to the house.

"Where are the others?" Agatha asked, tamping down on the jealousy she felt toward her cousin.

"They are in the kitchen with your mother, making hot chocolate." Beth sighed as she shrugged off her jacket. "It's a lot colder today than it was yesterday."

Agatha hadn't been outside in a few days, so she had no clue about the weather other than what she saw from the house's windows.

"You put Mom in charge of the hot chocolate?" Agatha asked with a raised eyebrow. Cassie Stevens was good at many things, but anything dealing with a kitchen did not make the list.

"She assured me she could handle it because it's those instant packages you pour water on, but Wyatt is with her just in case." Beth smiled at the mention of her husband.

"Are you going to the concert tonight?" Beth asked, eyeing her cousin, who looked pale and thin.

That evening was a benefit concert for the family's chosen nonprofit. It was called College for Fosters and helped children who had been trapped in the foster system get a college education when they turned 18. It was an organization close to her family's heart because her Aunt Grace had benefited from the program before they had known her.

Every year the family did something special, and this year her mother, Lily, Eli, and a host of other famous people were performing. It was the event of the season, and tickets had sold out within an hour, but with Trisha and Lizzy in charge, it was sure to be a success.

Agatha, who hadn't been out of the house in the three months since she had arrived, was dreading it, but if she didn't go, it would look odd since almost all of the family was attending.

"Hot chocolate is ready!" Cassie called from the kitchen.

Agatha stood up with Beth and moved toward the kitchen. Her mother, father, Wyatt, and the kids were huddled around the breakfast bar, piling marshmallows into the hot chocolate.