"Luuuuuuke!" yells Rory as she sprints into the diner and into Luke's open arms with Lorelai walking in behind her. Luke fakes falling backwards, causing Rory to shriek with laughter. She looks him straight in the eye and states,
"I missed you."
"I missed you too kiddo," he replies. Luke looks up, and his eyes lock with Lorelai's, as she sits down at the counter.
"So how was your trip to the Cape ?" Luke asks, setting Rory on the counter top. She swings her legs back and forth.
"Uhhhhhhh," Lorelai responds. "I said something, my mother yelled. I said something else, my mother yelled, blah, blah, blah."
"Oh mommy," Rory says, exasperated. "It wasn't that bad, and Grandma is really nice."
"Just to you she is," Lorelai says tickling Rory's stomach making the girl laugh.
"So the trip was good or bad?" Luke asks one more time.
"Bad," Lorelai says.
"Good," Rory counters. Luke chuckles quietly.
"Hey! What are you laughing at mister?" Lorelai pouts.
"Nothing, nothing," he shakes his head. "So, coffee?"
"Do you even have to ask?" She turns to Rory, "Hun, what do you want?"
"Coffee!" The girl yells.
"Oh no, she's 6. No way."
"Babe, why don't we compromise with Luke? How about mostly cream and sugar, and just a little bit of coffee," Lorelai negotiates.
"Please Luuuuke?" says Rory, giving him puppy eyes and faking a sniffle.
"She is so your daughter," says Luke turning around to grab 2 mugs.
"And I'm so proud of it!" Lorelai boasts.
"Here." Luke hands both of them cups of steaming coffee. Lorelai fills about half the cup with cream for Rory.
"Mmmmmmm, so good," says Lorelai, taking a sip. "I missed this stuff."
"Me too," Rory adds. Luke sighs.
Lorelai takes another sip of her coffee, and listens as Luke and Rory talk. Every once and a while Luke laughs at something Rory had said. He is so good with kids, Lorelai thought. Luke catches Lorelai staring at him, and smiles. She quickly looks down and pretends to be very interested with something in her purse.
"Luke?" says Rory, bringing him out of his trance.
"Yeah?"
"I said, are you coming over to our house for Christmas?"
"Rory, I don't think Luke wants to spend Christmas at the Inn, I'm sure he has plans." Lorelai looks questionably at Luke.
"Oh please come! Me and mommy always listen to the music from the Christmas parties the Inn has. It's lots of fun! And we could decorate the tree and open presents and watch movies, 'cause you know me and mommy always watch lots and lots of movies on Christmas, and, and and..."
"Okay, okay," Luke says to stop her rambling.
"So you're coming?" How could he resist her? And he didn't have anything else going on. Liz was… in New York, but normally he didn't do anything for the holiday anyway, even if she was around. But now… spending Christmas with Lorelai and Rory seemed like a really nice idea to him. Plus, he would get to spend more time with the Gilmore girls outside of the regular costumer/proprietor relationship they had.
"Alright, I'll be there."
"Yay!" Rory shouts and reaches her arms up signaling she wants to be picked up.
"I think it's time to go home babe," Lorelai says.
"Noooo, I'm not tired mommy." But even as she said this, she was rubbing her eyes. Lorelai lifts her off the counter and grabs her purse sitting on the stool next to her.
"Oh fine," Rory sighs, frowning slightly. "Bye Luke."
"We'll see you tomorrow," Lorelai says waving and once again looking into those beautiful sparkling blue eyes. She turned around and Luke heard the bells on the door jingle.
"Yeah, tomorrow."