A/N: I own nothing. Enjoy.

Chapter 3- An Honest Con Man

"Home!" Rory called, dropping her backpack on the kitchen table. Sitting there was her small basket from the Bid-A-Basket festival the week before.

"Hey!" Lorelai said, walking into the kitchen. "Luke dropped that off. I guess Jess still had it."

"I guess." Rory said. "I didn't really think about it." She picked up her backpack and walked into her room. She unzipped it and started pulling out her books and putting them on her desk.

"Anything worth salvaging in your basket?" Lorelai called from the kitchen as she pulled the Tupperware out of it. It was empty of whatever substance had originally been in it. She opened it, sniffed, made a disgusted face, and closed it again.

"Umm, were you not there when I made it?" Rory asked, reading over her homework assignment and putting the paper on her desk.

"What's this?" Lorelai called, pulling an index card out of the basket.

"What?" Rory asked, walking back into the kitchen.

"It was stuck in your basket." Lorelai responded, handing it to Rory.

Rory read it quickly. It was in block letters, and she recognized it instantly as a quote from Salinger. It said, PHOOEY, I SAY, ON ALL WHITE-SHOE COLLEGE BOYS WHO EDIT THEIR CAMPUS LITERARY MAGAZINES. GIVE ME AN HONEST CON MAN ANY DAY.

"Huh, I dunno, I've never seen it before. It's Salinger though. Nine Stories? No…Franny and Zooey!" Rory said surely, nodding. She smiled a little and said, "Jess must've put it in there."

"What's that smile for?" Lorelai asked, trying to sound more teasing than concerned.

"Hmm? Oh, it's just funny cuz we were talking about Salinger at the bookstore that day. He was just joking around."

"Yeah, that Jess is a real laugh riot."

"You said you were giving him a change," Rory reminded her mother, sliding the card into her pocket. She grabbed the plastic cutlery from the basket and threw it in the trash. "Small basket and no actual food makes for easy clean up!"

"Especially since I'm throwing out this Tupperware to avoid infection." Lorelai said, tossing the container in the trash. Her eyes moved to the index card sticking out of Rory's pocket, but she said nothing.

"Ok, homework awaits!" Rory said brightly. She kissed her mom on the cheek and walked into her room, closing the door behind her.

Rory waited until she heard her mother exit the kitchen and picked up the phone, dialing Jess's number.

"Hello?"

"Hey." Rory said, pulling the card out and looking at it.

"Hey, what's up?" Jess asked.

"Nothing, what's up with you?" Rory responded, smiling again as she looked at the card.

"Nothing. Finish A Farewell to Arms yet?" Jess asked, and Rory swore she could hear him smirking.

"You know I haven't." Rory responded. "Almost done though. I keep falling asleep, makes it hard to finish."

"Oh, very funny. I finished The Fountainhead. You owe me."

"Yeah, yeah." Rory said. She paused a beat, and when Jess didn't speak, she said, "I got your note."

"What note?" Jess asked, sounding completely indifferent.

"The note in my basket. From the picnic. The Salinger quote."

"Really have no idea what you're talking about." Jess responded, still sounding completely unaffected by her words.

"There was an index card in my basket from the festival. It was a Salinger quote from Franny and Zooey. 'Give me an honest con man any day'?" Rory said, upset that she'd gotten it so wrong.

"Good quote." Jess said, approvingly. "Didn't put anything in that basket though. I forgot I had it, actually, until Luke found it."

"O-oh." Rory said, confused. "Then how'd it get in my basket?"

"I do not know." Jess said, and Rory could've sworn he sounded slightly amused. "Why'd you think I put it there?"

"B-because." Rory stammered. "It was in my basket. You had my basket. Who else was I supposed to think put it there?"

"I dunno. But it wasn't me."

"Ok. Sorry if I bugged you."

"Didn't bug me. I'm mildly intrigued by the mystery note."

"You and me both." Rory said, tossing the card on her desk, ignoring the disappointed feeling in her chest.

"Keep me posted if you get any more."

"Yeah. Yeah. I will." Rory said, distracted. "Bye, Jess."

"Bye, Rory."