November brought a cold front to Stars Hollow. At times, the wind was virtually unbearable; it would cut through Lorelai's clothing no matter how many layers she put on. For this reason, Lorelai stayed indoors as much as possible. She had returned to work a month before and was busier than ever because of the upcoming holiday season. The inn was filled to capacity nearly every night and was booked solid until after Christmas.
After work, Lorelai and Rory drove to William's old hardware store as they usually did. Mia had given Lorelai an old car she never used (despite Lorelai's objections), and Luke had helped her to fix it. Although it was not the greatest car in the world, it drove, and that was all Lorelai cared about.
Lorelai was surprised Luke had time to help her fix her car. After his father's death, Luke had begun work on fulfilling his promise. He held a closing sale at the hardware store and used the profits to pay for renovations. Because he no longer needed an office, Luke turned William's old office/ workroom into a small apartment. He added a kitchen and a small closet before moving all his furniture into the space The office already contained a bathroom, so the remodeling only took a week. After the apartment was completed, Luke tackled the bigger task of remodeling the lower floor. He single-handedly removed all the remaining merchandise to the front of the store so he could start building a kitchen in the back. Although he hired a contractor, Luke pitched in with most of the work.
When Lorelai pulled up to the store, she smiled up at the William's Hardware sign which still hung next to the door. Luke refused to take it down, and Lorelai understood the sentiment behind his refusal. Besides, she also liked having the sign. It was comforting, a reminder that William would always be watching over them.
When Lorelai walked into the store, the first person she saw was Tom, the contractor. He was a little under six feet tall with a slightly heavy build and thinning brown hair. He was one of those people who she could glance at and immediately know what he did for a living. He looked like a contractor, from his dusty work boots to his beer belly to his calculating eyes. At the moment, he was finishing a soda as he looked over some blueprints. "Hey, Tom!" Lorelai greeted. She set Rory's carrier down on a nearby chair.
"Hey, Lorelai! I'll call Luke." Before Tom could call him, Luke emerged from the back, wiping the dust off his hands. He smiled when he saw Lorelai and Rory.
"I thought you guys would be stopping by sometime soon." He picked up Rory and threw her in the air, catching her deftly. She smiled at him. "You're getting pretty heavy there, Princess. Soon, I won't be able to pick you up anymore," he teased. He loved playing with Rory, for looking at her helped him to realize that life does come full circle. Although people die, there is always a younger generation to take their place.
"What can I help with today?" Lorelai asked.
"You can look at this stuff and see if there's anything you want." Luke gestured to the few items remaining in the store. "Because tomorrow's the last day I'm going to be selling it. We need to start work here."
"It's like a garage sale."
"But you don't have to pay anything.'
"Luke, I couldn't take this stuff for free!"
"Sure you can. I should actually be paying you for taking all this junk off my hands." He tickled Rory's stomach, and she gurgled happily. "You can go wait upstairs when you're done. I've got to finish up a few things, and then I'll come up and make us some dinner." He turned towards the back of the store.
"You taking Rory with you?" Lorelai asked. He stopped and turned back around.
"Sorry." He handed Rory to her mother. "I'll see you in a bit."
Lorelai was watching television when Luke joined her. He grabbed a shirt and walked to the bathroom to change. Lorelai rolled her eyes. She had seen the upper half of his body before, (and greatly enjoyed seeing it, too) and she did not understand why he was so concerned about changing his shirt in front of her. When he came back out, he appeared to have splashed water on his face which he was toweling dry. "Lasagna okay?" he questioned.
"It sounds great." Luke took out a pot and began to boil the water for the noodles as Lorelai rocked Rory to sleep. Once the baby's eyes closed, Lorelai placed her in a crib set up in the corner of the room. Luke had built Lorelai a crib for the storage shed and had set up his old crib in his apartment so Rory would have a place to sleep when she and Lorelai were over.
"Thanksgiving's next week," Luke said as he joined Lorelai by Rory's crib. He ran a finger gently over the baby's cheek.
"Yeah, so?"
"Well, since my dad died and Liz is gone, you and Rory are about the closest people I've got to family. So I figured you could come over here and I could make some Thanksgiving dinner for us."
"Sure. When have you ever known me to pass up free food?"
On Thanksgiving, Lorelai was naturally running late. She scrambled to collect all of Rory's things, knowing she should have left ten minutes before She raced out the door with the diaper bag and baby carrier before realizing that the carrier was unusually light. Lorelai checked it and panicked before running back into the house to grab Rory from her crib.
Lorelai was extremely flustered by the time she reached Luke's apartment. He opened the door with an expression of bemusement. "You're earlier than I expected. Usually, you're a good twenty minutes late."
"You knew I was going to be late?"
"You're always late. I assumed this time would be no different."
"You know what they say about assuming."
"I'll take my chances." He stepped back from the doorway, and Lorelai walked. As he closed the door behind her, Rory began to cry. Luke reached for her before realizing he was still wearing an oven mitt. Lorelai smiled.
"Go finish dinner. I'll take care of her." As Luke turned back to his cooking, she took Rory out of her carrier and soothed her as she pulled a towel from the diaper bag. Lorelai draped the towel over her chest before unbuttoning the top two buttons of her blouse to feed Rory.
"Okay, the turkey should be done in about thirty minutes, and the stuffing. Aw geez." Luke turned around and saw Lorelai feeding Rory. "Do you have to do that in front of me?" he asked, trying not to focus his eyes on her chest.
"Luke, it's a perfectly natural process. And Rory's hungry, so I didn't have many options. Unless you have something you'd like to share with me."
"I'm just saying it seems a bit. . . awkward."
"Luke, once you give birth, all awkwardness flies out the window."
"Well, I guess my awkwardness is going to remain then."
"Guess so." As Rory finished her meal, Lorelai switched her to one shoulder and buttoned her top back with her free hand. She burped Rory and began trying to rock her to sleep. Luke stared at her for a minute before commenting, "You look good holding a kid. It seems to fit."
Lorelai looked at him in astonishment, knowing he was not one to express his feelings. Before she could stop herself, she responded, "Thanks. You do, too."
Luke smiled in spite of himself. He had never pictured himself with kids; they appeared to be nothing but trouble. Babies cried constantly and grew up into toddlers who could not keep their sticky hands off anything before becoming children who were worse than the other two put together. Being with Rory and Lorelai, however, changed everything. Luke loved Rory. He enjoyed holding her and playing with her even when she cried. Having kids suddenly did not seem so awful. Carefully, Luke took Rory from her mother and placed her in her crib. "Sweet dreams, Princess," he told her.
As soon as they sat down at the table, Lorelai raised her fork to begin eating. "Uh, shouldn't we say something first?" Luke wondered.
"What? Like a prayer?"
"Well, my dad and I used to say what we were thankful for. It was a tradition my mom started."
"I'm not one to interfere with tradition. You wanna start?"
"Uhh. . . sure. I guess I'm thankful for this food. And that I'll have a functional diner in a few days. And I'm thankful. . . that I met you." Luke blushed as he said this but plowed onward. "And that I've gotten to be a part of Rory's life and interact with her. She's an amazing kid."
"That she is. So I guess I'll start with Rory. I'm thankful that she's healthy and seems happy. I'm thankful that she came into my life because it feels like she has made my life more complete and given me a purpose. I'm thankful for Mia who's been absolutely wonderful with the inn and the car and everything. I'm thankful for the storage shed which may not be big but provides shelter. And I'm thankful for you. I'm thankful that you would go to all this trouble to cook me this wonderful Thanksgiving dinner. I'm thankful for al the help you've given me over the past few weeks with Rory and with all the things you've fixed. But most of all, I'm thankful that you gave me a reason to be happy again and showed me that I can do anything." There, she had said it. She looked at his face to gauge his reaction. He seemed surprised at first as he processed everything she had said. Their eyes met, and Lorelai could feel the spark flying as if the air surrounding her had suddenly gained an electric charge. Unconsciously, she leaned forward, and Luke mimicked her action. She was mesmerized by his blue eyes, staring into them like they provided a window to his innermost thoughts. She wanted to kiss him. God, how she wanted to kiss him. But she could not. She did not even know if he felt the same way about her, and she had Rory to worry about.
Luke had also sensed the connection between him and Lorelai the moment their eyes met. He was ready to crush her to him and shower her with kisses, but reason held him back. Lorelai had referred to them as "friends" on countless occasions. That was how she saw him—as a god friend, but not boyfriend material. He did not want anything to ruin their friendship.
At the same instant, both looked down at their plates. It was easier to control desire when they were not staring at the object of their affections. "So how's the turkey?" Luke asked. It was the kind of stupid question someone would ask when trying to avoid an awkward silence.
"Very good. It's not dry at all." Lorelai attempted to keep the conversation mundane, avoiding the proverbial elephant in the room.
"Good. I tried not to overcook it. A lot of people have that problem, you know. They want to make sure it's fully cooked, but they end up leaving it in the oven too long." Luke as rambling, and he knew it. Sometimes, he wished he could work up the nerve to ask her out so things would be comfortable between them. Unless, of course, she refused him. That would simply make things more uncomfortable.
"Yeah. A few of my mother's maids had that problem."
"I'm guessing your mother fired them."
"She would've fired them even if they cooked the turkey perfectly. I'm sure they would've had some other little fault that Emily Gilmore could criticize. She actually fired one maid because she walked too loudly. Oh, and another because she accidentally switched her knives and forks when she was setting the table."
"Pretty harsh."
"Satan incarnate."
"I guess the whole harsh thing runs in the family."
After dinner, Lorelai insisted on washing the dishes. Knowing he would indubitably lose an argument, Luke found a towel and began to dry the clean dishes and put them away. As he stacked a plate in the cabinet, Rory began to cry. Lorelai started to wash off her hands, but Luke stopped her. "Don't worry. I'll get her." He walked over to the crib and picked the baby up. "Hey, sweetheart, what's wrong?" As soon as the words were out of his mouth, he wrinkled his nose in disgust. "I think she needs to be changed."
"Okay, I'll be right over."
"No, don't worry about it. I'll do it."
"You know how?"
"I've seen you change her a few times. I think I can manage. Let's see." He pushed a couple items to the back of his dresser and laid Rory's changing pad on top. He placed the baby in the center of it and looked at her diaper for a second. "Okay, so first I pull these tabs up and take off the dirty diaper," Luke said as he carefully pulled off the soiled diaper. "Okay, now wipe and powder. Then put a new diaper back on. Right?"
"Right. Just make sure you put the tabs in the back and pull them tight before you fasten them. You wouldn't want the diaper falling off." Luke nodded as he did a he instructed, and he soon picked a clean Rory up and tossed her in the air. "Hey, it didn't fall off! Not bad, mister," Lorelai said.
"I guess. What do you want me to do with these?" Luke indicated the dirty diaper and the baby wipe with a wave of his hand.
"Unless you want to keep them for posterity, I'd suggest putting them in a plastic bag and throwing it in the dumpster."
"Okay." Luke handed Rory to Lorelai who had finished washing dishes and dried her hands. He grabbed a plastic bag from beneath the sink.
"So, how was your first time?" Lorelai inquired.
"What?" Luke turned bright red.
"Get your mind out of the gutter, Luke. I meant how was your first time changing a diaper?" Luke was still red, now mostly from embarrassment over his mistake.
"Not bad. It's easier than I thought it would be."
"Just be thankful Rory's not a boy."
"What?"
"Well, it Rory decides to finish her business while you're changing her, at least nothing will hit you in the face."
"Aw geez, Lorelai."
A couple weeks later, work on the diner was finally finished. Luke had gone to the Independence Inn to find Lorelai and Rory so the three of them could celebrate together. Luke hoped to cook the first meal on his new stove for him and Lorelai, and, if everything went well, he could ask her out on an official date afterward. They had been avoiding the issue for too long, and he felt as if he might explode if he did not ask her soon. He had a plan.
As he walked into the front lobby, Luke spotted Lorelai and stopped in his tracks. Lorelai as standing in the far corner of the dining room, clearly visible from his vantage point. She was surrounded by four of the younger waiters, and Luke could tell from her coy smile that she was flirting. He had been on the receiving end of that smile enough to know the effect it had on people. One of the waiters disappeared for a minute and returned with a large piece of chocolate cake. Lorelai's smile broadened, and Luke saw from the expression on the waiter's face that he was immensely pleased with himself.
Luke could not stand and watch the scene any longer. Jealousy raged through him, threatening to manifest itself violently. He did not understand why he was jealous; they were not dating. 'Yet,' he thought, reminding himself of his plans for the evening. But there was no way he could ask her out now, not after he had seen her flirting with the waiters. He should have known better than to think that she would exclusively flirt with him. She probably would have found the idea of a date with him laughable. After all, she was brought up in money and had rubbed elbows with some of society's most important people. On top of that, she was stunning, possessing a beauty no words could adequately describe. Why would she even consider going out with him, a guy with only a high school education who was destined to live the rest of his life in a small town and own a diner?
By the time Luke reached his diner (for now that the construction was finished, he could call it that), he had convinced himself that Lorelai did not and would never have any feelings for him. He was not going to ask her out. He could not take the rejection he was sure would follow that question. Instead, he contented himself with some last minute cleaning, preparing for the diner's opening the following day.
Lorelai was disappointed when Luke did not show up at the inn that evening. He had been meeting her there the past few days, and she always enjoyed his visits. Seeing him waiting for her seemed to make the end of her shift fly by faster. Without him there, the last hour of her shift seemed interminably long. As soon as the clock hit 5:00, Lorelai clocked out, grabbed Rory and her diaper bag, and headed for Luke's.
"Luke, it's me!" Lorelai called as she walked in the door.
"Hi." Luke emerged from the back.
"Looks like you finally cleaned this place up and put out all the furniture."
"Tomorrow is the opening day."
"So, you're right on schedule then." Luke grunted in response as he glanced over a few papers he held in his hand. "Okay, Mr. Monosyllable, you're even quieter than usual. What's going on?"
"Nothing."
"No, Luke, I know it's something. Just tell me-"
"I already told you, it's nothing!" he snapped. "Just quit bugging me so I can finish these damn bills!" As soon as he yelled at her, Luke regretted it. He always regretted it. Seeing the hurt in her eyes always tore his heart, especially when he knew he was the cause. But he was stubborn, and apologies were not something he was good at. Sometimes, it was easier just to be mad at Lorelai so he would not have to deal with the other emotions running through his head.
Lorelai watched Luke disappear into the back again, wondering what she had missed. He had seemed perfectly amicable when she had met him for lunch. Of course, they had argued, but they always argued. Usually, it was harmless banter with no aggression behind it. Tonight, however, was different. Luke would not look Lorelai directly in the eye, and his argumentative answers were not in jest. Instinctively, Lorelai knew something was bothering him, but she could not convince her to tell him what it was.
He finally came back out of the kitchen twenty minutes later, clutching more papers. He grabbed a nearby pen and sat down at a table to fill them out without once glancing at Lorelai. Lorelai sighed and sat down in the seat across from him. She stared at him for a couple minutes before he looked up, wearing a scowl. "What?" he asked irritably.
"Luke, I know something's bugging you. I need you to trust me enough to tell me what it is."
"Oh, you want to know what it is, do you? Maybe what's bugging me is the fact that I was going to ask you out today. I had it all planned—what I would wear, the food I would cook—everything. But then I went to the inn and saw you with the guys, and I realized I'm just like them. I'm just another poor, hapless soul who's been caught in Lorelai's web. What did you want me for, huh? Maybe free food or someone to fix your stuff? Soon, I'll be bringing you cake and just hoping that you'll acknowledge me!" He turned to storm away but stopped when he heard Lorelai's voice.
"That's not true," she whispered.
"What?"
"What you said about being like those guys at the inn. That's not true." Lorelai thought admitting her feelings about Luke to him would be hard after all the time they had spent as friends, but once she started, it became easier and easier to keep talking. "You're not like those guys at the inn. I flirted with them because I wanted cake, and flirting was the quickest and easiest way to get it. But I flirted with you because. . . because I was hoping one day you might grow some balls and ask me out. I guess I was harboring false hopes." With that, she grabbed Rory's carrier and diaper bag and turned to leave.
"Lorelai!" Luke shouted suddenly, causing her to turn around. Before he had time to plan what he was going to say, he was already talking. "Want to. . . go out sometime?"
"Sure." Lorelai's face broke into a wide smile.
