"Wolf Cove Inn is one of the most charming places my husband and I have been to in years! I wish a place like this existed twenty years ago when we married. It would have been the ideal honeymoon locale. Wow. This is the fifth comment card that has mentioned something about romance and honeymoons," said Lorelai as she placed the card down on the desk in front of her.
It was Wednesday evening and Lorelai and Roxanne were finally able to carve out some time to go over the comment cards that were left by all the guests over the weekend. The staff meeting held the day before was a success. They were all able to discuss as a team what worked and what didn't as well as delegate new roles until a few more people could hopefully be hired.
"This card says that everything was amazing and they would give us five stars instead of four if only it didn't take so long for clean towels to be delivered," said Roxanne bitterly. She tossed the card on the desk as if it had burned her.
"That's okay. Constructive criticism is what we want. Those types of issues can easily be fixed. I already called Mike to suggest adding at least two more maids to our staff." Lorelai sorted through the cards she already read. "Okay, so I have a thought. And if you're not 100% onboard with it, I won't bring it up with Mike."
Roxanne hesitated before nodding her agreement. After the successful weekend they had and the fact that Lorelai had let her take charge of mostly everything, she felt like she owed her. "Let's hear it."
"What if we advertise the Wolf Cove Inn as more of a romantic getaway? We could offer packages. There could be different honeymoon packages or even one for someone wanting to pop the question. We could even do romantic dinner packages. Or, oh! Vow renewal packages."
Roxanne thought about it for a moment. "I think having your husband stay here all weekend has got you feeling a little too sappy in my opinion, but I guess if we can come up with enough ideas to pitch, I don't see why not."
Lorelai released the breath she didn't realize she was holding. "Great! I'll put a few things together and maybe even get with Cole to see what he thinks about a special menu for more romantic dinners."
"Um…I…can…talk to Cole if you want. I'm more familiar with his cooking style."
"Really?" asked Lorelai with a knowing smile. "Well, then, be my guest."
Roxanne's cheeks flushed as she stood. "Okay. If you need me I'll be…" She gestured with her thumb towards the door as she turned to make a quick exit.
"Look, Roxanne, it's probably none of my business, but…" Lorelai hesitated as Roxanne slowly turned around to face her. "You might want to be careful if you're mixing business with pleasure."
Roxanne stiffened as she narrowed her eyes slightly. "You're right. It is none of your business."
Lorelai winced as the door practically slammed shut. "That went well," she mumbled. Her cellphone started vibrating on the desk. She checked the display and quickly answered.
"Why, I must be seeing things. This name has not appeared on my caller I.D. in ages."
Rory scoffed. "Mom. I called you last week, in case you forgot, but you were busy. Something about a photographer?"
"Hmm, I don't recall this alleged phone call. So, how was your first day back at Yale?" asked Lorelai as she climbed the stairs slowly to head to her room.
"It was good. It made me thankful for the three-day Labor Day weekend I had. I'm already swamped at the paper plus Doyle wants two separate pieces on his desk by Friday and whatever Doyle wants Doyle gets."
"Ah, the original song title to "Whatever Lola Wants". Why is he being so demanding?" Lorelai unlocked her door. She tossed the key on top the dresser and made her way to the bathroom to turn on her jacuzzi tub.
"He's stepping down as Editor in Chief, so this is his way of "weeding out the unqualified" as he puts it. And I really want that position, especially to prove to Mitchum Huntzberger that I do have what it takes to be a journalist."
"Honey, like I told you before, you don't have to prove anything to that man. He doesn't know you. He's never read your stuff. I want you to work hard for you. Not for someone who couldn't care less about how great you are. Okay?"
Rory sighed. "I know, I know. Well it sounds like it's bath time for Grandma Danes, so I better let you go."
"Hey! You try walking around all day with a volleyball-sized stomach and an extra ten pounds…never mind, don't try that. I'm not ready to be a grandmother anytime soon."
"Duly noted," said Rory quickly.
"Speaking of my volleyball-sized stomach, Luke and I decided on a name. And I thought of a middle name, but I wanted to get your take on it before mentioning it to Luke." Lorelai turned off the faucet and sat down on the edge of the tub.
"Okay," said Rory slowly.
"Eli for a first name."
"Because Eli rhymes with Lorelai," said Rory knowingly.
"And I was thinking Lee for a middle name. After you." Lorelai chewed on her thumbnail as she awaited her daughter's response.
"Leigh like my Leigh?"
"No, L-e-e."
"Eli Lee Danes. It has a nice sound to it. Grandpa is going to think you named him after Yale, I hope you know." Rory chuckled.
"Eh, who cares. Luke said I couldn't name him after myself, but he never said I couldn't name him after you."
"A loophole. Good job. Well I better get started on that piece. And I promise to call more often."
"I'm gonna hold you to that, Missy."
They said their goodbyes and Lorelai quickly undressed. She turned on the jets and carefully climbed inside the tub. She tried to relax, but she couldn't seem to get her conversation with Roxanne earlier out of her head. Who am I to pass judgement on two adults blurring that line between professional acquaintance and intimate partner? I did date my father's business partner…which ended in disaster. And I don't know for sure that anything is even going on between them. I just assumed because of Roxanne's behavior. God, I have a big mouth. Maybe I'll just blame it on my hormones—
Her thoughts were interrupted by a knock on the bedroom door followed by someone calling out her name. "Just a minute!" she called out as she slowly stood and climbed out of the tub. She grabbed her robe and pulled it on, making sure she was completely covered before answering the door.
"I don't know what to do," said Roxanne frantically as she brushed passed Lorelai. She started pacing back and forth in front of the fireplace in the corner of the room muttering to herself. "He needs this job. And we need him. I can't fire him." She stopped pacing and looked up at Lorelai as if she was seeing for the first time. "I think I love him."
Lorelai stared at Roxanne slack-jawed. She tugged the lapels on her robe tightly together as she walked over to the oversized sitting chairs next to her bed. She patted the seat next to hers indicating to Roxanne to come and sit down. When Roxanne finally did, Lorelai spoke.
"How long has it been going on?" asked Lorelai in a soothing voice. She learned a long time ago that it's not what you say, it's how you say it. Especially when you want to get information from someone.
"A year. Right before the buyout. We tried to stop seeing each other, but working close together everyday didn't seem to help. And my daughter is crazy about him. It's risky, I know, but everyone here pretty much knows. Except the Durham Group, obviously."
Finally things were starting to make sense to Lorelai. "Is that why you gave me such a hard time when I got here? So I wouldn't want to talk to you or press you for information?"
Roxanne grimaced slightly but nodded. "Pretty much. And it seemed like you had it all. Perfect job, perfect husband, perfect…life. Here I am carrying around this secret for a year and you just looked so at ease when you showed up. It kind of struck a nerve."
Lorelai couldn't help but laugh. "First of all, my life is far from perfect. I had my first child when I was sixteen and then moved out of my parents house a year later to be on my own with my kid. Second of all, Luke and I's relationship took a lot of work to get us where we are right now. We were friends for eight years before we even considered dating. I love my life, I'm not gonna lie. It's what I worked very hard to achieve and I did work hard. But, Roxanne, you can't be afraid to get to know someone because their life may seem better than yours."
"I know. And it's the complete opposite of what I'm teaching Josie. That's my daughter. I felt like everything could possibly be ripped away from me, so I lashed out. And I'm sorry for that."
Lorelai smiled and patted Roxanne's knee. "I accept your apology. And I promise not to say anything about you and Cole; however, I do think that maybe you should tell them yourself. We'll see how this romantic getaway idea pans out and maybe that will prove to Mike that, no matter what, you two are dedicated to the job."
"I'm sure they won't be too happy to know that I've lied to them for the past year."
Lorelai shrugged. "Maybe not, but I can vouch for the two of you. I probably wouldn't have even known something was going on had you not been so hostile towards me. You two are very discreet."
"We both care about our jobs too much to screw it up." After a moment, Roxanne stood and motioned toward the door. "I better go. Sorry for barging in, but thank you for listening."
"Any time. The listening part, not the barging in. It takes me way too long to climb out of the tub these days." Lorelai patted her stomach for emphasis.
Roxanne smiled. "See you tomorrow, Lorelai."
"Goodnight."
"Luke's!" barked the man himself.
"Hey, it's me. Are you busy?" asked Lorelai as she twisted the phone cord around her finger nervously. It was Friday morning and she was supposed to be leaving in an hour to head home for the weekend.
"I have a second. Are you on your way home?" Luke grabbed the carafe of coffee and refilled cups for the few patrons that were seated at the counter.
"Please don't be upset, but I'm not coming home this weekend. Roxanne and I are pitching the Romance Packages idea to Mike tomorrow and if that goes well then we have a lot of work to do to get it all set up." She held her breath as she waited for Luke to react.
"Why are you telling me this now? When I left Monday you promised to let me know if you weren't going to make it home. And now the day you're supposed to leave, you say you can't? That's not fair to me, Lorelai."
Lorelai exhaled sharply. "Luke, I'm being paid to do a job here. And I'm finally getting in a rhythm with the staff and plans are happening to keep this place from falling apart. I can't leave right now, so please do me a favor by not making me feel guilty about it."
"I'm making you feel guilty? You know what? I can't do this right now. I'm working."
"Luke—"
"We'll talk later." Luke hung up and quickly checked on his customers before ducking out into the storage room. He didn't know what got over him. When was the last time I even snapped at her like that? he thought as he paced the room. His cellphone started to ring in his back pocket and he perked up slightly thinking it might be Lorelai. "Hello?"
"Luke, it's Jess. You got a minute?"
Luke sighed in disappointment. "Yeah. What's up?"
"Not much. I'm gonna be coming to Connecticut for business and I was wondering if I could crash upstairs."
"Yeah, be my guest. Your bed is still up there, but there's no food. So, what's this business you have to take care of?" Luke smirked as he thought back to his comment years ago about Jess possibly being a gigolo.
"It's for Truncheon. I'll fill you in when I get there. You're sure it's okay that I crash? Your wife won't flip out?"
"It's fine. Lorelai is still in Maine, so she won't even be here."
Jess chuckled. "That doesn't really answer my question."
"Trust me. The last thing on Lorelai's mind is what's going on at home. I have to get back to work. I'll see you later." After hanging up with Jess, Luke stood in the storage room for another minute. Maybe that's the problem, he thought. Everybody else has something going on and I'm here doing the same old thing. He checked his watch and calculated the hours until his nephew arrived. Maybe a boys' weekend is what he needed.
Lorelai sat on her bed stunned. Luke had never hung up on her before. She expected him to be hurt by her decision to stay in Maine, but she didn't expect him to be angry about it. Although she was tempted to call him back, she knew she needed to let him cool off. "Married a month and we're already fighting," she mumbled as she stood and made her way to the closet.
Twenty minutes later she was dressed and headed for the kitchen. She pushed open the door to find Cole sitting on the floor in the corner with his head in his hands.
"Cole? Is everything okay?" asked Lorelai as she approached him slowly trying to gauge his emotional state.
He looked up with panic in his eyes. "I can't do this. Who was I kidding?"
Lorelai crouched down as best she could and tentatively placed her hand on Cole's shoulder. "What can't you do?"
"This!" He gestured around the kitchen. "I told Roxy not to worry, that I would come up with an amazing selection for tomorrow night. But I have nothing. I can't do this."
Lorelai slowly stood and rested a hand on her hip. "Cole, you can do this. You cook amazing food. It's just the pressure that's getting to you. Cooker's block! It's like writer's block only for chefs. Trust me. I've witnessed it with my chef Sookie." In saying Sookie's name, Lorelai got an idea.
"If the pressure of cooking for one person does this to me, imagine paying customers expecting the romantic dinner of a lifetime and all I can deliver them is a salad."
"Here, come on." Lorelai held her hands out to help Cole to his feet. "Now, listen to me. The romantic dinners package is just one of the things we're pitching. It's a small part of the evening. And Mike already knows how talented a chef you are. You wouldn't be here if he thought otherwise."
"I still can't think of anything good enough and I have one day to figure it out." Cole dragged a hand down his face.
"Focus on breakfast prep for now and see if something comes to you. In the meantime, I'm going to make a phone call and see if someone is willing to share some ideas." Lorelai turned to leave but Cole reached out for her arm.
"Please don't tell Roxanne about this. She has enough to worry about."
Lorelai smiled and made a zipping motion across her lips. She understood what an enormous amount of stress could do to a person and she needed this weekend to go off without a hitch.
Jess arrived to the diner around one o'clock that afternoon. Luke was clearing off a table when he spotted his nephew parking his car across the street. Luke placed the stack of empty plates on the counter and waited for Jess on the steps outside.
"Nice to see you finally got rid of that death trap of a car," Luke called out as Jess grabbed his duffel bag from the backseat of his Subaru and quickly crossed the street.
"It's nice to see you too," Jess deadpanned as he held his hand out to his uncle. Luke took it and pulled him in for a quick hug. Jess gestured to his car. "It's a few years old, but it doesn't backfire when you start it. I must say, I do miss seeing people duck for cover."
Luke chuckled. "You hungry? I can whip us up something and bring it upstairs."
"Sounds good." Jess followed Luke into the diner and made a beeline for the stairs. He ignored the looks from the townspeople who were probably wondering why the town hooligan had returned.
Fifteen minutes later Luke entered the apartment holding two to-go containers with their lunch. For a moment it felt just like old times. Jess' things scattered on his bed and Luke being the provider. It was what he was always good at. Taking care of the people he loved whether they wanted it or not. He set the containers down and checked the fridge. Since he usually came up to the apartment to do his ordering or to balance the diner's checkbook, Luke at least kept the fridge stocked with drinks. He pulled out a bottle of water for himself and a Red Bull for Jess.
Jess rounded the corner from the bathroom and joined Luke at the table. "So, how's married life?"
"So, how's business?" Luke countered trying to avoid the topic of his argument with Lorelai.
Jess smirked before taking a bite of his burger. He knew his uncle all too well, so he could tell there was something going on with him. "Things are good. We've already published a couple of books, short novels, but still. That's what I'm doing here. We have to self-distribute, so I drive around to independent bookstores and try to get them to carry the books."
"I'll talk to Andrew and see if he's willing to help out." Luke picked at his salad which didn't go unnoticed by his nephew.
Jess set down his burger. "Luke, what's up?"
Luke hesitated. "Nothing. I had a disagreement with Lorelai earlier about her not coming home this weekend and now I can't seem to get this conversation I had with Dean a few months ago outta my head."
Jess snorted. "Dean? He never struck me as one for meaningful conversations."
"Lemme ask you something. Did it ever bother you that Rory wanted more than this town had to offer?"
"Well considering I wanted more than this town had to offer, I would have to say no. What exactly did Dean say?" Jess popped a fry into his mouth as he waited for his uncle to elaborate.
"Just that they want more than this." Luke held his palms up and shrugged. "Obviously that was true for Rory, I mean look at her. She goes to Yale and she wants to be a journalist. Everyone knows she wants more than Stars Hollow. I didn't think that would be Lorelai though…" He trailed off and took a quick sip of water.
"What are you talking about? This town revolves around Lorelai. They fall at her feet. Your diner could stay in business with just her and Rory eating there alone. Let me ask you this. When was the last time you did anything besides work and then go home to that big, empty house?"
Luke exhaled sharply. "I haven't had a choice. Lane was on tour all summer and they didn't get back until a few weeks ago. That's how I was able to drive up last weekend to see Lorelai."
"Look, I get it. You're used to her being around. She's got that crazy energy that people seem to like. Personally I'd enjoy the quiet time while I could." Jess polished off his burger and gave Luke a pointed look.
Luke sighed. "Maybe you're right. I've been spending too much time in my own head lately. You wanna do something tonight? Catch a movie? Get a beer? I hear it's Alfred Hitchcock night at the Black, White, and Read theater."
"Sounds like a plan. I just need to drive out to Hartford and try to peddle some of these books first. I'll be back in a few hours." Jess stood and tossed his empty container in the trash and pulled on his jean jacket. He headed for the door but stopped suddenly. "This place is her world, Luke. You and everything that comes along with it. Dean doesn't know her like you know her. I'll see you later."
Luke lifted his hand in a half wave. He felt better about things. Maybe living outside of his head for once would do him some good.
"Dragonfly Inn, Michel speaking."
"Hey, Michel. Miss me yet?" asked Lorelai cheekily.
"How nice to hear your siren call. What can I do for you?"
"I need to speak to Sookie and I couldn't remember the number to the kitchen."
"Aw, lucky me. I get to be your middle man and fetch Sookie like I am a dog. You've made my day," drawled Michel.
"Michel just transfer me to the kitchen. You don't even have to move from your comfy spot behind my desk."
Michel quickly sat upright. "How did you know?"
"I have eyes and ears all over that place, Michel. Now get me to Sookie, please." Lorelai waited on hold for what seemed like forever. She was about to hang up and redial when Sookie finally picked up.
"Hey, honey! How's life on the lake treatin' ya?" asked Sookie as she sliced fruit and tossed it into a large bowl.
"Really good actually. We're going to be pitching some ideas to Mike tomorrow about making this place more of a romantic getaway." Lorelai started doodling on a piece of paper in front of her in the office.
"Well it does look very romantic. I showed Jackson the updated website the other day and even he said that he could see us going there for a weekend away from the kids."
"See! That's exactly what I have in mind. The only problem is that we pitch our ideas for everything tomorrow night and our chef has no idea what to make. And he's an amazing chef. I told you about his lobster ravioli. I think he's just feeling the pressure of it all which is why I need a favor."
"Okay. Shoot."
"Could you send me a couple of your best recipes? Something romantic, but not too over the top. They're on a much smaller budget here at least until things pick up."
"Of course. Anything you need. I'll even drive up there and cook the food myself if I have to." Sookie placed a sheet of plastic wrap over the bowl of fruit and placed it into the fridge.
"Oh, Sookie I love you for that, but he has to learn to keep up despite the pressure. If this pitch goes well, Cole will have to sink or swim." Roxanne chose that moment to enter the office giving Lorelai a confused look. "So, uh, fax me your best ones, the number is on the website, and I'll talk to you soon." Lorelai quickly hung up and tried to hide the guilty look on her face.
"Good morning," said Roxanne slowly. "Is everything okay?"
Lorelai nodded. "Fine, fine. Everything is fine. I thought that with the pitch being pretty important and all we should cook something that's been proven to be a big hit at the Dragonfly, so my friend Sookie is gonna send over a couple of different recipes for Cole to look at. He thought it was a good idea too."
Roxanne placed her binder down on the opposite side of the desk and took a seat. "Okay. Whatever you think is best."
"I can't believe we pulled it off!" squealed Roxanne as the front door to the inn closed behind Mike Armstrong. "And that bistro idea! Where the hell did that come from?"
Lorelai beamed. "I don't know. I've been thinking about Luke all day and I remembered when he was here looking at the boathouse that it would be beautiful to sit up there and watch the sunset on the lake. We'll figure the details out later, but The Boathouse Bistro does have a nice ring to it."
The pitch went perfectly. They proposed almost ten different package options, but until it was sure to be a success, Mike narrowed the list down to five. The occupancy rates were steadily climbing, but it would take a few more weeks to see if the results of the inn being a romantic getaway had any bearing. Mike also allocated a budget for restoring the boathouse, so all they needed to do was figure out the best way to use the space.
"It's a pretty small space, so I'm thinking maybe dinner for two. We could build a ramp that goes straight to the top from the outside instead of going through the bottom," said Lorelai thinking out loud
"Well we don't have to decide this tonight. I'm sure you're exhausted. Go upstairs and I'll send Shay up with some leftover chocolate-covered strawberries," said Roxanne.
"Oh, you do know the way to my heart. Goodnight, guys. Great job tonight." Lorelai slowly climbed the stairs. She was indeed exhausted. They only had two full days to prepare for the presentation with Mike and she felt like she hadn't stopped in just as long. Not to mention she still hadn't spoken to Luke since he hung up on her the previous morning. She had meant to call him before going to bed, but it was late by the time she and Roxanne got all the posters made. It was no wonder she thought about him all day long.
She entered her room and immediately kicked off her flats. After turning on the tub she walked back into the room to check her phone for any messages. None. Her delivery of strawberries came, so she carried them into the bathroom to enjoy with her bath. There was something so romantic about a bubble bath and chocolate-covered strawberries that sent a pang of guilt right through her. She wasn't lying when she told Luke she couldn't come home because they had to work on the presentation. She did, however, leave out the part about it being incredibly difficult to spend only a few days with him to then watch him leave or be the one leaving.
After her bath, and three very large strawberries, Lorelai decided it was time. She was already four months pregnant and getting more and more uncomfortable each week. It dawned on her that she has done more career-wise in this short amount of time than she had in years and a feeling of pride bloomed in her chest. She decided right then that she wanted to enjoy the last stretch of what would definitely be her last pregnancy. Her work at Wolf Cove Inn was done and it was time to head home to Stars Hollow.
Luke was just getting home from KC's when his cellphone started to ring. "Hello?"
"I'm sorry," said Lorelai softly.
Luke sighed with relief. "I'm sorry, too. I shouldn't have overreacted like I did. I know your job is important, so I'm gonna stay out of the way if you need me to."
"No, Luke. I mean, yes my job is important. But not more important than you. Or Eli," she said with a smile.
Luke couldn't help but smile at the sound of his son's name. "How was your thing tonight?"
"We were a hit. Mike loved it and I have to give you credit for the best part. We're going to turn the boathouse into a bistro. The Boathouse Bistro. Dinner for two while watching the sun go down. You can't get anymore romantic than that. And who knows, maybe we can go back before Eli gets here for a baby moon. A baby moon is when—"
Luke scoffed playfully. "I know what a baby moon is, Lorelai."
"Sorry. Tell me about your night. And make it quick because I'm having trouble keeping my eyes open. I'm so tired," said Lorelai sleepily.
"Not much to tell. I worked the lunch shift today and then I met, uh, Jess at KC's for a few beers." Luke waited for Lorelai to react. Things between her and Jess were better, but no matter how much time had passed, bringing up Jess' name always seemed to cause a little friction. When she didn't respond right away Luke thought for sure she was upset. He was about to explain the reason for Jess' visit when the sound of Lorelai's soft snoring could be heard through the phone. He smiled and said in a whisper, "Goodnight, Lorelai."