Days and weeks flew past quickly as Rory tried to keep up with her research, having just received another manuscript from Alex. This time it was an autobiography of a fairly famous Broadway actress. She knew the book would need some work, after browsing through it quickly, but she knew it'd be done by Christmas. Logan was away on business for almost two weeks in London, leaving her some time in the evenings to get the work done after Leah went to bed. Before Logan had left, he'd left out an invite to the HPG Christmas Gala, taking place in the beginning of December, together with HPG's Black Amex with a note "Enjoy!" for her. She certainly had a closet full of dresses, but she took his word for it - the HPG Gala was one of the biggest events in the publishing business , which probably meant it did need a new dress.
She jumped into Paris' car as she pulled up her driveway, ready to take her car to Manhattan that Saturday. Paris and Lorelai shared firmly the position of her designated dress-shoppers, but as Lorelai had gotten the flu, it was just her and Paris this time.
"So how have you been?" Paris asked as she drove, picking the right moment when to tell her about Finn. They'd been seeing each other for almost three weeks now - and even to her surprise there had been more talk than action, not that the latter was in any way secondary.
"Been busy, feeling a bit bad that Leah has to spend so much time with Lauren with my workload, but well I asked for it," she sighed having just finished the second round of edits with the autobiography. She was in no way regretting her choice of working as much as she did, she still felt like she was making up for lost time of sorts.
"It's a mindset - you work hard but you make time," Paris stated.
"I have two weeks during Christmas to make time," she replied hopefully, asking in return "Anything new with you?"
"There is, but I really do think I should pull over for this one," she said, looking for the nearest rest stop.
"Paris? Come on, it can't be that bad," Rory said, just as Paris pulled over sharply, taking a deep breath before speaking.
"I've been just looking for a good moment to tell you, but I've been seeing someone," she said.
"But that's great! You didn't get together with Doyle again, did you?" she asked, wondering why Paris was being so hesitant.
"No, god no!" Paris exclaimed.
"Who then?" Rory inquired impatiently, trying to think of people they both knew.
"I've been seeing Finn, alright?" she blurted.
"Like seeing around the playground or like dating?" Rory inquired, not really sure what she was hearing.
"Dating, talking, f***ing, you name it," Paris spelled it out bluntly.
"Oh, wow," Rory sighed, "I think I need to get out of the car for a moment," she said, opening the car door and placed her feet on the ground for a moment and took a deep breath, before sitting back in the car a few seconds later.
"Okay, this is certainly not what I expected to hear today," Rory continued, still taking deep breaths.
"But are you okay with this? I never really expected it to happen but we just sort of began running into each other at first and discovered we actually had a lot to talk about," Paris inquired, explaining how it had happened.
"I guess," Rory replied with a slight tremble in her voice, adding, "it's not like I have any hold over the guy, and I haven't seen him in a while too, but I never pictured you two together."
"Well we are," she confirmed.
"So this is quite serious between the two of you?" Rory asked.
"We're not rushing it. Nobody is moving in anywhere anytime soon, but I'd say yes," Paris said.
"Well okay then," she sighed, trying to move on from the thought. "Shall we go, there's still a long drive," Rory suggested.
The drive was a little tense, each going through the situation in their heads, making small-talk about what they saw on the road or heard on the radio. Paris had felt bad about not telling Rory for all those weeks, and to Rory the idea of Finn dating seriously, whomever it was, had always been a somewhat touchy subject. No matter that she was the one to break up with him, there was still a little tinge that the father of her child had finally moved on. At the same time she was glad he had, lifting some of her own guilt. But for the fact that he had done so with Paris, she still couldn't quite believe it, was a positive thing. She wasn't some bimbo from the bar, this was one of the people whom she admired most and certainly a capable role model for Leah.
Paris parked their car in a parking garage, and had just turned off the engine, as Rory said, "I'm sorry for my reaction before. I really am happy for you, you know," before hugging her.
"Thank you!" Paris said.
"Alright, enough, let's go get you that dress," Paris suggested, after taking a deep breath.
Four hours of shopping and a quick lunch later the two left with not one but two dress boxes in their trunk.
"You really showed that Amex who's the boss," Paris stated, as she pulled off.
"I don't want to hear it," Rory muttered, spending that way still didn't feel quite right to her.
Logan was eating dinner also at one of his go-to restaurants after a long day at the London office. He didn't really mind eating alone, offering him a moment to reflect on his day, before diving back into his work later as he returned to his hotel room. He'd sold his apartment after moving back to the States. He tried to take his trips as efficient as possible, not really doing anything other than working, except eating, sleeping and a morning jog. He had just ordered a salad and a bowl of ravioli, when a forgotten but familiar tall figure leaned on the empty chair opposite him.
"Logan! Funny running into you this side of the pond," she said with a smile.
"Ingrid, good to see you," he said politely.
"Are you eating alone?" Ingrid asked, wearing a red pencil dress.
"I am," he said without elaborating. He was not in the mood for company really.
"Mind if I join you?" she asked.
He was a gentleman, and there was no good way of turning down a question like that unless he was meeting someone or just about to leave, which he wasn't. He gestured towards the chair.
"I just got stood up, well just cancelled I suppose," Ingrid sighed.
"That's a shame," Logan replied.
She gestured to the waiter to indicate she changed tables before asking, "So what brings you back to London?"
"Just some work, I'm actually in New Haven now mostly," he said, hoping to tag Rory into the conversation.
"I moved back a few months ago, the US was not for me," Ingrid commented.
"You like this weather?" he asked, pointing out the window where it was dark and pouring.
"Well beats having to drive everywhere," she laughed.
Dinner passed uneventfully, discussing the differences between the US and London and in addition their respective jobs. As they rose to leave, Logan helped her with her coat. That was what he was taught to do in the presence of women since he was a boy and it came automatically to him, not giving it a second thought. They stepped out into the drizzly and cold November night, and Logan hailed a taxi for her.
"You're not going to join me?" she asked, biting her lip while pushing her blonde hair behind her ear. That move caused Logan to flash back for a moment, it was certainly tempting, but it only took him a few seconds to bounce back to reality.
"I have a fiance back home," he replied, guiding her to the taxi.
"Suit yourself," she said, before pulling the taxi door shut.
Logan walked back to his hotel along the wet streets reflecting the city lights. The rain had finally stopped thankfully. He knew he probably shouldn't, but he felt a little proud of himself for turning her down. It hadn't been many times in his life he'd had to do that, but this time it had certainly come the easiest.
"Are you trying to kill me?" Mitchum barged into Logan's temporary office, slamming today's issue of the Sun in front of him.
"It took me months to clean up the mess you made with Odette," Mitchum added.
He didn't have to look at it to know what this was about. It had been completely innocent, with a hint of history, but it had been enough to get the papers talking.
"Nothing happened. She insisted on joining me for dinner and I put her in the taxi after," he summed it up briefly.
"Tell that to your fiance," he said, adding, "and fix this will you?" pointing at the paper, before he walked back out.
There was indeed a picture of him and Ingrid through the restaurant window having dinner, conveniently taken at a moment one of them had made a joke, capturing the two of them laughing, and another one where she'd made her move at the door of the taxi.
It was barely 9 AM in London, and in the middle of the night in New Haven. Too early to call Rory. But he needed to be the first to tell her.
He texted: "The Sun is insinuating I was somehow involved with a female acquaintance last night. Apparently having dinner and ordering her a taxi is a publishable offence these days. Nothing happened. Call me when you get this."
