Chapter 5

Rory sat down in the bright purple plush chair in the offices of Cloudspring Technologies. The décor was definitely quirky – an interesting mix of old and new, funky and traditional. She could see Logan here – he'd always been great at spotting trends – she remembered his 'ideas' book from college, the same book he'd been scribbling in on that visit to Stars Hollow, and was surprised by how many of his predictions had come true.

A week ago, when she'd called his office, his assistant had taken down her name and credentials, and she had mainly corresponded with Cloudspring's public relations team on the interview details. She'd thought of reaching out to him directly, but there was so much ground to cover, and she wasn't quite sure if she was ready to do all that on the phone or over email. Meeting him in a formal, professional setting would be best, she thought. She had worn her lucky blue wrap dress today – she'd read somewhere that blue was friendly, yet assertive – both traits that she wanted to convey in her meeting with Logan today. She was here to do her job, she reminded herself, not to impress an ex. But then again, this was not an ordinary ex.

A tall curvy redhead, in her late-thirties, impeccably groomed, with sharp, shrewd green eyes walked over to her. "Ms Gilmore? I'm Maggie, Logan's executive assistant. He's ready for you now. Would you like something to drink?"

"Coffee would be great". Rory smiled, trying to hide her nervousness.

Maggie opened the door and ushered her into Logan's office.

"Logan, Ms Gilmore from Buzz Ink is here."

Logan looked up from the papers he was reading and froze momentarily. Recovering his composure quickly, he gestured to the seating area in his office and walked over to the silver, L-shaped sofa.

"Rory Gilmore. As I live and breathe." His face broke into a grin.

"So, you're Wendy's protégé. She told me she was sending a talented reporter my way, one that I absolutely had to chat with – she has it in her mind that you're going to be our generation's Fran Lebowitz" Logan smirked, his warm brown eyes twinkling.

Rory laughed, "I've always thought I'd shoot for Christiane Amanpour, but I'd take Fran Lebowitz any day."

She had run through so many scenarios in her head about what could possibly happen, but she had forgotten just how charismatic Logan could be. The years had been good to him. He was dressed in Silicon Valley chic – a fitted black T- shirt, stylish jeans and grey suede loafers. He was more tanned and fitter than before. His hair was a little lighter and shorter now, and the laugh lines around his eyes were slightly deeper than before. He had lost some of the boyish brashness of youth – and in its place, he had acquired a quiet sense of confidence and authority.

"I'm sorry if I surprised you, I thought your PR team would have given you my name."

"If I had known it was you, Ace, we could have arranged lunch or something to catch up. It's been a long time."

Ace. It had been a long time since she'd had anyone call her that. Rory didn't know what it was, but she felt a small lump form in her throat and a wistfulness to go back to the past. Their eyes met for a while, but the brief moment of awkwardness was broken by a discreet knock on the door. Maggie appeared with a coffee for her, and some kind of a green juice concoction for Logan.

Logan looked a little sheepish. "California habit", he said and shrugged, as he picked up his drink.

"Gilmore habit," she quipped, as she picked up her coffee.

They both laughed - and just like that, the ice was broken again and Rory's nervousness evaporated. They exchanged a few more pleasantries, about her mom and grandparents, his parents and sister. Rory stole a glance and his left hand – still no ring. She wasn't sure if she should ask – they had sort of established a friendly truce – and Rory had no desire to find out if Logan had followed the news about Trey.

Logan watched the lovely woman seated across from him. When he'd looked up from his desk and saw that it was her, for a few seconds, his world had stopped. Fortunately, thanks to the decades of social graces that had been drilled into him from infancy, he'd recovered quickly.

At almost thirty, Rory Gilmore still exuded the same aura of youthful innocence and heart-stopping beauty. Her hair was still a rich chestnut brown, worn in soft curls framing her face. Her eyes were still the same startling cerulean blue, but more guarded now. Her modest dress draped softly over her slim figure. He was surprised by how comfortable he still felt in her presence and how easy it was to fall back into their old banter. And he was disturbed by this inexplicable sense of protectiveness he felt toward her, this unexplainable need to put her at ease and make her smile.

Rory opened her notebook looked at the list of interview questions she'd prepared.

"Thanks so much for agreeing to speak to me on the thinking behind Cloudspring's strategy. I really want to know – you've spent the past five years building up Cloudspring's portfolio of companies, including a cutting-edge social media advertising platform, a couple of national news websites with millions of subscribers, and a news aggregator, amongst others. Where does the acquisition and revamp of small-town newspapers fit in?"

Logan gave her a wry smile. "Funny you should ask", he said. "Or rather, funny that you're the one asking."

At Rory's quizzical look, Logan explained "I've always thought that at the core of social media is good content. And global and national news content has become increasingly commoditised in recent years. Pick up any newspaper, and they're all covering the same events. Readers don't have the time or the attention span to read three different views of the same event – they're too busy posting on social media and sharing and exchanging their views with their friends." He took a sip of his drink.

"It's the human-interest stories that are driving traffic and clicks now. And that's where small town news comes in. Don't mock me," he warned. "But a lot of this was inspired by one Taylor Doose from Stars Hollow." Rory laughed in surprise, unable to contain herself.

Encouraged by her mirth, Logan continued "Small town newspapers create a wealth of great content – content that should be distributed to a much wider audience, and doesn't need to be limited by the paper boy's route. Because of the limitations of the Stars Hollow paper boy, I lived 24 years of my life in ignorance, never learning about the antics of the great Taylor Doose until you brought me to the Hay Bale Maze"

"No offense, Rory. But in my business, it's not so much about the quality of the writing or the op-eds, all the stuff they teach you in journalism classes. It's about scale and clicks and going viral. Small town news is perfect – it's generally wholesome, sometimes quirky, sometimes mundane. But with the technology that we have at Cloudspring, we're able to amplify what appeals most and bring it to a wider audience."

Rory smiled and nodded, her mind whirling with the personal implications of the anecdote Logan had just shared. He spoke about his trip to Stars Hollow with so much fondness and seemed to hold no grudges about how things had ended between them years ago. She was impressed by his foresight and passion. And she was strangely proud of his success, though she had played no part in it – he'd managed to step away from the Huntzberger dynasty and become his own man.

She continued running through her list of questions, and a lively give-and-take ensued.

And then Logan's phone rang, and he looked at his watch. "Oh shoot. I'm late for my next appointment. I would love to chat more, but I have to go."

Rory stood up and smoothed her dress, unsure if she should shake his hand or if that was too formal.

"Thank you for your time and sharing your insights, Logan. It was a pleasure. You've given me a lot to think about. I"ll be sure to send you a copy of the article when I'm done."

"Anytime, Rory." He walked her to the elevator lobby. As she stepped into the elevator, he held the door open with his arm.

"Don't be a stranger, Ace."