To say the flight home was awkward would be a major understatement. Everyone but Summer seemed to be aware that Logan had left the bachelor party with another woman and not the guys. No one wanted to be the one to break the news but no one was enjoying being a part of Logan's deception. The girls had all decided in advance to just go for distraction and they declared that they were having a girl's movie and snacks for the flight and no boys allowed in that section of the plane. It meant that at least they didn't have to watch the couple interact while knowing what Logan had been doing. The guys all returned to playing poker for the flight home but managed to break up into groups that meant Logan had no table to play on. He was forced to get his laptop out and pretend that he had work to catch up on. The guys knew they would probably eventually move past their anger with Logan, after all it wasn't as though his behaviour was a surprise.
On their end Rory and Finn stuck to their plan and spent the flight in the plane's bedroom. They slept their hangovers off and talked about all of the things they had done while split up over the weekend. They had spent a lot of the weekend trying not to rub their happiness in Logan's face, aware of the awkward situation of best friend marrying an ex, but now they regretted it. He had proven that he didn't exactly reciprocate the thoughtfulness.
"Finn?"
"Yes, Kitten?"
"I want to help Summer."
"What do you mean help?" Finn asked sitting up in the bed so he could see Rory clearly, he could see from the bottom lip caught in her teeth that she had been concentrating hard.
"I don't mean that I'm going to tell her he cheated, mainly because he didn't admit it, we are all just assuming because he never came back to the hotel. She knows that we all have an idea that they are working on their marriage. So I was going to try to subtly pass her a business card for my firm. I can help make sure she gets a shark of a divorce lawyer. We have a few at the firm. We both know Logan will use McRae's firm." Rory rambled out looking sheepishly at Finn.
Finn sighed and pulled her into his arms again. "Less than six months ago, you hated her, and now you want to make sure she doesn't get Huntzberger'd. This is part of the reason I love you, your compassion is endless."
"Will she see it as compassion? Or will she think I am trying to gloat?" Rory said nervously.
"Are you gloating?" Finn asked with an eyebrow raise.
"No, if I was gloating I would have Paris throw in a card for an STD check." At that Finn burst into loud laughter.
"OH MY GOD! Can we do that? I want to see Logan's face."
"No Finn, that would be cruel. I think I will write her a note and tell her to open it later and alone. Or maybe I should ask her to call me at work. What do you think?"
"I think maybe a call might be better, if you write her a letter and Logan finds it, it would be world war three! If you get her to give you a call at work you can lay out her options and help her make a plan before Logan even has time to know.
"Okay Finn I think you are right, I'll just give her my business card and tell her to call me to arrange lunch, that sounds natural and I can pull that off."
TWENTY MINUTES UNTIL WE LAND IF EVERYONE COULD PLEASE SIT DOWN AND PREPARE FOR OUR DESCENT
At that announcement Finn and Rory walked back out to the main cabin to join their friends.
"Lots of laughter going on in there, is Finn's technique that laughable?" Logan shouts with a smirk.
"Believe me, it's anything but laughable,'' Rory retorted, trying to stop her face going red with anger.
"And believe me, I've stayed with them before, I'd rather hear laughter than the shouts I have heard. I'm still traumatized from last time." Olivia threw out, she knew what Logan was trying to do and knew she was best placed to shut it down.
"You said you didn't hear anything!" Rory exclaimed.
"Rory, I'd have to be deaf to have not heard you guys."
"Okay, okay girls don't make me separate you, and Olivia we will just put you on a different floor next time, maybe the wine cellar." Finn said with a serious face, while their friends all laughed.
"Maybe I need to review that STD plan," Rory whispered to Finn. Finn laughed, he knew as much as Rory might joke about it, she had too much heart to be mean to Summer like that and she knew that's who that would hurt.
Once they landed and were all getting ready to say goodbye Rory got Summer's attention.
"Hey Summer, I might be in Hartford this week, if I am, do you want to have lunch? Here's my card, give me a call sometime this week, okay?"
"Um, sure. I'm around all week, Logan is going to London for work this week so lunch sounds great." Summer answered truthfully, but skeptically.
Rory was at her desk typing frantically, working on a brief, when her assistant buzzed her.
"Miss Hayden, I have Mrs Summer Huntzberger on the phone for you."
"Thanks Charlie, you can put her through." Rory took a deep breath; she was not looking forward to this phone call.
"Hi Summer," Rory looked around her office before focusing on a picture of her and Finn taken at a Gala they had been forced to attend earlier in the year, even at an awful event they looked like they were truly happy. Rory knew she should focus on that, everyone deserves to be that happy, not just existing.
"Hey Rory, I hope you aren't too busy, I feel bad interrupting you at work."
"No Summer, it's fine I told you to."
"So Rory, you wanted to have lunch?"
Rory took a deep breath, it was now or never. "Well actually Summer, I wanted to talk to you about something. I know I wouldn't be able to have this conversation face to face so I hope you don't mind if we just talk now do you?"
"Of course not, unless you are going to tell me you have Logan's secret lovechild from college hidden somewhere." Summer joked with a half hearted laugh.
"No, it isn't that but it does involve Logan."
"Okay, go ahead Rory."
"I know Logan made you some promises, and that you are giving it a proper try for an actual marriage, not a society marriage."
"Right…"
"Well I'd like to offer my services to potentially help you at the end of those six months."
"In what way? What aren't you telling me Rory?" Summer asked, anger slipping into her tone.
"Nothing, there's nothing I know, not for certain anyway Summer, and believe me, I wish we weren't having this conversation. I'm basing my offer on suspicion and knowledge of Logan's past behaviour."
"Okay, so what way do you want to help me?" Summer asked, almost resigned in tone.
"Well I can help put you in touch with a shark of a divorce attorney, in case you need one. They would be able to help you review your pre-nup that I'm sure Daddy Huntz put in place."
"Rory, tell me honestly, do you think he is cheating again?"
"Summer, I don't know him very well anymore, but I do know when he cheated on me and promised it would never happen again, all he did was be more careful to avoid being caught. I was left reeling when it happened to me, and I don't want the same to happen to you. Hopefully he isn't and everything works out great for you both, but if it doesn't. Well that's the situation I'd like to help you be prepared for. If it doesn't work out you would be in a position to move instead of scrambling, and if it does work out we can just forget all about this." Rory rambled out as quickly as possible.
"So you aren't certain, but you want to just help me in case?"
"Yes, and I honestly hope it's help that you will never need to actually use. When you got your pre-nup did your dad negotiate it with his attorney and you signed or was it someone who was advocating just for you?"
"It was my Dad's," Summer sucked in a breath, "Oh you mean he might have made it more business friendly instead of actually to my benefit?"
"Yes, that's exactly what I'd like to help you find out. I have seen a few society pre-neps set up so that the wife gets very little if there is a divorce because both families think that a divorce will ruin their reputation so both sides want it discouraged."
"Oh"
"But like I said, Summer hopefully nothing is necessary but I like you and I don't want you hurt. I know this is an awkward conversation to have with your husband's ex-girlfriend. But I feel like we bonded over the weekend, and I want to ensure you are protected. Think about it. You can take me up on the offer anytime."
"Thanks Rory, I'm sorry, I have to go. You kind of sprung a lot on me and I need some time to think about it." Summer said with a sigh.
"Of course, even if it's fifteen years from now the offer still stands. I'll let you go. Bye Summer."
"Bye Rory, and thanks."
Rory replaced the handset to the receiver and took a deep breath, she did not enjoy making that kind of call. Even the nature of her work and the frequency of similar calls, had not made her immune to the pain that comes with ending a marriage or breaking up a family. That was why she mainly stuck to business law, preferring to leave family law to different associates.
A/N I am hoping to wrap this up by about chapter 50. I originally thought it would be like a 20-25 chapter fic so I'm a little shocked it's still going. There maybe a bigger gap between updates as it gets closer to the end.