Author's Note: Okay. So my computer is all SNAFU'd. Completely. Utterly. So
this chapter isn't in HTML format. Oops. Blame Compaq. Oh, and the title of
this chapter is an unintentional pun/reference . . .not on purpose.
**********
Getting Started
"This is a lovely apartment," the woman said, opening the door ahead of them and gesturing Jess and Rory into the apartment. "It's just perfect for a young couple starting out."
"Well," Rory said. "I have to live in the dorms for freshman year, but after that," she hitched her elbow through Jess', "it's apartment living for two."
"That's wonderful," the woman said insincerely, smile still in place. "Now, it's a one-bedroom, one-bathroom apartment with a nice kitchen-slash-dining room, and a living room. It comes fully furnished, and you can decorate with whatever you want, as long as it's not permanent." She waited while Jess walked around the room, slightly unnerved by his silence. He looked out the window, taking in the view of a busy street with stores on each side.
He asked his first question. "What's in the storefront below us?"
"It's currently vacant. But it won't be anything like a noisy bar or a club or whatnot," she said. "It's only zoned for retail stores."
"Really?" he asked, interested now. The money was burning a hole in his proverbial pocket. He'd laid aside the change left over after taxes for investment, and had even hired a broker to manage it for him. So he had five hundred thousand dollars waiting to be used. His father had said to make his dream come true, so that's what he would do.
"I'm gonna go check out the bed and bath," Rory said, leaving him and the Realtor alone in the room.
There was a moment of awkward silence before he asked, "Do you handle the storefront downstairs, too?"
She looked startled, then patronizing. "Yes. But it's a business property, and way beyond your price range."
"I thought you were supposed to encourage sales," he said icily. "Not discourage. Just answer my questions without your personal comments." She looked taken aback at his order, but, sensing there was more to this situation--dollar-wise--she capitulated. "Square footage?" he asked.
She flipped through her notes. "Around a thousand, I believe. Oh, yes. Right here. One thousand fifty square feet."
"Price for renting?"
"Eight thousand a month," she said, expecting him to choke on the number. Instead, he did some mental arithmetic, liking what he arrived at.
"Can I make an appointment with you to check out that property?" he said, glancing towards the doorway to the bedroom.
"I have an hour free tomorrow," she said, surprised but intrigued.
"Anyone else interested in that property right now?"
"It's only been vacant for a few days," she answered, a trifle defensively.
"I'll take that as a no," Jess said. "What time tomorrow?"
They set the appointment and were shaking hands on it when Rory walked back into the room, eyebrows raised. "It's a nice apartment," she said, looking at her boyfriend pointedly.
"So you like it," Jess said. She nodded fervently. "Looks like we'll take it," he said.
"Really?" she asked. "I haven't even told you the monthly rent."
"Well, tell me now so I can cut a check."
"I wish I could," she said, licking her lips at the prospect. He was obviously richer than he looked. "But first I have to submit your tenant application to the landlord, and you have to be. . .well. . ."
"Checked out?" Rory supplied.
"For wont of a better term, yes," she said gratefully.
Jess shrugged and filled out the application form, noting her name already filled in on the line, "Shown property by" line. Nora Pembrooke, he thought. How very. . .pretentious.
Rory and Nora chatted idly while he filled in the form, but he managed to block most of it out. Only half of his attention was focused on the papers. The other half was trying to figure out how to manage what he was about to attempt.
When he finally handed the form to Nora, she looked relieved. "I'm afraid I might be a bit late for my next appointment," she explained.
"Rory," Jess said. "Why don't you head on down and start the car?"
She eyed him warily at such a transparent dismissal, but shrugged assent.
"So I'll see you tomorrow at two?" Jess asked Nora.
She nodded. "But why keep it a secret from your girlfriend? It's not like it's an engagement ring."
"Not yet," Jess muttered. "It's a surprise, okay?" He turned and left abruptly, leaving Nora to shake her head and inspect the apartment one last time.
**********
That night at the hotel Jess was staying in, Rory asked, "What were you shaking hands with her for?"
"No reason," he answered. He turned away from her and flipped a page in his book.
Rory was technically staying in the dorms during freshman orientation week at Harvard, before any actual classes started, but she planned on staying with Jess most nights until he could move into the apartment. Her mother had given her the Jeep as a going-away present, sighting that she was tired of it and wanted a new car anyway. So she used the Jeep to commute between Cambridge and Boston proper.
"Hey, what do you have going on tomorrow afternoon?" Jess asked, still not looking at her.
She huffed a little, then said, "I've got a tour of the campus scheduled from noon to three. I've all ready done a tour, but did they listen to me? No!"
"So skip it," he suggested, knowing she wouldn't do anything like that.
"No. Maybe mom and I missed something," she said, and flopped down on the bed next to him. "Fine, I'll stop asking about why you shook hands with Nora."
He dropped the book and turned until he faced her. She hadn't expected the solemn look on his face, and she blinked. "Thanks," he told her, then leaned forward and kissed her.
**********
Jess was up to something, she was sure of it. The fact that he didn't even bother to try and deny it just made her madder. Did he think she wouldn't be happy with his idea? Did he think she'd hate it?
She floated through orientation week with a minimum of fuss. Her roommate was okay, but it would take time to get used to having a stranger living in the same room as you. Jennifer wasn't even really that bad, unless you counted that she was constantly wearing pastels. She didn't have one dark color in her entire wardrobe. But, Rory reminded herself, at least her roommate wasn't Paris. Friends they may have become-after a long, long time- but if they'd had to live together they would have ended up as a murder/suicide. That was beside the point.
"What do you mean, he's up to something?" Paris demanded, lying across Rory's bed in what passed for a relaxed pose in Paris' universe.
"He's hiding something from me," Rory said, spinning in her desk chair. "I mean, he's being even more taciturn than usual."
"I meant," Paris said pointedly, "that it's Jess. He's usually up to something, and sometimes you're better off not knowing what it is."
Rory paused and considered that. "Well."
"You can stop praising my deductive capabilities now," Paris said. "I've gotta go and make sure my roommate hasn't turned our room into a pig sty again. She even throws *my* stuff around." Rory smiled at her friend as she left.
Jess usually *was* up to something, Rory thought. But he didn't usually have the money to pull anything off. Now he did. And she knew he was being responsible with it. He had several thousands set aside for investment to hopefully keep him in money. But what was he going to do?
Maybe he was going to franchise Luke's Diner. The thought made Rory grin maniacally. Yeah, and there would be pigs flying over the campus tomorrow when she woke up. Realizing she would probably never guess what he was doing, Rory decided to head out to buy her textbooks.
**********
That night Rory was once again staying at the hotel with Jess. The landlord had been delighted that someone was willing to move in right away and had approved Jess' application, so he would be out of the hotel by the next day.
"Then you'll be driving back to Stars Hollow for your stuff?" Rory asked him as they lay side by side in the dark. She felt him nodding, but he didn't say anything. "So you'll be gone for a couple days?" Again the nod. "Darn. I guess I'll just have to get used to my dorm bed."
"It won't be that long before you're moving in with me," he said. "And running up my phone bill talking to Lorelai." Rory smiled. She talked with her mother for at least an hour every night. Now that she was gone--and now that they were engaged--Luke had officially moved into the Gilmore house, or, rather, the Gilmore-Danes house. The wedding preparations were the main topic of discussion for Lorelai, and getting used to college was Rory's.
"Probably," Rory said, then snuggled closer to Jess. "But you're a rich man, you can handle it."
"Yeah," he said, adjusting his position just slightly. His thoughts drifted for a while, until he heard Rory's light snoring. He grinned as he always did when he heard the delicate noise that she fervently denied she made.
The property was as good as his. If the landlord hadn't objected to his application for an apartment, Jess didn't see why he would turn down his application for the storefront, especially since he had enough to pay for the first several years in advance if he had to. His stomach began to churn at the thought of what he was risking.
He was going to open his own bookstore. He hoped. A used bookstore, something to cater to everyday people who just wanted something good to read as well as collectors willing to spend hundreds on books. He didn't know what he was going to call it, but he had almost everything else worked out in his head. The next few months were going to be a lot of work for him and for Rory, who he was going to tell once he knew he could get the property beneath his apartment. But he didn't want to jinx it.
*And on that note,* he thought, shutting his brain off for the night, *I'm going to sleep.*
**********
Last chapter coming next. And congratulations to Gohan Keller, who guessed what Jess was gonna do with the money. Good for you!. . .I was hoping I wasn't being too obvious about that. . .
**********
Getting Started
"This is a lovely apartment," the woman said, opening the door ahead of them and gesturing Jess and Rory into the apartment. "It's just perfect for a young couple starting out."
"Well," Rory said. "I have to live in the dorms for freshman year, but after that," she hitched her elbow through Jess', "it's apartment living for two."
"That's wonderful," the woman said insincerely, smile still in place. "Now, it's a one-bedroom, one-bathroom apartment with a nice kitchen-slash-dining room, and a living room. It comes fully furnished, and you can decorate with whatever you want, as long as it's not permanent." She waited while Jess walked around the room, slightly unnerved by his silence. He looked out the window, taking in the view of a busy street with stores on each side.
He asked his first question. "What's in the storefront below us?"
"It's currently vacant. But it won't be anything like a noisy bar or a club or whatnot," she said. "It's only zoned for retail stores."
"Really?" he asked, interested now. The money was burning a hole in his proverbial pocket. He'd laid aside the change left over after taxes for investment, and had even hired a broker to manage it for him. So he had five hundred thousand dollars waiting to be used. His father had said to make his dream come true, so that's what he would do.
"I'm gonna go check out the bed and bath," Rory said, leaving him and the Realtor alone in the room.
There was a moment of awkward silence before he asked, "Do you handle the storefront downstairs, too?"
She looked startled, then patronizing. "Yes. But it's a business property, and way beyond your price range."
"I thought you were supposed to encourage sales," he said icily. "Not discourage. Just answer my questions without your personal comments." She looked taken aback at his order, but, sensing there was more to this situation--dollar-wise--she capitulated. "Square footage?" he asked.
She flipped through her notes. "Around a thousand, I believe. Oh, yes. Right here. One thousand fifty square feet."
"Price for renting?"
"Eight thousand a month," she said, expecting him to choke on the number. Instead, he did some mental arithmetic, liking what he arrived at.
"Can I make an appointment with you to check out that property?" he said, glancing towards the doorway to the bedroom.
"I have an hour free tomorrow," she said, surprised but intrigued.
"Anyone else interested in that property right now?"
"It's only been vacant for a few days," she answered, a trifle defensively.
"I'll take that as a no," Jess said. "What time tomorrow?"
They set the appointment and were shaking hands on it when Rory walked back into the room, eyebrows raised. "It's a nice apartment," she said, looking at her boyfriend pointedly.
"So you like it," Jess said. She nodded fervently. "Looks like we'll take it," he said.
"Really?" she asked. "I haven't even told you the monthly rent."
"Well, tell me now so I can cut a check."
"I wish I could," she said, licking her lips at the prospect. He was obviously richer than he looked. "But first I have to submit your tenant application to the landlord, and you have to be. . .well. . ."
"Checked out?" Rory supplied.
"For wont of a better term, yes," she said gratefully.
Jess shrugged and filled out the application form, noting her name already filled in on the line, "Shown property by" line. Nora Pembrooke, he thought. How very. . .pretentious.
Rory and Nora chatted idly while he filled in the form, but he managed to block most of it out. Only half of his attention was focused on the papers. The other half was trying to figure out how to manage what he was about to attempt.
When he finally handed the form to Nora, she looked relieved. "I'm afraid I might be a bit late for my next appointment," she explained.
"Rory," Jess said. "Why don't you head on down and start the car?"
She eyed him warily at such a transparent dismissal, but shrugged assent.
"So I'll see you tomorrow at two?" Jess asked Nora.
She nodded. "But why keep it a secret from your girlfriend? It's not like it's an engagement ring."
"Not yet," Jess muttered. "It's a surprise, okay?" He turned and left abruptly, leaving Nora to shake her head and inspect the apartment one last time.
**********
That night at the hotel Jess was staying in, Rory asked, "What were you shaking hands with her for?"
"No reason," he answered. He turned away from her and flipped a page in his book.
Rory was technically staying in the dorms during freshman orientation week at Harvard, before any actual classes started, but she planned on staying with Jess most nights until he could move into the apartment. Her mother had given her the Jeep as a going-away present, sighting that she was tired of it and wanted a new car anyway. So she used the Jeep to commute between Cambridge and Boston proper.
"Hey, what do you have going on tomorrow afternoon?" Jess asked, still not looking at her.
She huffed a little, then said, "I've got a tour of the campus scheduled from noon to three. I've all ready done a tour, but did they listen to me? No!"
"So skip it," he suggested, knowing she wouldn't do anything like that.
"No. Maybe mom and I missed something," she said, and flopped down on the bed next to him. "Fine, I'll stop asking about why you shook hands with Nora."
He dropped the book and turned until he faced her. She hadn't expected the solemn look on his face, and she blinked. "Thanks," he told her, then leaned forward and kissed her.
**********
Jess was up to something, she was sure of it. The fact that he didn't even bother to try and deny it just made her madder. Did he think she wouldn't be happy with his idea? Did he think she'd hate it?
She floated through orientation week with a minimum of fuss. Her roommate was okay, but it would take time to get used to having a stranger living in the same room as you. Jennifer wasn't even really that bad, unless you counted that she was constantly wearing pastels. She didn't have one dark color in her entire wardrobe. But, Rory reminded herself, at least her roommate wasn't Paris. Friends they may have become-after a long, long time- but if they'd had to live together they would have ended up as a murder/suicide. That was beside the point.
"What do you mean, he's up to something?" Paris demanded, lying across Rory's bed in what passed for a relaxed pose in Paris' universe.
"He's hiding something from me," Rory said, spinning in her desk chair. "I mean, he's being even more taciturn than usual."
"I meant," Paris said pointedly, "that it's Jess. He's usually up to something, and sometimes you're better off not knowing what it is."
Rory paused and considered that. "Well."
"You can stop praising my deductive capabilities now," Paris said. "I've gotta go and make sure my roommate hasn't turned our room into a pig sty again. She even throws *my* stuff around." Rory smiled at her friend as she left.
Jess usually *was* up to something, Rory thought. But he didn't usually have the money to pull anything off. Now he did. And she knew he was being responsible with it. He had several thousands set aside for investment to hopefully keep him in money. But what was he going to do?
Maybe he was going to franchise Luke's Diner. The thought made Rory grin maniacally. Yeah, and there would be pigs flying over the campus tomorrow when she woke up. Realizing she would probably never guess what he was doing, Rory decided to head out to buy her textbooks.
**********
That night Rory was once again staying at the hotel with Jess. The landlord had been delighted that someone was willing to move in right away and had approved Jess' application, so he would be out of the hotel by the next day.
"Then you'll be driving back to Stars Hollow for your stuff?" Rory asked him as they lay side by side in the dark. She felt him nodding, but he didn't say anything. "So you'll be gone for a couple days?" Again the nod. "Darn. I guess I'll just have to get used to my dorm bed."
"It won't be that long before you're moving in with me," he said. "And running up my phone bill talking to Lorelai." Rory smiled. She talked with her mother for at least an hour every night. Now that she was gone--and now that they were engaged--Luke had officially moved into the Gilmore house, or, rather, the Gilmore-Danes house. The wedding preparations were the main topic of discussion for Lorelai, and getting used to college was Rory's.
"Probably," Rory said, then snuggled closer to Jess. "But you're a rich man, you can handle it."
"Yeah," he said, adjusting his position just slightly. His thoughts drifted for a while, until he heard Rory's light snoring. He grinned as he always did when he heard the delicate noise that she fervently denied she made.
The property was as good as his. If the landlord hadn't objected to his application for an apartment, Jess didn't see why he would turn down his application for the storefront, especially since he had enough to pay for the first several years in advance if he had to. His stomach began to churn at the thought of what he was risking.
He was going to open his own bookstore. He hoped. A used bookstore, something to cater to everyday people who just wanted something good to read as well as collectors willing to spend hundreds on books. He didn't know what he was going to call it, but he had almost everything else worked out in his head. The next few months were going to be a lot of work for him and for Rory, who he was going to tell once he knew he could get the property beneath his apartment. But he didn't want to jinx it.
*And on that note,* he thought, shutting his brain off for the night, *I'm going to sleep.*
**********
Last chapter coming next. And congratulations to Gohan Keller, who guessed what Jess was gonna do with the money. Good for you!. . .I was hoping I wasn't being too obvious about that. . .