1 Chapter Four
If Rory had paid any attention what so ever to the sign outside, she would have been confused as to why she was walking into William's Hardware for a cup of coffee, but since she wasn't it seemed perfectly natural to see a diner inside the space.
"Passing through or just moved?" Asked the young man behind the counter, who seemed to be her age.
"Coffee." She ordered. "Moved. I think. I could have died and gone to hell, I'm not sure which yet."
He smirked as he poured a cup of coffee for her. "I'd say you were Rory Gilmore but I'm afraid you're not hyper enough to be."
She narrowed her eyes suspiciously at him. "Hayden. How'd you know that? And I don't do hyper."
"I'm Jess Mariano," Jess answered undaunted. "Luke, your stepfather, is my maternal uncle. I live with him and Lorelai."
"And I haven't met you before because?"
"You've been too busy pretending to study?" Jess ventured, and at her murderous look he conceded. "I stayed at the diner. Someone needed to look over the place incase Taylor decided to break in, which he does not view as illegal since he feels that he owns the town, and redecorate it more to give it some 'town spirit'."
"Taylor?" Rory was still confused, which was normal enough since she had only had a few sips of coffee thus far.
"Dorsey. He owns the apartment building down the street, the market," Jess listed off. "And I'm sure a bunch of other things we don't know about."
"Sounds scary." Rory shook her head as she gulped down some more coffee. "Okay, my brain's comprehending now. I think I have it, everyone here is crazy."
"Smart girl. You just returned here?"
Rory nodded, "Yes. Just got dropped off in front of here. Lorelai gave me directions one of the first nights."
"Shouldn't you call her Mother?"
"Do you call yours that?" Rory countered.
Jess shrugged. "Point taken."
"This place is pretty deserted," Rory commented, looking around.
Jess circled the counter, sitting on a stool beside Rory. "It's 5:15 in the morning."
"Yes, but you are open."
"I couldn't sleep, and I should be open for any late studiers coming in over twelve hours after they left to study," Jess replied.
"You seem to keep implying that I wasn't studying all night," Rory noted.
"Oh, I mean nothing by it," Jess assured her. "I've seen your room with all your books and books. I'm sure you are a Straight A girl, and that you learned a lot last night."
"Immense knowledge gained," She agreed. "You sort of remind me of my study buddy. You should meet him."
"Well Lorelai has asked me to drive you to any further study groups you may have, to ensure that you were safe."
"In other words, to make sure that I come back home before dawn breaks?"
Jess nodded. "I wouldn't say that she was overly worried by it, considering it was me she asked to drive you to and fro."
"I called to say I'd be later that I thought."
"And you were such a good girl for that too," Jess winked at her. "So much more to cover."
"Shush your innuendos and pour me some more, coffee boy."
"You know, now you're sort of reminding me of Lorelai," he warned her as he went to get the coffee pot for her.
"I doubt it," she muttered.
Any further conversation was impeded when the door sprang open. "Hello gorgeous," Was Miss Patty's exuberant greeting. "I need some of those delicious donuts your uncle has."
Rory leaned closer to Jess and whispered. "Doesn't she know not to drink coffee before you go to the coffee place?"
Jess chuckled as he began to put some donuts in a bag.
"Oh my!" Miss Patty exclaimed, "You must be Lorelai's girl!"
Rory plastered on a bright smile. "I am Rory Hayden, ma'am."
"You must call me Miss Patty," She told the younger woman. "It won't do to call me anything else."
"Miss Patty."
"I had heard that Lorelai's girl was here," Miss Patty continued on while Jess put the bag of donuts on the counter, and sat back down, looking amused. "But then no one had seen hide nor hair of you yet!"
"I go to Chilton," Rory said by way of explanation.
"Ohhh…the prestigious school in Hartford! How wonderful," Miss Patty paused to take a breath. "Ah yes, now that I've met you, you must insist to someone in that magnificent family of yours to show you around town. Do you know how to dance?"
Rory nodded. "Yes, I took lessons until I was fourteen."
"That is great!"
Jess cleared his throat, deciding to save his step-cousin from any more of Miss Patty's chatter. "Miss Patty?"
"Oh, are you ready gorgeous?" She asked, picking up the bag and paying him. "Well, it was nice to meet you Rory."
"You too, Miss Patty," Rory replied politely.
The two teenagers watched the older woman leave. Jess swiveled around to look at Rory. "How did you manage not to get flustered by her?"
Rory took a sip of her coffee before answering. "Why, I moved in the social circles of New York, and England. Some things just fail to surprise you after a long while. Besides, they had a whole course about how to deal with people in school."
Jess just raised an eyebrow; Lorelai's daughter was definitely an interesting addition to Stars Hollow.
If Rory had paid any attention what so ever to the sign outside, she would have been confused as to why she was walking into William's Hardware for a cup of coffee, but since she wasn't it seemed perfectly natural to see a diner inside the space.
"Passing through or just moved?" Asked the young man behind the counter, who seemed to be her age.
"Coffee." She ordered. "Moved. I think. I could have died and gone to hell, I'm not sure which yet."
He smirked as he poured a cup of coffee for her. "I'd say you were Rory Gilmore but I'm afraid you're not hyper enough to be."
She narrowed her eyes suspiciously at him. "Hayden. How'd you know that? And I don't do hyper."
"I'm Jess Mariano," Jess answered undaunted. "Luke, your stepfather, is my maternal uncle. I live with him and Lorelai."
"And I haven't met you before because?"
"You've been too busy pretending to study?" Jess ventured, and at her murderous look he conceded. "I stayed at the diner. Someone needed to look over the place incase Taylor decided to break in, which he does not view as illegal since he feels that he owns the town, and redecorate it more to give it some 'town spirit'."
"Taylor?" Rory was still confused, which was normal enough since she had only had a few sips of coffee thus far.
"Dorsey. He owns the apartment building down the street, the market," Jess listed off. "And I'm sure a bunch of other things we don't know about."
"Sounds scary." Rory shook her head as she gulped down some more coffee. "Okay, my brain's comprehending now. I think I have it, everyone here is crazy."
"Smart girl. You just returned here?"
Rory nodded, "Yes. Just got dropped off in front of here. Lorelai gave me directions one of the first nights."
"Shouldn't you call her Mother?"
"Do you call yours that?" Rory countered.
Jess shrugged. "Point taken."
"This place is pretty deserted," Rory commented, looking around.
Jess circled the counter, sitting on a stool beside Rory. "It's 5:15 in the morning."
"Yes, but you are open."
"I couldn't sleep, and I should be open for any late studiers coming in over twelve hours after they left to study," Jess replied.
"You seem to keep implying that I wasn't studying all night," Rory noted.
"Oh, I mean nothing by it," Jess assured her. "I've seen your room with all your books and books. I'm sure you are a Straight A girl, and that you learned a lot last night."
"Immense knowledge gained," She agreed. "You sort of remind me of my study buddy. You should meet him."
"Well Lorelai has asked me to drive you to any further study groups you may have, to ensure that you were safe."
"In other words, to make sure that I come back home before dawn breaks?"
Jess nodded. "I wouldn't say that she was overly worried by it, considering it was me she asked to drive you to and fro."
"I called to say I'd be later that I thought."
"And you were such a good girl for that too," Jess winked at her. "So much more to cover."
"Shush your innuendos and pour me some more, coffee boy."
"You know, now you're sort of reminding me of Lorelai," he warned her as he went to get the coffee pot for her.
"I doubt it," she muttered.
Any further conversation was impeded when the door sprang open. "Hello gorgeous," Was Miss Patty's exuberant greeting. "I need some of those delicious donuts your uncle has."
Rory leaned closer to Jess and whispered. "Doesn't she know not to drink coffee before you go to the coffee place?"
Jess chuckled as he began to put some donuts in a bag.
"Oh my!" Miss Patty exclaimed, "You must be Lorelai's girl!"
Rory plastered on a bright smile. "I am Rory Hayden, ma'am."
"You must call me Miss Patty," She told the younger woman. "It won't do to call me anything else."
"Miss Patty."
"I had heard that Lorelai's girl was here," Miss Patty continued on while Jess put the bag of donuts on the counter, and sat back down, looking amused. "But then no one had seen hide nor hair of you yet!"
"I go to Chilton," Rory said by way of explanation.
"Ohhh…the prestigious school in Hartford! How wonderful," Miss Patty paused to take a breath. "Ah yes, now that I've met you, you must insist to someone in that magnificent family of yours to show you around town. Do you know how to dance?"
Rory nodded. "Yes, I took lessons until I was fourteen."
"That is great!"
Jess cleared his throat, deciding to save his step-cousin from any more of Miss Patty's chatter. "Miss Patty?"
"Oh, are you ready gorgeous?" She asked, picking up the bag and paying him. "Well, it was nice to meet you Rory."
"You too, Miss Patty," Rory replied politely.
The two teenagers watched the older woman leave. Jess swiveled around to look at Rory. "How did you manage not to get flustered by her?"
Rory took a sip of her coffee before answering. "Why, I moved in the social circles of New York, and England. Some things just fail to surprise you after a long while. Besides, they had a whole course about how to deal with people in school."
Jess just raised an eyebrow; Lorelai's daughter was definitely an interesting addition to Stars Hollow.