CHAPTER FOUR

David watched the girls leave and hoped that they were going to become an important part of his new life. In fact he was planning on it. He already felt good about the move to Hartford and was looking forward to his new job. Richard had suggested he work mornings and use the afternoons for his personal errands. So today he was going to look for a place to live.

When Sookie left the Gilmores, she had a specific chore in mind. A huge welcome home party was planned for early evening. The square was decorated and Sookie had been planning and cooking for weeks. Even Luke had said yes. No surprise. Luke rarely said no when it involved Lorelai. The Gilmores were coming and bringing a guest. It would be a great end of the summer blast.

Having spent the whole afternoon home alone, Lorelai was ready to roll when Rory came home complaining of hunger. A trip to the diner was quickly planned. Luke's coffee had been a dream while they were gone. They couldn't wait for burgers and chili fries. As they walked into town, they saw the party and quickly deduced it was for them.

"Sookie, what have you done?

"It's everyone honey. We wanted to welcome you back and say how much we missed you. It wasn't the same around here without you A little saner maybe...."

"Mom, Dad, David, I can't believe you're here."

David gave her a big hug. "I just had to see Stars Hollow for myself. You seem so happy when you talk about it. I needed to see where my new family lives. Plus, I think I'm making Brownie points with my new boss."

Lorelai laughed and so did Richard.

Luke had come upon this friendly scene and wondered just who this guy was and how did he know Lorelai. New family, what did that mean? She looked his way and gave him a big smile and her own big hug. "Missed you big guy."

"Yeah, more like you missed the coffee and the aggravation that always follows." He had forgotten the affect she had on him.

"Yeah, something like that."

Now it was David's turn to take notice. Who was this guy? And why hadn't Lorelai mentioned him? It took one look to figure out Luke's feelings, and another to see that Lorelai probably felt the same.

Rory gave Luke a big hug too. David knew there was history here and he was determined to find out exactly what it was. Maybe this was Rory's father? They hadn't really talked about that. There was a lot they didn't know about each other. Before tonight, he thought they had plenty of time. But now he wasn't so sure. The more he saw of Lorelai, Stars Hollow and all of her friends and family, the more he knew he wanted to be important in her life. And this guy was definitely a threat.

David moved closer to Lorelai and Luke gave him a look. To Sookie, Rory, Richard and Emily it looked like a challenge to a duel. Lorelai was oblivious and introduced David to Luke. She didn't notice the chill in the summer evening.

And so the last bash of the summer went, lots of warmth with a few cool blasts.