–WFI–Chapter 5 Sunday, July 11th

Rory was up early Sunday morning. Logan, Ricky, and Luke would be returning. Lorelai and Matthew stayed as well as Honor and her boys. Mitchum, Cynthia, and Jessi also stayed. Everyone was gearing up for the twins' 10th birthday, double digits. Couldn't tell them anything. Rory was hoping Logan and Ricky would be able to stay for a while and not have to go back to work. Christopher will not be back until Monday and will have to leave first thing Tuesday morning. He was taking CHH1 and Leslie will meet him at the helipad to bring him to the party.

Rory and Logan decided to invite some of Will and Chris' friends. A group of the boys' friends are vacationing in the Hamptons. Logan made arrangements for his Helicopter to pick them up for the party. There are also 2 boys that are vacationing on Nantucket, Logan will pick them up on the Yacht.

Rory was run down, she had not been sleeping well. She should be used to it. These last 4 months, Logan has been out of their bed, more than he had been in. His trips to London were almost over. They have been working double-time to get the project finished before Ricky and Karson's engagement party.

Rory was sitting on the deck with her iPad making a to-do list. After she finishes with Will and Chris' party, then it would be time to start planning Em's birthday. She can't believe her baby will be 5. Not that she is in any hurry for Ricky and Karson to get married and have a baby, but it will be nice to have another little one around.

She noticed Cynthia exiting the pool house with a cup of coffee. "Mind if I join you?" she asked.

"Not at all," Rory replied.

Cynthia sat down and looked around to see if anyone else was up. "I heard your discussion with Lorelai last night," Cynthia said, not much above a whisper.

Rory just nodded her head. "I know that I was not raised with catered parties and expensive ways of travel, but it is not the twins' fault that they were born in the summer when everyone is on vacation. It is not their fault that we want the best education available to them, which means they go to school with children that think a helicopter ride or being picked up on a yacht for a birthday party is not unusual." Rory said.

"We have been getting along so well, but I think now that she is back in the raising a child mode, she sees the advantages that our children have that others do not. She and Luke make enough to pay for Matthew's tuition. She wants him to have the best education possible, just like I do and she did for me. I can't help it if my husband can afford to send a helicopter to pick up children. What she doesn't know and will probably flip out about is the boys are taking the helicopter to the Hamptons for a birthday party next week." Rory said.

They both just sit there, looking out over the ocean. It wasn't long before Jessi came looking for Cynthia. Well, actually she was looking for Cynthia's keys. She wanted to go to the shopping center to see if she could find the boys a birthday present. Lorelai and Matthew stopped by to say they were going to be gone most of the day. They were going on a tour of the lighthouses on the island.

Rory had gone back upstairs to get dressed before everyone woke. She was taking her time. She had just gotten out of the shower when she heard a knock on the door. It was Karson. "Hey. What's up?" Rory asked.

Karson came and sat in the reading chair by the window. "I just got off the phone with mom. She said that she was not going to be able to come to the engagement party."

"Why?" Rory asked.

"She said that by the time they buy a plane ticket for all 5 of them, new clothes for them to wear and miss work, it was just too costly," Karson said.

"Did she ask you to send her some money so that they could be here?" Rory asked. Karson nodded. "Since she didn't call me, I am guessing she wants you to ask Ricky to pay for them to come?" Rory said.

"Okay, we still have a few weeks before we have to figure something out," Rory said.

"I just wanted you to know because if I tell her no, she is going to call and ask you. We don't expect you to pay for them to come to the engagement party." Karson said.

"Don't worry about it. If you want them at the party, I will figure out something." Rory said.

After Rory dressed, she met everyone downstairs. No one was in the pool. This was unusual. They were all sitting on the couch. "What's going on? Is the water from the pool too cold? It is usually all over the desk by now." Rory asked.

Chris nor Will would look at her. They were just sitting on the opposite sides of the couch. Sam and Joshua were also quiet and won't look at her. She looked at Em. She had her face buried in the arm of the chair. "Who got in trouble and what did you do?" Rory asked. No one would say anything. She turned to go into the kitchen only to find Cynthia and Mitchum drinking a cup of coffee.

"What happened to the kids?" Rory asked as she poured herself another cup of coffee.

"They didn't tell you?" Mitchum asked.

Rory told him "no, they won't even look at me."

Mitchum chucked, "Probably not. It seems that Will and Sam ganged up on Chris and Joshua. Or maybe it was the other way around. It doesn't matter because when I came in the door, all 4 were fighting. Pushing, pulling, shoving. It seems Em picked sides and was cheering them on." Mitchum said.

Rory looked at him. He turned his head. "Don't look at me like that. It is taking all I have not to laugh. I wish you could have seen it. Sam and Will were beating up Joshua while Chris was trying to pull them off him." Mitchum said.

Rory smiles, "Do we know what started it?"

Cynthia pipped in. "No, we couldn't get them to tell on each other." At this point, Rory had her hand over her mouth to keep from laughing.

"So they are fighting each other, but wouldn't tell on each other." Rory asked. Mitchum nodded. "That's loyalty" All three adults lost it.

The kids' punishment was to clean up and wash all the tables and chairs on the deck. They were told if they could do that together without fighting, they could get in the pool after lunch. While the kids cleaned up, Mitchum supervised. Honor, Cynthia, and Rory went for a walk on the beach. Karson has been held up in her room off and on for the last three days, working on the final count for the engagement party.

While Rory and the girls were out walking, they ran into a group of men playing volleyball. They decided to turn around and head back. After a few wolf whistles, two of the guys started following them. When they realized it. Rory stopped and turned around. "Sorry, guys, didn't mean to disturb your game. We are on our way back to our husbands" Rory said.

"Huntz is in Hartford, I talked with him yesterday," one of the guys said. Rory took another look to see if she recognizes him. It was Tristian.

"Bible boy?" Rory asked.

"Mary," Tristan said. They both started laughing. Rory introduced Tristian to Honor and Cynthia. When she introduced him to Honor, she remembered him from when they were little. They all talked for a few minutes. Rory invited Tristain to stop by the house anytime to see Logan.

"He should be back sometime today." She told him.

Tristan nodded. "I heard you and he have twin boys and a little girl," Tristan said.

"Yes, and we are surrogate parents to a 26-year-old and 27-years-old," Rory said.

"Who, I have got to come by to visit. It will be worth it just to hear that story." Tristian said laughing.

Rory, Cynthia, and Honor left as the boys turned around to head back to the volleyball game. On the way back, Rory was telling them stories of when she was in high school and Trisain deemed her 'Mary'. When they reached the house, Logan and Ricky were already there. Rory tells Logan about running into Tristian and inviting him to stop by.

The rest of the Sunday was lazy. The kids swam, the adults talked and read. Logan and Mitchum grilled. It was a nice lazy Sunday, before the storm of the party tomorrow.