Chapter 4
They pulled up in front of the Independence Inn 20 minutes later. Lorelai climbed out of the car and walked over to the passenger side of the jeep as Rory climbed out. They walked up the stairs and opened the door as Michel ran passed, yelling at one of the employees. "Rory, I'm going to get some coffee, would you like to come?" Lorelai asked, looking over at Rory. "No, I'll be out here reading." Rory said, walking over to the sofa in the foyer. Rory grabbed a magazine off of the table and began to read. Sookie was in the kitchen mixing batter in a bowl. She was talking to the cook, "Ok, you need to let that simmer for 20 minutes. Don't let it burn. Stir it every two minutes..." "Coffee?" Lorelai asked, announcing her arrival. "Hey. Yeah, I just made some. Where have you been?" Sookie asked still watching the cook to make sure he was stirring it right. Lorelai walked over to the coffee pot and poured a cup of coffee.
"Well, Luke came over and we were talking." Lorelai said.
"And..." Sookie urged.
"And?"
"And what happened?"
"Dean and Rory broke up." Lorelai said sadly.
"Oh, poor Rory. Why?" Sookie asked concerned.
"Because Rory kissed Jess at your wedding and she decided that she didn't want to lie to Dean about her feeling anymore. So, she told him, and she broke up with him."
"Oh, how did he take it?" Sookie asked.
"Not too good, but I think he'll be ok, and she's feeling bad about it."
"Where is she?"
"In the foyer, reading a book."
"I'll make her some cookies. That'll cheer her up."
"She'll love that." Lorelai said taking a drink of her coffee. "Well, I better get out there, I'm late and Michel is probably going to kill me. See you later."
"Bye."
Lorelai sat her coffee cup down and walked out of the kitchen. Rory was showing a group of people to their room. Michel was talking on the phone at the front desk. She walked over to him and flipped through the mail. Rory came over to the desk a few minutes later. "Hey," Lorelai said as she put the mail down.
"Hey. What time is it?" Rory asked.
"11:30." Lorelai said looking at her watch. "Why?"
"I was thinking about going to Lane's. Is that ok with you?"
"Yeah, that's fine, but come back around 1:00. We can go get some lunch."
"Ok, see you later." Rory said grabbing her coat and heading to the door.
When Rory was outside, Lorelai went into the kitchen and told Sookie that Rory would be back at 1:00. Sookie reassured her that she'd have the cookies done by then.
Meanwhile, Rory was walking down the street; she passed the movie rental, and went into the bookstore. Kirk, the cashier, looked up as she walked in and said, "Hi, Rory."
Rory looked at Kirk and said, "Hi, Kirk. How's your mom?"
"Fine, yours?"
"Good." Rory said as she walked toward the isle marked 'adult fiction.' She had meant to look for the book, First to Die by James Patterson, at the Stars Hollow bookstore. She walked down the isle looking from shelf to shelf for the book.
A hand touched her shoulder, startling her. She turned around and found herself face to face with Jess. "Jess, what are you doing here?"
"Looking for a book."
"Of course, why else would you be in the bookstore."
"You? Uh, what are you doing here?"
"Looking for a book." She said turning around to continue her search.
"Which one?" Jess asked, looking around at the shelves.
"Uh, First to Die by James Patterson. You?"
"Actually, I was looking for Second Chance by James Patterson." Jess said, "Uh, I have First to Die if you want to borrow it."
"Really?" Rory said turning to look at him.
"Yeah. Come by Luke's later and you can get it." Jess said picking up a book, and casually read the back cover.
"Ok. Mom and I might come over at lunch time." Rory said, "Well, I better get going, see you later."
"Bye," Jess said watching her leave the store. A few minutes later Jess walked out of the store not buying anything. On his way out he saw the book, Second Chance, out of the corner of his eye, but he didn't pick it up because he already had the book at home. Actually, the only reason he came into the store in the first place was because he had seen Rory walk in.
There was a knock on the door. Mrs. Kim's voice was heard yelling, "Lane, can you get the door please?"
"Yes, Mamma." Lane descended the stairs quickly and opened the door to find her best friend standing on the porch. "Hey, come in."
"What are you doing?" Rory asked as she took her coat off.
"Nothing, we just got back from bible study. What's up with you?"
"I broke up with Dean." Rory said as they began to walk up the stairs.
"Lane, who was it?" They heard Mrs. Kim's voice coming from some where in the back of the house."
"It's Rory, Mamma." Lane yelled in the general direction of Mrs. Kim's voice.
"Rory?" Mrs. Kim yelled back.
"Yes, Mamma."
"What does she want?"
"To talk, Mamma."
"Talk, good talk. Go upstairs."
"Ok, Mamma." They ran up the stairs as fast as they could. Once, they were in Lane's room, and Lane had pushed 'play' on her stereo, sending the beginning of "Song 2" by Blur into the air, Rory told Lane about her adventure this morning. Lane didn't say anything as they sat on the bed and Rory filled her in on the details.
"You saw Jess this morning, after you broke up with Dean, and you didn't tell him you guys broke up?" Lane asked after Rory finished her story.
"No, I wasn't expecting him to be there."
"But you could have told him."
"It didn't come up."
"Did you think he was going to ask if you and Dean were still together?"
"No."
"Well, then how is it supposed to come up?"
"I'm going to tell him at lunch when I go pick up the book."
"Ok."
"How are you and Mrs. Kim?"
"We're good. Uh, do you want something to eat? I think mamma has some tea cakes downstairs."
"Sure, lead the way." Rory said as they headed downstairs to the kitchen.
They pulled up in front of the Independence Inn 20 minutes later. Lorelai climbed out of the car and walked over to the passenger side of the jeep as Rory climbed out. They walked up the stairs and opened the door as Michel ran passed, yelling at one of the employees. "Rory, I'm going to get some coffee, would you like to come?" Lorelai asked, looking over at Rory. "No, I'll be out here reading." Rory said, walking over to the sofa in the foyer. Rory grabbed a magazine off of the table and began to read. Sookie was in the kitchen mixing batter in a bowl. She was talking to the cook, "Ok, you need to let that simmer for 20 minutes. Don't let it burn. Stir it every two minutes..." "Coffee?" Lorelai asked, announcing her arrival. "Hey. Yeah, I just made some. Where have you been?" Sookie asked still watching the cook to make sure he was stirring it right. Lorelai walked over to the coffee pot and poured a cup of coffee.
"Well, Luke came over and we were talking." Lorelai said.
"And..." Sookie urged.
"And?"
"And what happened?"
"Dean and Rory broke up." Lorelai said sadly.
"Oh, poor Rory. Why?" Sookie asked concerned.
"Because Rory kissed Jess at your wedding and she decided that she didn't want to lie to Dean about her feeling anymore. So, she told him, and she broke up with him."
"Oh, how did he take it?" Sookie asked.
"Not too good, but I think he'll be ok, and she's feeling bad about it."
"Where is she?"
"In the foyer, reading a book."
"I'll make her some cookies. That'll cheer her up."
"She'll love that." Lorelai said taking a drink of her coffee. "Well, I better get out there, I'm late and Michel is probably going to kill me. See you later."
"Bye."
Lorelai sat her coffee cup down and walked out of the kitchen. Rory was showing a group of people to their room. Michel was talking on the phone at the front desk. She walked over to him and flipped through the mail. Rory came over to the desk a few minutes later. "Hey," Lorelai said as she put the mail down.
"Hey. What time is it?" Rory asked.
"11:30." Lorelai said looking at her watch. "Why?"
"I was thinking about going to Lane's. Is that ok with you?"
"Yeah, that's fine, but come back around 1:00. We can go get some lunch."
"Ok, see you later." Rory said grabbing her coat and heading to the door.
When Rory was outside, Lorelai went into the kitchen and told Sookie that Rory would be back at 1:00. Sookie reassured her that she'd have the cookies done by then.
Meanwhile, Rory was walking down the street; she passed the movie rental, and went into the bookstore. Kirk, the cashier, looked up as she walked in and said, "Hi, Rory."
Rory looked at Kirk and said, "Hi, Kirk. How's your mom?"
"Fine, yours?"
"Good." Rory said as she walked toward the isle marked 'adult fiction.' She had meant to look for the book, First to Die by James Patterson, at the Stars Hollow bookstore. She walked down the isle looking from shelf to shelf for the book.
A hand touched her shoulder, startling her. She turned around and found herself face to face with Jess. "Jess, what are you doing here?"
"Looking for a book."
"Of course, why else would you be in the bookstore."
"You? Uh, what are you doing here?"
"Looking for a book." She said turning around to continue her search.
"Which one?" Jess asked, looking around at the shelves.
"Uh, First to Die by James Patterson. You?"
"Actually, I was looking for Second Chance by James Patterson." Jess said, "Uh, I have First to Die if you want to borrow it."
"Really?" Rory said turning to look at him.
"Yeah. Come by Luke's later and you can get it." Jess said picking up a book, and casually read the back cover.
"Ok. Mom and I might come over at lunch time." Rory said, "Well, I better get going, see you later."
"Bye," Jess said watching her leave the store. A few minutes later Jess walked out of the store not buying anything. On his way out he saw the book, Second Chance, out of the corner of his eye, but he didn't pick it up because he already had the book at home. Actually, the only reason he came into the store in the first place was because he had seen Rory walk in.
There was a knock on the door. Mrs. Kim's voice was heard yelling, "Lane, can you get the door please?"
"Yes, Mamma." Lane descended the stairs quickly and opened the door to find her best friend standing on the porch. "Hey, come in."
"What are you doing?" Rory asked as she took her coat off.
"Nothing, we just got back from bible study. What's up with you?"
"I broke up with Dean." Rory said as they began to walk up the stairs.
"Lane, who was it?" They heard Mrs. Kim's voice coming from some where in the back of the house."
"It's Rory, Mamma." Lane yelled in the general direction of Mrs. Kim's voice.
"Rory?" Mrs. Kim yelled back.
"Yes, Mamma."
"What does she want?"
"To talk, Mamma."
"Talk, good talk. Go upstairs."
"Ok, Mamma." They ran up the stairs as fast as they could. Once, they were in Lane's room, and Lane had pushed 'play' on her stereo, sending the beginning of "Song 2" by Blur into the air, Rory told Lane about her adventure this morning. Lane didn't say anything as they sat on the bed and Rory filled her in on the details.
"You saw Jess this morning, after you broke up with Dean, and you didn't tell him you guys broke up?" Lane asked after Rory finished her story.
"No, I wasn't expecting him to be there."
"But you could have told him."
"It didn't come up."
"Did you think he was going to ask if you and Dean were still together?"
"No."
"Well, then how is it supposed to come up?"
"I'm going to tell him at lunch when I go pick up the book."
"Ok."
"How are you and Mrs. Kim?"
"We're good. Uh, do you want something to eat? I think mamma has some tea cakes downstairs."
"Sure, lead the way." Rory said as they headed downstairs to the kitchen.