Spoilers: Tippecanoe and Taylor, Too
Rudy Can't Fail #4
"Hello?"
"Hey."
Jess grinned and leaned back in his seat at work, holding the cell phone to his ear. "Hi."
"Where are you?" Luke asked. "You don't sound like you're at home."
"Work," Jess replied. "How are you?"
"I'm good… real good," Luke said confidently.
"Things with Lorelai are good, then," Jess confirmed, sliding out of his chair to shelve some loose books.
"Real good."
"You said that."
"I get redundant when I'm happy," Luke drawled. "It's a curse."
"Right," Jess smirked.
"Hey… did you ever make food for Rory when you were together?" Luke asked, sounding slightly awkward.
"When I was working with you," Jess replied. "I made her food all the time."
"Outside the diner?"
Jess cocked an eyebrow. "Nope. Usually went out. Why?"
Luke sighed. "I tried to make breakfast for Lorelai yesterday, and she got all weird… said she wanted to eat at the diner…"
"You cook the same stuff at home as you do in the diner," Jess pointed out.
"Yeah, but she wanted to eat in the diner."
"That's sufficiently cracked," Jess commented.
"Yeah," Luke agreed. "So then Rory called, and Lorelai told her I was sitting around the kitchen naked."
"Gross and cracked."
"I don't know how to handle some of the stuff she does," Luke admitted.
"Rory was weird, too," Jess reassured him. "She made pro/con lists from everything."
"Hey… speaking of Rory… did you know that she and Dean are back together?" Luke asked.
Jess stopped shelving and rubbed his fingers lightly against his forehead. "Yeah, huh?"
"Yeah."
"Isn't he married?"
"He was."
"Huh."
"You okay?" Luke asked warily.
"Why shouldn't I be?" Jess asked. "It's none of my business if she wants to waste her time with that giant ignoramus."
"Jess-"
"I'm over it."
Luke sighed. "How was your date?"
"Good," Jess replied. "Better than I thought it would be."
"What'd you do?" Luke asked.
"Got dinner… saw a movie… went back to her place…"
Luke laughed a little. "Whore."
"I am not," Jess protested.
"It was the first date!"
"You and Lorelai did it on the first date," Jess pointed out.
"Lorelai and I have known each other for eight years," Luke said. "It's completely different."
"Fine," Jess replied awkwardly. "Whatever."
"What?"
He shook his head. "Nothing."
"Come on, Jess, spit it out."
He sighed. "I really like Nadia."
Luke grinned audibly. "Oh, yeah?"
Jess nodded. "Yeah. She's cool… she plays and fixes pianos when she's not working at the coffee shop. She's got good taste in music… bad taste in movies… it's forgivable, though."
"She cute?"
"Yup."
"Nice."
"So how are things in Candy Land?" Jess asked.
"Shaken up," Luke replied. "Jackson ran against Taylor for town selectman and won."
"Really?" Jess replied, almost interestedly.
"Yeah," Luke replied. "Lorelai and Sookie wanted to you use the diner for their campaign."
Jess smirked widely. "You caved, didn't you?"
"I caved."
"Caved on what?"
Luke whirled around, and stared at Lorelai, a little shocked. "Hi."
Jess squinted. "Luke?"
"Hey, Jess," Luke said into the phone. "I gotta go."
"Okay. Talk to you next week."
"Yeah," Luke nodded. "Bye." He clicked off the phone. "I didn't hear you come in," he told Lorelai.
She nodded. "Yeah… obviously… you were talking to Jess?"
"Yeah."
"Jess."
"Jess."
"Oh."
He glanced at her. "What?"
"I'm just surprised, is all," Lorelai replied. "What did he do this time?"
"Got a new job," Luke replied. "He's working at a bookstore so he's got more time to talk."
Lorelai nodded awkwardly. "Good."
He tilted his head. "What?"
"Luke…" she sighed. "Maybe you shouldn't be putting so much faith in him."
"What?"
"He's let you down so many times," Lorelai said gently. "And you keep trying with him and he keeps messing up… why do you always putting yourself through this?"
Luke clenched his jaw. "I hear Rory's been screwing up a lot lately… you intend on giving up on her?"
Lorelai stared at him in shock as he left the apartment.
Rudy Can't Fail #4
"Hello?"
"Hey."
Jess grinned and leaned back in his seat at work, holding the cell phone to his ear. "Hi."
"Where are you?" Luke asked. "You don't sound like you're at home."
"Work," Jess replied. "How are you?"
"I'm good… real good," Luke said confidently.
"Things with Lorelai are good, then," Jess confirmed, sliding out of his chair to shelve some loose books.
"Real good."
"You said that."
"I get redundant when I'm happy," Luke drawled. "It's a curse."
"Right," Jess smirked.
"Hey… did you ever make food for Rory when you were together?" Luke asked, sounding slightly awkward.
"When I was working with you," Jess replied. "I made her food all the time."
"Outside the diner?"
Jess cocked an eyebrow. "Nope. Usually went out. Why?"
Luke sighed. "I tried to make breakfast for Lorelai yesterday, and she got all weird… said she wanted to eat at the diner…"
"You cook the same stuff at home as you do in the diner," Jess pointed out.
"Yeah, but she wanted to eat in the diner."
"That's sufficiently cracked," Jess commented.
"Yeah," Luke agreed. "So then Rory called, and Lorelai told her I was sitting around the kitchen naked."
"Gross and cracked."
"I don't know how to handle some of the stuff she does," Luke admitted.
"Rory was weird, too," Jess reassured him. "She made pro/con lists from everything."
"Hey… speaking of Rory… did you know that she and Dean are back together?" Luke asked.
Jess stopped shelving and rubbed his fingers lightly against his forehead. "Yeah, huh?"
"Yeah."
"Isn't he married?"
"He was."
"Huh."
"You okay?" Luke asked warily.
"Why shouldn't I be?" Jess asked. "It's none of my business if she wants to waste her time with that giant ignoramus."
"Jess-"
"I'm over it."
Luke sighed. "How was your date?"
"Good," Jess replied. "Better than I thought it would be."
"What'd you do?" Luke asked.
"Got dinner… saw a movie… went back to her place…"
Luke laughed a little. "Whore."
"I am not," Jess protested.
"It was the first date!"
"You and Lorelai did it on the first date," Jess pointed out.
"Lorelai and I have known each other for eight years," Luke said. "It's completely different."
"Fine," Jess replied awkwardly. "Whatever."
"What?"
He shook his head. "Nothing."
"Come on, Jess, spit it out."
He sighed. "I really like Nadia."
Luke grinned audibly. "Oh, yeah?"
Jess nodded. "Yeah. She's cool… she plays and fixes pianos when she's not working at the coffee shop. She's got good taste in music… bad taste in movies… it's forgivable, though."
"She cute?"
"Yup."
"Nice."
"So how are things in Candy Land?" Jess asked.
"Shaken up," Luke replied. "Jackson ran against Taylor for town selectman and won."
"Really?" Jess replied, almost interestedly.
"Yeah," Luke replied. "Lorelai and Sookie wanted to you use the diner for their campaign."
Jess smirked widely. "You caved, didn't you?"
"I caved."
"Caved on what?"
Luke whirled around, and stared at Lorelai, a little shocked. "Hi."
Jess squinted. "Luke?"
"Hey, Jess," Luke said into the phone. "I gotta go."
"Okay. Talk to you next week."
"Yeah," Luke nodded. "Bye." He clicked off the phone. "I didn't hear you come in," he told Lorelai.
She nodded. "Yeah… obviously… you were talking to Jess?"
"Yeah."
"Jess."
"Jess."
"Oh."
He glanced at her. "What?"
"I'm just surprised, is all," Lorelai replied. "What did he do this time?"
"Got a new job," Luke replied. "He's working at a bookstore so he's got more time to talk."
Lorelai nodded awkwardly. "Good."
He tilted his head. "What?"
"Luke…" she sighed. "Maybe you shouldn't be putting so much faith in him."
"What?"
"He's let you down so many times," Lorelai said gently. "And you keep trying with him and he keeps messing up… why do you always putting yourself through this?"
Luke clenched his jaw. "I hear Rory's been screwing up a lot lately… you intend on giving up on her?"
Lorelai stared at him in shock as he left the apartment.