Author's Note: I owe continued praise and thanks to my wonderful betas, JeSouhaite and CineFille, I've found this chapter and the one following particularly difficult to write and their feedback has been so helpful.
The Road to the Isles
As they put distance between themselves and Stirling, Lorelai began to feel a weight lift off her shoulders. She had longed for time alone with Luke, but being with him in Stirling was a constant reminder of her worry about why she was there. On their own, it was easier to pretend that they were simply on a vacation and put off her concerns for a while.
Beyond the brief conversation when Luke returned to the inn the other night, they hadn't discussed their argument. Lorelai hated having wasted any of Luke's visit fighting and had been relieved when he returned. Ever since then he seemed to be watching her warily. If he had other concerns, he had held his tongue, except to encourage her to call Rory.
She wanted to be angry at Luke for having time with Rory, for being in the middle of their mother-daughter argument, but when he'd looked at her with eyes pleading to call her daughter, she knew that his only motivation was concern for her. It softened her anger, and by picking up the phone to make the call, she knew that she'd allowed another small shift in their relationship, permitting him a role not only in her life, but a voice in her relationship with Rory as well.
Lorelai waited until she was in her office before taking a deep breath and dialing the number for Rory's cell. She knew that her reluctance to call Rory had been cowardly, but it had been easier not to call Rory than to call her and be shut out. She tapped her fingers nervously while waiting for the connection to go through. After a few rings, Rory answered, obviously confused by the timing of the call. "Hello?"
"Hey." Having initiated contact, Lorelai suddenly found herself at a loss for words. "Is it too early there?"
"Mom?" A pause followed the note of surprise before Rory continued, "Uh…no, I'm getting ready for work, at…uh…the daycare center."
"Yeah, I heard. Luke gave me your letter." She took a breath. "And that's going well?"
"I guess. I mean, given the…circumstances, it's as good as could be expected," Rory replied, stumbling over the words.
"Yeah," Lorelai answered, her voice resigned. The thought of her daughter having a criminal record still hurt almost too much to process.
"How's Scotland?"
Relieved at the subject change, she responded with as much enthusiasm as she could muster. "It's great. This place is beautiful. I miss Stars Hollow, though."
"Me too."
Rory's wistful words brought back the ache of watching her daughter moving into the poolhouse. "Well, you're all set," she said bitterly. "You've got your own place now."
"Mom-" Rory pleaded.
"How are things with the slumlords? I assume you're seeing them a lot."
Rory sighed. "Grandma and Grandpa are fine. You know, you shouldn't be so mad at them. I'm the one who screwed up. They'd like to hear from you. Maybe you could call them."
Lorelai snorted at the suggestion. "Yeah, right."
"I don't get it. I'm the one you're mad at. Why are you taking it out on them?"
Lorelai closed her eyes, realizing why she had avoided calling Rory. So much had built up between them, it was hard to wade through it without anger and bitterness. "Rory, I had an agreement with my parents and they went behind my back and made decisions without consulting me."
"You mean, you agreed on how you were going to handle me?" Rory challenged her. "That may be, but I don't need to be handled. I'm an adult and I'm making my own decisions, without you manipulating me."
"Is that what you think, that I'm trying to manipulate you? That I don't want you to be an adult?"
"Isn't that what you were trying to do with Grandma and Grandpa?"
"I wanted to talk to you. I wanted to help you figure it out."
"By sending me back to Yale?"
"I just think you're making some hasty decisions."
Lorelai heard Rory take a deep breath before speaking again. "Look Mom, I know that I screwed up, and I let you down, and I know that you don't approve of how I'm handling it."
"I'm just worried about you," Lorelai said softly.
When Rory spoke again, her voice was quiet. "I miss you…" A thick silence followed, both of them unsure where to venture next. "Is everything okay with you and Luke?"
"Yeah, we're good," Lorelai answered, a little too hastily.
"And you're still getting married?"
The question struck a nerve and Lorelai's response was immediate. "Of course we're still getting married? Why would you say that?"
"You didn't get mad at him, did you?" Though the tone of the question was gentle, it was laced with understanding. "I told him not to tell you about the dinners. It wasn't his idea."
Lorelai evaded. "We're fine."
"Mom? You did get mad, didn't you?"
"I told you. We're fine." Her words were final. "Why didn't you want me to know?"
"I thought…I knew you'd be upset…"
"Why? Because my daughter doesn't want to talk to me?" Lorelai asked, unable to hide the hurt.
"It's just that there's so much…It's hard." Rory's voice begged with her to understand, to forgive, and Lorelai responded gently.
"You don't have to be afraid of me. You can talk to me."
"I wish I could," She answered, a little sadly. "Mom. I meant what I said. I do miss you."
"I miss you too, kid."
The words hung in the awkward silence, neither knowing what to say next. "Well, I need to get to…work."
"Of course. I guess I'll see you…" her voice trailed off, not wanting the connection to end now that it had been established, but unsure how to maintain it.
It was a relief to hear Rory add, "Hey Mom, you can call again, if you…uh…want to. This is a probably the best time of day. By the time I get done with work and eat dinner, it's probably pretty late for you."
"Good, I'll do that. Bye Rory."
"Bye Mom. I'm glad you called."
"Me too." After hanging up the phone, Lorelai stood in her office fighting back tears, before composing herself enough to return to the table.
Remembering the phone call brought the melancholy back and Lorelai spent a good deal of the morning drive with her head against the passenger window watching the scenery pass by. It didn't hurt that their route took them through a national park, the road skirting around quiet lochs surrounded by wooded hills. Luke occasionally cast her worried glances, which she returned with reassuring smiles, but for the most part he honored her uncharacteristic silence. She let herself be comforted by his presence and the occasional hand on her knee.
A part of her desperately wanted to ask him why she was here. Why did he want her to come? And most of all, did he really want to marry her? When Rory had asked yesterday, she had answered 'of course,' they were still getting married. Not until she said the words to her daughter had the realization sunk in that she wasn't completely sure. Luke had put off any conversation about their wedding and had pushed the consulting job so much it made her wonder how much he wanted her back in Stars Hollow.
Lorelai knew she should ask him, talk to him about her concerns, but jumping into difficult conversations had never been her way. It wasn't that she feared his answer…exactly. But if his, "yes, I want to marry you," was preceded by a hesitant pause or followed by a "but…" she didn't think she could bear to hear it. Every time a new worry cropped up, Lorelai countered it with an optimistic image – Luke's attention and concern, the looks he gave her while they made love, and way she could make his eyes light up just by saying the word fiancé. Her concerns battled with hopefulness as if in an extended tennis match. Right now it felt as if the worries were ahead, but the further they moved along the road away from Stirling, the more the worries struggled to maintain their advantage.
Luke tolerated Lorelai's increasingly frequent requests to stop and snap pictures, even grunting his appreciation as they passed through Glen Coe, but he took her completely by surprise when they reached Loch Leven. Pulling over without being prompted, he stepped out of the car, and stood with a look of awe on his face as he took in the scene.
"So, pretty huh?" Lorelai asked, teasing.
"Yeah…it's pretty." He looked a bit flustered, then caught himself and continued as if Lorelai had suggested the stop, "You gonna take some pictures?"
She gave him a sidelong glance and smiled to herself. "Sure, I'll take a few."
His simple awe lightened her mood and she spent the next thirty miles reading to him from the travel guide and plotting their stop for lunch. He didn't comment, but didn't seem to mind that she had suddenly found her voice. She filled him in on the historical information included about the area, embellishing and commenting in true Lorelai fashion, enjoying the smirks she got in return.
At her suggestion, they agreed to stop for lunch in Glenfinnan, at the monument to a young prince who had tried unsuccessfully in 1745 to lead the Scots in an effort to take back the throne for the exiled Stuarts. After eating the picnic lunch that Anne had insisted upon packing for them, they walked up a hill to get the full scenic view of the monument.
Lorelai perched on a rock just to the side of the dirt path and pulled Luke down next to her. The monument itself was a fairly simple round tower, with a small statue of the young prince standing on top. It stood, however, at one end of a spectacular lake, tree-covered hills angling up on either side, topped by rocky outcroppings.
Lorelai opened the pamphlet she'd picked up in the visitor center, scanning the text. Much of the information she'd already read in the travel guide, although, "Ooh Luke, listen."
"What?'
"'By 1815 the Jacobite threat had receded sufficiently into history to allow the erection at Glenfinnan of a monument to mark the raising of the standard, paid for by the wealthy descendant of a Jacobite.' Erection. Dirty."
"Jeez, are you twelve?"
She gave him an innocent smile. "I'm not the one built the tower that looks like a giant penis sticking out of the ground. And an erect one at that," she added, giggling.
"Lorelai!" Luke said in a horrified whisper, glancing around them to see if anyone had heard her.
"Oh, don't worry. I'm not going to embarrass you."
"Too late," he said, smiling and enduring a playful poke from her at the remark.
"Maybe it's appropriate though. I mean, he was Bonnie Prince Charlie."
"What the hell does Bonnie mean anyway?"
"I think it's 18th century for hot."
"Ah, it makes perfect sense now," he said wryly.
Lorelai gave him an amused grin, wrapped her hands around his arm and leaned into his shoulder. She sighed softly as she took in the scene. "Well, whatever the story, it is really pretty."
"Yeah." he agreed. "But if this is the beautiful monument, where are those people going?" he pointed at the groups of people walking past them and continuing along the path.
"They must be going to the viaduct. We'll have the check that out too."
"The what?"
"Viaduct. It's a railroad bridge."
He just shrugged his acquiescence, and after a few more minutes of enjoying the quiet Lorelai stood and led him around the path to the other side of the hill. There, a long railroad bridge spanned the valley, the arches under the bridge matching the contour of the ground.
Luke followed the bridge with his eyes, obviously impressed at the structure, reminding Lorelai how he'd admired the architectural details at Chilton during Rory's graduation while obsessing over the cost of insuring it. "Okay, I'll admit, this is a nice bridge, but why are there so many people over here and none looking at the monument?"
Lorelai began to raise her hands in a gesture of ignorance, but was interrupted by a man who looked to be in his twenties, setting up a camera on a tripod. "There's a steam train due in a couple of minutes," he informed them, before going back to fiddling with his camera equipment.
Luke raised his eyebrow at Lorelai. "Okay, I still don't get it."
The camera guy looked back over at them and explained, "This is where they filmed the train scene in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets."
"You're right!" Lorelai exclaimed. "I do remember that."
"You do?" Luke asked skeptically.
"Yeah, and that's another one we can add to our Scotland movie marathon."
Luke rolled his eyes and shook his head. "So let me get this straight. All these people are standing here to watch a train go by just because it looks like one from a movie?"
"It's a sad, sad world, my friend."
The road became much quieter beyond Glenfinnan and roughly followed the path of the railroad. Lorelai began forcing photo stops ever more frequently. When pressed, Luke grudgingly admitted to being impressed by the views.
Lorelai continuously scanned the map to find their exact location, jerking her head up when Luke slowed the car suddenly. "What the hell kind of sign is that?"
"What?"
"That one," he pointed, "Oncoming vehicles in middle of road. Reduce speed now."
Lorelai chuckled, "Well, that's one way to let us know the road is narrowing. It's nice of them to warn us, though," she said, smiling as Luke grumbled his discontent.
There were several more places where the road narrowed, but as the road began to wind through a forested area it became entirely one lane with occasional passing places. Though the sun was still high, the trees blocked much of the light and Luke grew increasingly frustrated with the visibility and frequent pullovers to allow other cars to drive by.
As they emerged from the trees, they approached the western coast of mainland Scotland and turned north to reach the town where they would catch the ferry to Skye. Lorelai convinced Luke to take the Alternative Coastal Route rather than staying on the main road. "Please Luke? The guide book says that if you have time to take the coastal route."
"I suppose it's one of those single-track roads too?"
"Maybe," Lorelai said, examining the map as she pinched her lower lip between her finger and thumb. "But, it looks like it will be straighter, and you know - since it's the coastal route - not go through the woods."
Luke relented and as they drove they took in the views of the sandy beaches, rocky inlets and grassy dunes. In the distance, Lorelai could make out some of the islands that made up the Inner Hebrides. After about 30 minutes, the road ended at a tiny traffic circle in the town of Mallaig. Following her written notes, Lorelai directed Luke to the parking lot of the small inn where they would be staying. After turning off the car, he took a deep breath and leaned back against the seat.
Lorelai turned toward him and rested her hand on his shoulder. "Hey, you did of lots of crazy driving today. Are you okay?"
"Yeah, I'm fine. It was just that stretch through the woods. The rest was okay. I'm just glad we're here."
"Yeah, me too. Let's find some dinner."
Luke raised his eyebrows and shook his head slightly, "Because, let me guess…even though Anne packed us the largest lunch known to man, you are somehow hungry again already."
"Well, the more important question is, why does that continue to surprise you?" she asked with a playful smile.
They checked in quickly and headed out in search of food. Mallaig was obviously a fishing port. The town seemed to consist mainly of several large docks, a small commercial area, and homes scattered along the hill surrounding the small harbor. Flocks of gulls flew from one point to another, filling the air with their distinctive calls. The smell of fish permeated the air, but soon fell into the background of their senses.
There were a few restaurants, all of which served mainly seafood. Luke was impressed at the choices and ended up ordering fresh broiled fish, while Lorelai stuck with a trusted favorite: fish and chips. After dinner, they walked around the harbor and up a hill overlooking the docks. Lorelai was amused to see that there seemed to be as much of the town located on the docks over the water as there was on land. Looking past the docks she could see one of the isles and tried to remember its name from the map. While they sat, the ferry from Skye arrived and they watched the orderly unloading and loading of passengers and vehicles.
"You know, this is a great stopover, but I'm glad that I didn't get sent to consult at the inn we're staying at here. I think two months in a fishing port would get old."
"Does the Durham Group have an inn here?"
"Yeah, they own the one we're staying in. That's how I chose it. They didn't have anything on Skye, so I went with a recommendation from Elizabeth, the manager at the Stirling Inn. It sounds nice, and I've talked on the phone with the woman who runs it, but it's a B&B." Her lips tightened into a grim smile.
"So? Does it really make a difference?"
"Of course," Lorelai responded with surprise. "Inns are like a small hotels, but better, more comfortable. B&B's are in people's houses. It's like you're staying with them. You have to make small talk. And they have cheesy decorations and silly activities."
"And you know this because…?"
"I own an inn," she answered matter-of-factly.
"Yeah, so?"
She gave him an indignant look. "So, I know things."
"Have you ever even stayed at a B&B? They're probably not even like that."
"Oh they are," she said knowingly. "Rory and I stayed in one once. It was…cutesy and frilly. I can't even begin to tell you about the wallpaper. And there was tea, and bird-watching." She shook her head. "Trust me, it is not an experience I want to repeat."
Luke looked at her curiously. "When did you ever stay in a B&B? You never even traveled except for that Europe trip."
Lorelai rested her elbows on her knees and picked at a fingernail. "It was…uh…after I called off the wedding," she mumbled.
He shifted next to her. "Oh."
The sudden mention of her broken engagement brought an uncomfortable silence. Luke played with the seam on his jeans and avoided meeting her eyes. When the silence grew unbearable, Lorelai reached for Luke's arm. "Hey, Luke?"
"Yeah?" he asked, eyes still averted.
She lifted her hand to his cheek, waiting until he turned and met her eyes before she slipped her hand down to hold his. "I meant what I said the other night. I'm not going anywhere. I'm not going to run away."
He took in a deep breath and looked at the ground, kicking a small rock with his toe. Eventually he looked back at her and said softly, "I know that. I know you're not leaving."
Part of Lorelai knew that he meant what he said, but another part of her couldn't help but wonder, if he didn't think she would leave, then why did she see such worry in his face?
After a pleasant night and a scenic ferry ride, Lorelai directed them toward the western edge of the southern peninsula of the Isle of Skye. "It's supposed to be a beautiful drive, and we have time before we're supposed to get to the B&B," Lorelai had pointed out. Luke had agreed grudgingly, until the road had narrowed.
"Jeez. We're in the middle of nowhere, literally driving through a sheep pasture. So far, I'm not seeing the appeal of this Skye place. And the road is so narrow that even the passing places aren't wide enough for two cars. Where the hell are we going?" Luke ranted as he gestured to the fields around them.
"I told you, the guidebook said-"
"I think maybe I'm ready to throw out the guidebook."
"But then we'd have no idea where we were going. Besides, there are hardly any cars to pass anyway."
"Because we're in the middle of nowhere," he grumped.
Lorelai grinned, enjoying Luke's ranting, "I think it's pretty."
"Well, if I'd known you'd be so impressed by a field of livestock, we could have visited a farm in Connecticut."
A few minutes later, they drove over the crest of a hill and on the other side of a bright blue bay saw reddish colored rocky hills and jagged black peaks. When they got closer to the shoreline, Lorelai asked Luke to pull over and she hopped out, taking in the view as she walked toward the waters edge.
As she heard him walk up behind her, she sighed, "Oh my God Luke, it's such a beautiful view."
"Yes. It is". He spoke the words slowly, in a low, almost reverent tone, which made her turn to look at him. She found him gazing intently, not at the mountains, but at her. She couldn't help blushing, looking down at the sand before turning back to the water. She marveled at the effect his words, or rather, his subtle lack of words had on her. Luke had never been big on compliments and she hadn't expected that to change when they dated. His appreciative looks when she took the time to dress up for him, or the meaningful glances while he stroked her cheek were his typical way of showing his admiration. This kind of expression was rare, and directly stated compliments even rarer. Lorelai wasn't unused to flattery. Max and Jason, and even Christopher to some extent, had showered her with flattery, but it had never elicited this reaction – blushing like a teenager. Perhaps it was that with Luke the rarity made the words more precious, more meaningful. Or maybe it was that, no matter how much attraction there was between them, their feelings ran deeper than physical beauty.
Whatever it was, it was still tingling across her skin when he came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist. She ran her fingers across the back of his hand and wrist, playing with the cuff of his flannel. "Thank you," she whispered, wondering briefly if he would even know what she meant, if he had even meant his words the way she had interpreted them.
"You're welcome," he spoke softly into her ear, giving her a gentle squeeze as he allowed her to lean back against him.
"Here we are. See, that wasn't so bad. I can read a map," Lorelai said, gesturing to the house as she walked around the car to join Luke.
"I'm just relieved that we're back to two lane roads. That single-track road stuff is-"
Lorelai cut him off with a gentle hand on his arm as a white-haired woman stood from where she'd been weeding the flowerbeds and walked toward them.
"Hello. Are you Ms. MacDonald?"
"Yes, but please call me Mairi. Welcome to Bayview." She started to reach out a hand, then glanced down and wiped them on her apron. "I'm sorry. I've been in the dirt. Forgive me the lack of a proper handshake."
"Oh, don't worry about that. I'm Lorelai. Lorelai Gilmore. We spoke on the phone a few times."
"Of course. And this must be your fiancé, Mr. Danes, right?"
Lorelai was pleased to see an almost imperceptible flush at the word fiancé as Luke answered her. "That's right, but call me Luke. It's good to meet you."
"This house is beautiful, and the view…amazing," Lorelai said as she gazed in awe at the surroundings, rolling reddish colored hills in the background and blue water spread out in front of them.
Wrinkles around green eyes crinkled and the older woman smiled as if she'd been given a personal compliment. The friendly businesslike tone shifted to something slightly more familiar. "Isn't it though?" She gave a content sigh, looking around for a moment before catching herself and saying, "But let's get you in and settled. Come on inside."
Lorelai took Luke's hand and they both followed their hostess into the house. She showed them into the dining room, excusing herself to wash her hands before returning to give them keys for their room and the front door, and explain the procedure for breakfast. "These are the breakfast choices," she went on, handing them a piece of paper. "Just leave this for me on the dining table sometime tonight. Now let me show you to your room."
In Stirling, it had taken Lorelai only a short time to get used to the Scottish accent that sounded like a less clipped version of British English. Mairi's accent fell one step more toward brogue, her speech slower and words pronounced with unfamiliar vowel sounds, which gave her voice a lilting quality.
Mairi pointed out the sitting room before leading them quickly up the stairs, down a short hall and into a modest, but tastefully decorated room with an attached bathroom. "There is a pot with fixings for tea – and coffee too, "she added in response to a shared glance between Luke and Lorelai. "Not a tea drinker, then?" she asked Lorelai.
"No, coffee is definitely my caffeine of choice, but Luke drinks tea." She said, giving his hand a squeeze.
"Well, both are there for you, and of course, there will be both coffee and tea at breakfast in the morning. The bathroom should have everything that you need, but if you find anything missing, let me know."
"Thank you. This looks fantastic. It's a beautiful house with a wonderful view."
"Thank you," she said kindly, turning toward the door. "Well you two have a lovely day. I'll see you in the morning for breakfast." Mairi closed the door behind her and her footsteps receded down the hall.
"Wow," Lorelai breathed, plopping down on the bed, "this isn't what I thought it would be like staying in a B&B."
"What do you mean?"
"I don't know. I guess I thought it would be weird to stay in someone else's home – like we'd have to check in or something, let her know when we would be back."
Luke snorted. "You thought there'd be a curfew?"
"Well, no. I guess I'm just glad that we can come and go as we want to and she's not wanting to know all about our plans and everything. She's not too nosy or anything. In fact, she's really nice."
"I don't think she'd be doing very well if she wasn't nice," Luke reasoned.
"I know. I guess this just feels more comfortable than I thought it would be."
"That's good, right?" he asked, resting his hands on her shoulders and running them down her arms to grip her wrists. "So, do you want to head out?"
"Yeah, let me grab a few things and..." She gestured toward the bathroom.
"I'll meet you downstairs."
When Lorelai caught up with Luke, she was surprised to see him out side, talking quietly with Mairi, who was holding the collar of a black lab. "What a beautiful dog!" Lorelai said as she walked toward them
Mairi smiled widely at the compliment. "Thank you. This is Duncan. His sister, Fiona, is around back. Do you have dogs?"
"Oh, no," Lorelai snorted. "No one would trust me to take care of one. But I've always wanted a pet," she added, a little sadly, reaching down to let Duncan sniff her palm before running her hand over his head. "Maybe someday Luke will let me." She turned and gave him a wink, which he returned with a knowing shake of the head.
"Ah, well. It was worth a try."
Luke looked at her and asked, "You ready?"
She nodded, but then turned to Mairi, "I actually have a question, though."
"Of course. What can I do for you?"
"We were planning to drive around the Trotternish peninsula today. Do you think we have time to see everything? We're probably going to grab some lunch first."
"That shouldn't be a problem. The roads are dual carriageway almost the whole way, so it shouldn't take more than a couple hours of driving. Unless you plan on hiking a lot," she paused to scan their dress, "but it doesn't look like you're planning for that."
Lorelai laughed at the observation, "Yeah. Exercise and I don't generally get along." She heard Luke stifle a chuckle and turned to glare at him, only to find him gazing at her with a soft smile.
Mairi glanced between the two of them, watching their interaction with interest before adding, "You'll have plenty of time to see everything and be back before dinner. Have a nice day."
They both thanked her and wished her a nice day before heading out. The B&B was located between Broadford and Portree, two of the larger towns on the Isle of Skye. They stopped to stock up their small cooler in Portree before continuing through town and up to the northern peninsula. After convincing Luke that it would be romantic to have a picnic, Lorelai pulled out the guidebook to find an appropriate location.
The appropriate location turned out to be a picnic table off the side of the road with views of the 'Old Man of Storr,' a rock formation which Lorelai informed him was supposed to be a man who was frozen in stone for the love of his wife.
"What kind of situation would call for someone to be frozen in stone?"
"I don't know, it's not very specific," she said, her brow wrinkled in concentration. "So would you let yourself be frozen in stone for me?" she teased.
"I'm not sure. I'd need to know more about the details of the situation. Maybe we should climb up there and find out more about the story," he offered, with a smirk.
"Yeah right. Besides, the true romantic wouldn't have to 'find out the details.' He'd just do it without question," she said, grinning.
"Hmm. I should have known that agreeing to spend eternity encased in stone wouldn't be enough to convince you to go hiking."
The rest of the afternoon was spent admiring the scenery, which included a variety of rock formations and views across the bay, as well as exploring the Museum of Island Life, which consisted of several small buildings that would have made up part of an early farming community. There appeared to be a rich history around what was called crofting, farming small pieces of land, which were often rented from a large landowner.
Late in the afternoon, they returned to the B&B to get ready for dinner. Lorelai went to the bathroom, taking the time to splash water on her face and brush her hair. She returned to find Luke dressed in a dark grey sweater with black pants, his feet bare on the deep red area rug. He reached for his belt as she entered, but stopped when she called, "Luke? I don't know what the occasion is, but you are looking all kinds of mighty fine right now."
He flushed and looked down briefly before lifting his head and saying sheepishly, "I just wanted to take you out tonight."
"And where, pray tell, are you going to take me?"
"There's a restaurant in Portree that Mairi recommended."
Lorelai gave him a knowing glance, "Ahh, that's what you were talking to her about. I was wondering what made you Mr. Small Talk all of a sudden."
He shrugged. "I figured she'd know a good place."
Lorelai glanced at the bed and picked up the dress lying there, "Is this what I'm wearing? Should I be freaked out that you're picking out my clothes for me?"
"It was the only dress you brought here, so…I didn't mean," he looked somewhat uncomfortable and Lorelai reminded herself how rare it was for him to take her out for a romantic dinner.
"Well, that's a good choice. You like me in that dress, right?"
"I like you in all your dresses," he said quietly.
"Or, out of them?" she asked devilishly.
"Or that," he admitted with a smile.
"Well then, I'm going to make someone very happy tonight," she teased, giving him a saucy grin as she looped her arms around his neck.
"You always do." His eyes met hers, his voice low and serious. "And I don't just mean…"
"I know what you mean," Lorelai said gently, "but if you keep talking like that, I'm going to end up melted into a big puddle of goo on the floor."
"Let's not have that then," the corners of his mouth turning up with a smile as he leaned in to give her a soft kiss.
Just as she had the last several nights, Lorelai lay in the curve of Luke's arm, her head on his shoulder and her arm across his chest, which rose and fell with his deep breaths of sleep. Usually, this was enough to lull her into slumber, but the tennis match of emotions kept her awake, tracking the score in her make-believe game. It was ridiculous, she thought, that she retained the oddities of tennis scoring from the hated lessons of her youth, but found it difficult to remember her own cell phone number.
Deuce, her brain said, as images flashed.
Luke giving her the engagement ring. Advantage optimism.
Luke convincing her to take the consulting job. Advantage uncertainty.
Luke telling her he missed her. Advantage optimism.
The subtle looks of worry on Luke's face when he didn't think she was looking. Advantage uncertainty.
Luke telling her he loved her. Advantage optimism.
Lorelai shifted slightly, causing Luke to stir and hug her more tightly, muttering something softly and brushing his lips across her brow before settling back to sleep.
Point to optimism…and game. Lorelai dropped off to sleep before her brain could remind her that a game was only the beginning of a tennis match.
To be continuedAuthor's Note: Lorelai's quotation from the Glenfinnan Monument 'pamphlet' actually comes from the Undiscovered Scotland website, to which I tried unsuccessfully to link.