Chapter 74
December 3rd, 2021
Rory pulled up in front of her house an hour later than she'd planned, a teacher-parent conference having run late on that Friday evening. Teacher-parent conferences were hardly ever something teachers enjoyed, and Rory wasn't any different. It usually involved parents being late, parents thinking they were better teachers than her just because they'd achieved a executive job or sat on this or that committee and offering an earful of unwanted advice, parents believing the teachers should be the ones to motivate their kids and do all the heavy lifting for them, parents believing their only task was keeping them fed, clothed and pampered while developing their kids' ethical and law-abiding behavior was up to the private school system. Hence the evening had left her drained and frustrated. This was not why she'd gotten into this. This happened often in December unfortunately - too much work, not enough sun, never enough time. That along with imposter syndrome, feeling like she wasn't spending enough time with Em, and all of her friends and flirting with the game of 'what if' while seeing job ads in passing.
The only light at the end of the tunnel was that it was a Friday, and soon enough winter break, and at the very least she could attempt to sleep late the next morning. Well as late as her weekend boss would allow, that is.
She'd just been to pick up Em, who's school thankfully had options for the kids to stick around and play in cases like this for a few hours, but this usually resulted in Em feeling tired and grumpy, as had this time done.
Rory had run into Tristan on her way to pick Em up too, but had been so preoccupied she'd barely managed a quick 'hi' in passing.
As she'd finally got Em ready to go the girl was already complaining that she was hungry, she'd regretted not exchanging a few words with him, thinking back. It wasn't even about what she'd heard through Logan that Tristan had thought of her, which no doubt lifted her self-esteem a little, but she genuinely wanted to warm that relationship on a friendship level. Hell, maybe they could even do something as a group one of these days, realizing not everything could be coordinated with the rest of their personal Life and Death Brigade gang.
"Did you decide what you want for dinner? Grandma will be over in half an hour, and Logan too," Rory said to Em, who'd been pouting most of the drive as she pulled up. You know - the typical kid stuff - her game having been cut short, hunger, shoes feeling tight and the car being the wrong color.
Rory had invited them both for Friday night dinner at her place that evening, skipping the drive to Stars Hollow as Em was staying with her this weekend. Luke had to work, so she thought she might just as well take another step towards adjusting the three with each-other's presence. It was just dinner, right?
Now, however, a small part of her was regretting the dinner. She just felt too exhausted to have her mother bicker or guard the tension between her and Logan like last weekend. But as she waited for Em to reply, she noticed Logan already sitting on her steps, having walked over, and the hesitance passed. It was so good to see him after a hectic work week. She felt she hadn't even texted enough with him this week, having worked past midnight on most nights. She always worried a little about him too - was he too lonely all alone in that tiny apartment? Did he have people to talk to? Was he overworking? Was he over-exercising? Was he okay with her being so unavailable?
"I want pizza," Em said in a rather demanding tone.
"You just had pizza yesterday, Em. You know what your dad would say to that," Rory replied, switched the ignition off and unbuckled her seatbelt. Jess had a sensible rule of serving Em pizza only once a week, and she generally didn't go against it unless she had a good reason. She didn't need to lie or follow Jess's rules, but she genuinely believed that Jess knew a thing or two more about healthy eating than she did.
Rory also knew that she should probably reprimand Em for speaking that way, but she just lacked the energy right then.
"But I still want pizza," Em continued to pout. Rory went around the car, smiling and waving to Logan who already got up from his seat on the steps, to get Em from the back seat.
"But it's got to be a healthy pizza in that case. No extra cheese, and some form of vegetables," Rory began to lecture, as she led Em towards the door, not feeling up to standing her ground this time. Even her voice felt tired. And she also didn't want Em to throw a full-blown tantrum with Logan around.
"Hey," Rory exhaled as she made it closer to Logan. God, how she would've just wanted a hug, quick embrace, a kiss - anything.
"Hey, sorry, I'm a little early, I suppose," Logan said with a light shrug.
"Ups, you're not early, but we're late," Rory said, glancing briefly at Logan's watch as she passed. Just touching his wrist as she did that felt so good, his body radiating heat. The chemistry was undeniable.
"How was school?" Logan managed to ask before Rory cast a warning glance at his direction.
"Fine!" Em continued to grumble.
Logan raised her eyebrows lightly, having not quite expected such a mood from the cute 4-year old dressed in ladybug tights and a kitten-eared beanie.
"My school - crazy! Demotivating and horrible...," Rory exhaled, making a disgusted face, summing her workday up, not even exaggerating much. "I was late, and she was not happy since she's hungry," Rory commented quietly, tolting her head towards Em, as she opened the door and let them enter.
Logan wanted to say something about her work, sooth her, assure that it'd surely be better next week. Just get her to relax and cheer her up, but his hands felt tied just then, unable to really touch her or say anything truly assuring that was at least mentally intimate.
"Well, then we just got to do something about that growl in your stomach, don't we?" Logan said, trying to sound cheery. The least he could do was try to fix one of Rory's problems.
Even before Rory had hung up her coat she was browsing her phone for food deliveries.
"Pizza is going to be an hour and half, babe. It's a really long wait," Rory commented. "Chinese or burgers are a little quicker," she replied, not looking happy. The time was not really a concept Em got fully, but it didn't mean Rory didn't try to teach her little by little.
"Have you got anything in the kitchen? We could make something," Logan offered, finding himself a little idle, having not known Rory was running late. He was also fighting the urge to kiss her, to feel her - say a proper 'hello', but he knew that was not going to happen with Em right there, taking off her boots on the floor
"Em, would you go for pasta? Spaghetti?" Rory suggested, hopefully. Truthfully, she wasn't very eager to have pizza again, having grabbed a cold slice of mushroom pizza at the school cafeteria that day at lunch, having been in a hurry, and she really wasn't craving anything resembling that.
"Fine!" Em pouted.
"There should be some stuff. I can do it," Rory told Logan, and ran her hand over her forehead, feeling exhausted, before taking off her coat. It was her that had invited people over and not ordered the food on the go which would've avoided this situation. She definitely wasn't enjoying showing her less-than-perfect side to Logan, even though she knew he would insist it didn't matter and that she shouldn't worry about it.
Em headed to the back to wash her hands, the school having done a pretty good job on teaching them to do this every time they came indoors.
"Hey, you go take a break, catch your breath," Logan assured, stroking her arms, and gave her a quick kiss.
Rory was surprised how energizing that kiss had been, and felt thankful he'd found that brief moment to do it, having needed that.
"I guess I could go and change," Rory agreed.
"Go, take a shower if you want to - I can handle the pasta," Logan assured, secretly fretting whether he hadn't taken too big of a task. Cooking wasn't the problem, but a pouty 4-year-old was certainly out of his range of expertise.
"So, you want to show me where I can find the pasta in the kitchen?" Rory heard Logan ask Em, tentatively, as she headed upstairs, holding her breath a bit for this to go well.
She took a quick shower, more like a rinse really. But it was good enough to relax her shoulders a little. She dressed quickly in her go-to outfit of leggings and a simple jersey, and headed down to investigate, staying quiet, wanting to get a lay of the land before barging in on them.
"Now, does this taste good? Should we add some of this to the sauce, do you think?" she heard Logan ask.
"Maybe just a little," Em replied, sceptically.
"Alright, just a little then," Logan agreed. "This much?" he asked, engaging the girl thoroughly in the cooking process.
"Can I add the salt now?" Em asked.
"Sure, not too much though," Logan instructed.
"Can you keep stirring this for me for a sec, I've got to pour out this water. But watch out this thing is hot," he cautioned. While some mothers may have panicked at the possibility of their kid being near a stove, she wasn't terribly worried as Em had plenty of experience with Luke and Jess in the kitchen. She knew it was hot, and there was nothing more she could've done than Logan already had.
It was just as Rory emerged, perhaps a little too abruptly, as she heard a yelp that any mother feared to hear.
"Au-au-au," Em said, having turned to face Rory suddenly, and held her one hand with the other. It appeared she'd just for a second touched the hot sauce pan by accident when she'd turned.
"Oh cr..," Logan said urgently, just finishing draining the pasta. Rory grabbed the girl and quickly let cold water pour onto her little and in the adjacent bathroom.
Logan was wordless, feeling his blame. "I'm sorry, I should've...," he began. Maybe he had misjudged the situation?
Em was surprisingly brave, not even crying, just having gotten a scare. The burn was minor, just a fine half-an-inch long pinkish line on her wrist.
"Can you hand me the Burnshield from that cabinet over there?" Rory asked and Logan complied. Then he continued to turn off the stove, just letting the sauce and pasta sit there, still feeling like the situation had been too urgent to really just go on with the cooking.
It was then the two heard Lorelai's voice from the front of the house, having let herself in. The situation causing Logan to feel a wave of panic. While he felt at blame for Em's burn, he desperately didn't want Lorelai to blame him for it either.
"We're in the kitchen!" Rory called out for her mother, and sprayed a thick layer of gel onto Em's hand. "Now just hold it so that you don't get it on your dress. It won't hurt as much soon," she instructed Em.
"Well hello," Lorelai declared, marching into the kitchen, as usual with a bag of takeaway in her hand. Thankfully, it wasn't pizza. She didn't look too pleased to see this setup as expected. Logan, a frightened Em and Rory bending over her. "What's all this?" she asked.
"We just had a little burn, no biggie," Rory said, calmly. It really wasn't, but she realized that she did need to downplay it even more with her mother. "The sauce looks good, Logan," she commented, suggesting wordlessly that they continue the cooking process. Well, what was left of the cooking process there only really being a few things left to do. And not to let her mother dwell on this much longer, inquired, "What did you bring?"
Lorelai thankfully wasn't interfering with their plan of pasta, having brought a round of appetizers which actually suited their choice for Italian quite well. The new chef at the Inn had been testing her new menu and this meant lots of leftovers - some antipasto, meatballs on a stick, blue cheese stuffed mushrooms.
"The pasta is pretty good," Lorelai commented after some time at the dinner table, having watched Em gobble up the farfalle within minutes, the girl no longer even recalling her little encounter with the hot pan. She herself wasn't as eager, letting her pasta get cold as she picked at it, this whole dynamic still appearing too strange for her.
"The delivery times were insane tonight," Rory commented. "But thankfully we had Logan around," she added, perhaps a bit too eagerly.
"So how's Luke?" Logan decided to ask, wanting to contribute more to the conversation.
"Oh he's good, Caesar is sick so he had to fill in," Lorelai replied.
"You know, there was something I wanted to ask you about your dog actually," Logan began, certainly getting the attention of the adults at the table. Em was not really paying much attention, much rather trying to lick the sauce off the miniature meatball as if it was a lollipop.
"How did you choose him? Or Pa..," Logan began, wanting to mention Paul Anka but reconsidered, unsure how gentle the subject still was. "I mean, personality wise. Did you just know he would suit you or did you read up on the breed?" he added.
"Intuition, I guess, and besides neither of them has been purebreds. There's not a whole lot to read up on with a mix," Lorelai replied.
"I didn't know that," Logan replied.
"I thought P… was a Lowland Sheepdog?" Rory asked, not quite recalling the full name of the breed, having once looked it up even.
"Was he?" Lorelai said, having not really focused on the matter much, and shrugged. She took another bite instead of dwelling on it too much.
"So you're really thinking about getting one?" Rory asked Logan.
"Yeah, it kind of got into my system, I guess," he admitted. "But I want to think it over, there seems to be so much to consider," he added, which went more against Lorelai than he realized. After all, Lorelai had never really thought these things through.
"I got them both from the shelter," Lorelai shared.
Logan felt rather silly that he hadn't thought of that, to be honest. Sure, he'd heard people did that, celebrities even, but it wasn't something that had popped into his mind at the snap of his fingers.
"Can I go play?" Em asked, having finished her meal. Her cheeks were red from the pasta sauce.
"Sure, hon, but come here," Rory insisted, and wiped off her cheeks. "Say thank you for your meal too, wasn't it delicious?" she urged. She didn't normally request it unless they were dining outside the own.
"Thank you, Logan," Em said, and scattered off.
"Listen mom, I actually meant to run something by you," Rory began, a little more hesitantly than she'd planned. That beginning was certainly catching Logan's concern - was she about to tell Lorelai about their plans? He'd been under the impression that she wanted to keep all of their hopes, their engagement between them for a while.
"Uh-uh?" Lorelai responded, while finishing chewing a bit of bread with the pasta sauce.
"I think I want to do Christmas at the Sandcastle," Rory said, only taking a quick breath before continuing. "I hope Logan can be there," she added, putting her hand on his, "and I know I still need to work things out with Jess, but he could either have the 24th and you could fly in with Em on the 25th or maybe he'll want to fly over for dinner himself…I'm sure I can agree on something with him. I just think Em should get to experience that place," she explained. Rory used to love that place.
Lorelai just inhaled deeply and Logan could tell this was heavier than it sounded.
"I think it's time, don't you?" Rory asked her mother.
AN: As far as I've understood (having just a brief real-life US experience) a lot of people in the US are kind of overprotective of their kids. If I am wrong - sorry. So when you read this and think - hey - Logan should've never let the 4-years old near a hot stove in the first place, then just take into consideration that I wrote this based on my own kid and where I live it really isn't that big of a deal to have them cook with you and be alone for a minute (unless it's a huge pot of boiling water or smth).
Thank you so much for your reviews!
