Hope floats

Chapter 9:

Stars Hollow

Lorelai seriously didn't know what to do. She had been lying awake al night, trying to come up with the right answer. The other day she had talked with Sookie about the offer they had gotten. Sookie had been very enthusiastic about the interest Mr. Dewitt's company was taking in their Inn and the credit they were giving her and Lorelai. She knew it meant a lot coming from them. However she told her that this was Lorelai's decision to make, because she didn't know anything on finances or anything else that doesn't concern cooking. That was Lorelai's job.

When she looked at her alarm clock it said 03:28. She wasn't getting anywhere this way. She decided she needed more information on the whole investment offer and talk to someone who had some experience in this field. First of all she needed to get some sleep and tomorrow she would give her dad a call.

xxx

The next day was pretty hectic for Lorelai. The Inn's front desk computer had crashed. Luckily they kept a hardcopy backup from everything that was done on the computer but this meant a lot of time looking everything up to handling the reservations. Michel had been complaining non-stop giving her a headache that could crack her brain.

It wasn't till late in the afternoon that the computer was up and running and everything came to a rest at the Inn. Lorelei decided to give her father a call.

She called his office, but his secretary told her he would be working at home this afternoon.

"Crap!" Lorelai thought. The last thing she wanted was to call there and risk talking to her mother. Her mom had had the audacity to send her postcards from their second honeymoon, pretending like nothing had happened. And when she got back from their trip, she even had tried to call Lorelai a couple of times, but Lorelai just had hung up every single time, till finally Emily got the message that she wasn't speaking to her anymore.

"Well here goes." Lorelai whispered softly , while she rang the number of the Gilmore estate.

"Gilmore Residence. Emily Gilmore speaking."

Hello Missesss Gilmore, This is Brooke Logan from ABC enterprises speaking. I'm looking for Richard Gilmore and his secretary told me he could be reached at this number." Lorelai said, while putting on a snobbish fake voice.

"One minute, please." Emily says, while walking over to Richard.

"Richard, it's for you!" Emily walks over to where he's standing.

"Who is it Emily?" He asks, while taking the phone.

"Brooke Logan from ABC enterprises."

"Never heard of them." Richard says frowning.

"This is Richard Gilmore speaking."

"Dad! It's me ….Lorelai! Just pretend you're talking to Brooke Logan ok. Can I talk to you in private, without mom standing nearby?" Lorelai asks him.

Richard looks confused, but then says: "Oh of course Miss Brooke, just wait a minute and I will walk to my study where I've got the paperwork." And with that, he walks away leaving a suspicious Emily behind.

xxx

After 45 minutes Richard was still on the phone. Emily was pacing up and down the hallway. She couldn't take it any more, she had to know. So when he finally hung up the phone, she stormed into Richard's study and asked him what Lorelei wanted.

"What do you mean dear?" Richard says playing innocent.

"I know that that was Lorerai on the phone, Richard, I'm not stupid!" Emily goes on raving.

"I know your not stupid Emily!"

"Then tell me, what does she want? And why is she talking to you and not to me?" Emily asks Richard.

Richard sighs and starts filling Emily in on the offer Alexander Dewitt had made Lorelai.

xxx

Yale

Rory was really tired. Logan had kept her up till late last night and she only got a couple of hours of sleep. She had gotten herself three cups of coffee to get started this morning, but the caffeine buzz was long gone by now. On top of this all, she had just gotten a surprise pop quiz during her last lecture. She had the feeling she did fine though, but it had left her totally exhausted. She needed coffee and she needed it fast! She was walking fast and the pile of books in her hands started to tilt over. She tried to find the balance again, but at the same moment bumped into someone and dropped all the books instead.

"I'm so sorry!" Rory said while kneeling down to pick up her books.

"It's ok! Here let me help you with that." A somewhat familiar voice said.

Rory looked up at the guy, who was now down next to her, helping her to pick up her books. When she noticed who was in front of her, she just froze and stared at him with her mouth open.

He noticed she wasn't helping anymore and looked up at her to find she was staring at him. That's when shock hits him. It's Mary…..Rory Gilmore.

"Hey Rory! What a surprise to see you here!" He says while standing up.

Rory also stands up, but is still in shock and is still staring at him.

Tristan starts to laugh. "I know I'm nice to look at, but it is getting to be a bit awkward with you starting at me like that." He says, still laughing.

That's when Rory snaps out of it. "Oh I'm sorry! Hi Tristan. I'm just shocked to see you here."

Tristan mind was a blur. Of all the people he had thought of meeting here, Rory Gilmore wasn't one of them. She had looked so beautiful staring at him just now. He had wanted to kiss her right there and then. Wait what was he thinking? He had a very nice girlfriend and shouldn't be thinking about kissing anybody else. But then again, this was Rory… his Mary and for the first time it seemed like they were being nice to each other.

"So tell me, why are you in such a hurry?" He asks her, while still holding her books.

"Oh, my morning caffeine buzz has worn out a while ago, so I'm really in need of some coffee."

Tristan smiles, remembering her coffee addiction. "Well, why don't you show me the place that sells the best coffee and I'll buy you some. That is, if you don't mind my company?" He asks, suddenly looking a bit worried.

Rory smiles back at him. "Of course I don't mind the company. Let's go mister. Precious minutes of me without coffee are passing by.

A/N: That's it for now. Please update!