Max walked through the town with a smile on his face. He knew Lorelai had been feeling distracted lately, and couldn't wait to show up on her doorstep with a fist full of flowers and a night full of big, romantic plans. He had parked near the center of town because he didn't want to alert her with his presence when he pulled into her driveway. Quietly knocking on the door would be much more of a surprise.
As he passed the dance studio, he noticed something peculiar. I thought town meetings were only held at night, he thought, as he heard Taylor slam the gavel on the podium, announcing that the meeting was adjourned. Curious as to what was going on, he walked up to Miss Patty, as she exited the building, to find out.
"Hey, Patty, what's going on? I thought you only had Town Meetings at night?" he asked, as the afternoon sun shone brightly in his eyes.
"Oh, well, this one was a special meeting," she replied nervously. She seemed a bit too eager to Max to get away from him.
"What was so special about it?"
After debating whether or not to answer him, Patty said, "Well… Don't tell Lorelai this, but it was about her."
This surprised Max. She was one of the town's most beloved residents, and they were having a meeting about her, behind her back?
"What was the meeting about, Patty?" Max asked, now more curious than ever.
"Her new little family member. Isn't she just too cute? I really must go now, dear. Say hello to Lorelai and those darling daughters of hers for me, and make sure you don't tell her about the meeting!" Patty shouted behind her as she hurried away.
New family member? Max thought to himself and he continued walking towards Lorelai's house. What new family member? Did she get a dog? That must be it. That's the only explanation for it. But, why would they have a meeting about a dog? He neared Lorelai's house, but just as he was about to step onto the front lawn, he thought, Wait, did she say daughters? As in… plural?
Lorelai and Izzy were in the kitchen that afternoon, attempting to make themselves some grilled cheese. Apparently, Izzy's dad used to make it for her all the time, and she'd help, so she was an expert on it.
"Now, you have to butter the bread," Izzy instructed her mother. "Daddy never let me do this part because you have to use a knife."
"Okay. Do I butter both sides or just one?" Lorelai asked, scooping up some butter onto her knife and poising her hand in preparation.
"Just one. That way when you put it in the pan, it doesn't stick."
Lorelai began buttering the bread when Rory walked into the kitchen. "Whoa, what are you two doing?"
"Making grilled cheese," Lorelai announced, proudly.
"Izzy! I told you never to let her near anything that has to do with cooking! You don't want the house to burn down, do you?" Rory asked her sister, in mock discipline.
"Don't worry, Rory, I know how to do it. Daddy taught me," she replied. Turning her attention back to her mom, Izzy said, "Now, put the skillet on the stove and turn it on. I was never allowed to do this part either."
"Neither is Mom," Rory said.
"Come on, Rory, have a little faith!" Lorelai said, rolling her eyes. She put the skillet on the stove and turned it on. "I did it! And I still have all my fingers! Look, Rory! One through ten, all still there!" she said, holding up her hands proudly. "What next, Iz?"
"This is the part Daddy let me do."
"Ok." Lorelai bent down and picked her daughter up so she was level with the stove, while holding her carefully so she wouldn't get burnt. Isabelle picked up a piece of bread, and carefully laid it in the pan. She continued assembling the sandwiches as Rory and Lorelai watched on in amazement.
"Wow," was all Rory could say.
"All finished. Now we watch carefully and flip them over in a few minutes," Isabelle said, proud that she knew how to do something that her mother and older sister didn't.
They sat at the kitchen table and talked while waiting for flipping time to come. Less than a minute went by when the doorbell rang.
"I'll get it," Lorelai said, standing up from the table. "Rory, you're in charge of flipping while I'm MIA."
"Yes ma'am," Rory said, saluting her mother with a smile. Izzy giggled.
Lorelai walked to the door, wondering who it could be. Probably just another Stars Hollow citizen wanting to hear the talk of the town straight from the source, she thought, as she opened the door. "Max," she gasped.
"Hi, Lorelai," he said flatly.
"Rory!" Lorelai called for her daughter, not taking her eyes off of Max for a second.
"Yeah, Mom? Who is it?" she asked as she walked towards her mother. "Oh, Max," she gasped also. "What are you doing here?" she asked in the most polite ay possible.
"I'm just here to see your mom," he said with a smile, thought still flatly.
"Oh. Ok," she gulped and turned towards her mother, giving her a look that said, "What're we gonna do?"
"Max, could you excuse us for just a second?" Lorelai asked. She didn't wait for an answer as she shut the door slowly, just for it to be stopped by Max's hand.
"You don't have to try and cover it up anymore, Lorelai. I already know." Max said sternly.
Lorelai gulped. "You do?"
Max nodded. "Yep."
"How?"
"I ran into Miss Patty."
Lorelai turned back to Rory. "Rory, could you stay in the kitchen with Izzy while I talk to Max? Remember to listen to her instructions. She's the one keeping the house from burning down."
"Okay." Rory walked off to the kitchen, leaving her mother and Max alone.
"Why don't we talk out here?" Lorelai said, stepping onto the porch and closing the door behind her.
"That's probably a good idea." He and Lorelai sat down on the steps and faced each other. "So, it's true."
"Yeah. It's true," Lorelai admitted.
"How long?"
"What do you mean, how long?"
"What else could I mean?"
"She's three years old. She just started living with us two week ago, though. I swear."
"So you've been keeping this from me for two weeks?" Lorelai looked down to the ground in response. "How did this happen?"
Lorelai went on to tell him the story of the vacation and David. "You weren't the only one who didn't know, I swear. It was just me and Rory. The only other person who knows is Mia, my boss, and that's only because I had to give her a legit reason for not coming back to work for 10 months. 9 months to have her, and a month to make sure everything was settled with David. My parents don't even know yet."
"But everyone else has known. And they've known for two weeks. We've been on dates since then, and you hadn't mentioned her. I knew you were distracted, but geez, Lorelai, this is big."
"I know."
"I don't think I can do this anymore."
"Do what?" Lorelai asked, looking up in surprise.
Max stood up from where he was sitting and began pacing across the porch. "This. You and me. If I can't trust you, I can't be in this relationship anymore."
"You can trust me. Really you can!" Lorelai said frantically.
"No, Lorelai. I really don't think I can… Here. These were for you," he said, handing her the flowers he had been holding since he had gotten there. "Yellow daisies. Your favorite."
Lorelai stood up and accepted the flowers. "Thank you, Max."
They stood together awkwardly. "Can I at least give you a goodbye hug?" she asked with a smile.
"Of course," he said, stepping towards her and wrapping his arms around her. Lorelai melted into his embrace as she wrapped her arms around his neck, breathing in his scent one last time. They both let go, and Max said, "Goodbye, Lorelai Gilmore." He walked off the porch and towards town.
Once he was out of sight, Lorelai said, "Goodbye, Max Medina."
Tbc.
Coming Up: The trio goes to Luke's for lunch, but what happens when Izzy goes missing? Who will save the day?
Review!
