The pickup sitting at the curb when she pulled up to The Dragonfly had a tree illustration with the words "Jack's Nursery" scrawled on the side and a trailer with some kind of machine hooked to the back. Quickly Rory grabbed her purse and climbed out of the car just as Brian and Logan walked out of the house. The sight of the two of them, arms and muscles rippling across the expanse of thin, white t-shirts scattered every piece of sanity she had managed to regain since Logan had left her then night before.
"Hey, Rory," Brian said as Rory's gaze locked with Logan's.
"Hey," she said, wishing they were anywhere but in the inns' front yard.
"We're going to bring the truck around back, you want to hop in?" Brian asked.
"Okay." Sanity slipped away from her as Logan opened the passenger door, and she crawled in between them. Brian started the motor.
"So, what's the plan today? Logan asked as his hand rubbed up and down his leg.
"Well, we're going to run the rototiller across the back, and then we'll have to set up the dividers, then I guess we'll make a run to the nursery for the bushes and stuff."
Logan nodded as the pickup rolled into the alley. So far, Rory had managed not to touch either of them, but when the pickup swung to the side as it dropped across a hole, she lost her balance and crashed right into Logan.
"Pothole," Brian said.
"Yeah, I kind of noticed that," Logan said with a nervous laugh as Rory fought to get herself upright again.
The truck stopped behind the back gate, and the three occupants got out.
"You really think you're going to get this thing off of here without destroying it?" Logan asked, looking at the machine skeptically.
"Piece of cake," Brian said, unlocking the back gate and pulling two thin ramps off the back of the trailer.
Rory stood with Logan right behind her watching as Brian expertly climbed onto the machine and hit the starter. It roared to life on the first turn. He looked down the two ramps and put it into reverse. Slowly the machine backed off the trailer, and then she felt Logan move.
He went over and opened the gate so Brian could drive into the yard.
"Come on," Logan said, following Brian in, "you can help me move the furniture."
Rory pushed away form the invisible wall she felt attached to. A whole day of watching the two of them work might just mean that they could commit her into a padded cell by nightfall.
OoOoOo
All the furniture sat on the porch, and the back corner of the lot was now freshly tilled soil.
"Can you help me with this?" Brian called to Logan as he picked up a divider.
"Sure," Logan said, hopping over the flowerpots he and Rory were filling with topsoil.
"Let's start at the side of the slope and work our way around," Brian directed, and Logan positioned the metal divider, set it down, stepped back, and cross his arms, examining their progress.
"We'll have to wrap this first one around to make room for the walk," Brian said.
"So, how do you know where you're supposed to put this thing anyway?"
"Paint," Brain said as though it was his secret weapon. He pulled the small marker out, consulted his sketches, and in one fluid motion marked the edge of the grass with one flowing line. "What do you think?"
"Looks good, but I'm not going to have to live with it," Logan said skeptically.
"I'll get Mom," Rory said, standing from the flowerpots.
As he watched her disappear into the inn, Logan's hand remembered the feel of her back, and he had force his blood to stop pounding.
"Oh, it looks great," Lorelai said, stepping out onto the back porch.
"If you think this looks great, wait 'til you see it with actual plants," Brian said with a laugh. "Umm, we wanted to make sure this is where you wanted the dividers."
Rory stepped up next to her mothers' side and stuck her hand in both back pockets.
"And now tell me again what you're planning on putting in here?" Lorelai asked, swinging into the midday sun.
"Rose of Sharon buses in the back, here, and here," Brian said, pointing out the plan as Logan's gaze chanced back to Rory.
One look into her eyes was all it took to make his head spin. He smiled at her as Brian and her mother continued mapping out the garden. Her gaze dropped to the grass demurely and then met his again as the edges of her white skin turned pink.
"Okay, we'll get on this," Brian said, walking aback between them.
Logan's gaze dropped for one moment, and then he looked back up at her with a small smile.
"I think Rory's almost finished with the flowerpots," Brian said appreciatively.
"Oh, yeah," she said, ripping her gaze from Logan's reluctantly. "They should be ready before we go get the bushes."
"Good." Lorelai nodded, "Then I'll just let you get back to work then, to much dirt for me."
The three of them nodded, and Lorelai turned back for the door.
"Well, let's hit it," Brian said, clapping his hands together. "We're wasting daylight."
OoOoO
Wishing his heart didn't threaten to beat out of his chest every time he looked at her, Logan accepted another flat of flowers from Rory as he stood in the back of the pickup.
"Hey, Brian, how many of these things do we need?"
"Two or three should do it," Brian said, carrying an armload of tiny bushes to the pickup. "We'll go back in a month or so and seed the other stuff she wants."
Logan nodded as he accepted the bushes and tucked them into the only remaining space that wasn't some shade of green.
"That's it," Brian said, inspecting their selections carefully.
Smoothly Logan slapped his gloves together, laid a hand on the pickup side, and jumped to the ground, landing closer to Rory than he had planned. With a laugh, she laid her hand on his back and then immediately withdrew it. He looked her and smiled.
"Well, come on," Brian said when he had slammed the tailgate closed and started for the driver door. "We don't have time to be standing around all day."
Logan followed Rory to the pickup and crawled in beside her, amazed that she could put to much space between herself and him in the tiny confines of the cab. But when they rolled into the alley again, his wish for the pothole's help was granted. Any touch, any look, anything that she would give him was devoured as though it was the first time he had ever been in love, which he had to admit by now was quite possible.
"I think we'll start with the back bushes and work out way forward," Brian said as the pickup rolled up to the back gate. "Rory, Logan can hand to you out of the truck, and you can bring them to me in the yard."
Rory nodded, and they went to work. Every time she walked back through the gate, Logan felt as though he had never seen anyone so beautiful in his fie. Soil-stained and sweaty, she looked like heaven.
When all but the two flats of flowers were unloaded, he jumped out of the pickup and handed her a flat with a smile as he grabbed the other one.
"Put the red ones over on that side, and the pink ones over by this bed," Brian said as though commanding a whole army of volunteers rather than just two willing helpers.
Logan glanced down at the flat in his hand and hesitated for one small second before he looked at her. With a wink, she indicated the far fence with a nod of her head, and then she started over to the shed. The smile came from so far down inside him, it was like it had no beginning, at that moment he hoped that it had no end.
OoOO
"So, does your Mom think we're absolutely nuts?" Logan asked Rory as they drove through the darkened streets to the 40 Watt.
It was only ten o'clock, but already her eyelids were feeling the effects of working all day. "Are you kidding? She thinks the two of you are gods."
"She's led a sheltered life, hasn't she?"
Rory laughed. "No, but Luke's always too busy with the diner to mess with that kind of stuff. I think it's taking her some time to realize there are actually people who like it."
"She's nice."
"Yeah," Rory's gaze trailed to her window, and gently he reached over to her hand and rested his on top of it.
"It was fun working with you today."
"Yea, it was." She smiled in spite of her body's vague whisper that it could really use a bed and a pillow right now. "I kind of felt sorry for Brian though. All this has got to be a little head-snapping right now."
"I'm just thankful he didn't knock my block off."
"You deserved it," she said with a grin as the pulled into the parking lot.
"Yeah? Well, it would've been worth it," he said, matching her grin as he swung the car into a parking place and killed the engine. "Shall we?"
As, "No, let's go home" screamed in her head, she said, "Sure."
OoOoOO
The lights, the crowd, they all seemed to move outside of her as though she was watching them on some big screen television. She half-followed, half-led him through the crush of bodies until they found a table towards the back.
"Man, this place is nuts," he yelled, sliding into the seat next to her.
"No kidding," she said, squinting her eyes, trying to block out the noise.
He cleared his throat and sat forward, moving to the music slightly before he looked at her. "You okay?"
"Umm, yeah. It's a little loud though."
His movement stopped. "You want to go somewhere else?"
She looked into his eyes, and the side that said she didn't want to rock this lovely boat she'd found herself in lost out. "Home?"
"Let's go." In a heartbeat, he stood and offered her his hand. Clutching hands so as not to get separated, they eased their way back through the crowd for the door. Once outside, Logan took a deep breath. "Man, I hate those places."
Rory looked at him in shock and confusion. "Well, then why did you bring me there?"
His gaze dropped to hers as though he hadn't realized he had said those words out loud. "Umm, I thought you wanted to go."
"No," she said with a shake of her head. I hate them too. I only went because you wanted to go."
He walked three steps and then laughed a short laugh. Two more steps and one look from her, and they were both laughing hysterically. "So, what do you really want to do?"
"Go home and rub my legs with a gallon of Sports Cream," She said pleadingly.
"I hear you there."
OoOo
She unlocked the door and threw her keys on the television next to the glass of flowers. "If you don't mind, I'm going to get out of these heels."
"Your place, you should at least be comfortable," Logan said with a shrug as he walked to the kitchen and flipped on the light. "You want some apple cider?"
"That sounds great."
Quickly she went down the hall and yanked off her shoes as soon as she was in her room. A small blister from her tennis shoes throbbed on her little toe, and she swiped off the panty hose and tight skirt for good measure. Already she felt better. The sounds in the kitchen were soothing, and without thinking too much, she pulled on her oldest jeans and a t-shirt.
"Well, you look comfortable," Logan said when she walked back into the kitchen barefoot.
"I highly recommend it," she said invitingly.
With one more look, he shrugged out of his jacket and unbuttoned one more button at the top of his shirt.
"Better?" she asked.
"Definitely."
They took their cups of apple cider into the living room, and she waited for him to sit down before she carefully folded herself onto the couch next to him.
"Oh, yeah, this is much better." She took a drink and then laid her head back on the couch.
"Totally."
"So, tell me, what else don't I know about you," she said, sipping and feeling completely at ease t with him.
"What do you want to know?"
"Everything."
OoOoO
When he kissed her goodnight after midnight, it was all he could do to walk out of her apartment, but he had learned a lot from Brian and from Mandy, and no matter what he wasn't going to mess this up by rushing anything.
Once home, he stepped into his darkened apartment and climbed the stairs quietly. In the darkness his hand reached for his doorknob.
"You just getting in?" Brian asked from behind him, and Logan jumped.
"Don't do that."
"Sorry," Brian said. "How's Rory?"
"Great," Logan said, feeling like a traitor for admitting it.
"I'm glad," Brian said, and Logan heard the effects of getting your head snapped.
"The inn's looking nice."
"Yeah it is." And the sadness disappeared from Brian' voice. "Lorelai called me after you left. Seems that one of the people in Stars Hollow wants to talk to us."
"Us?" Logan asked in confusion.
"Yeah, Easton Designs and Landscaping has its second customer."
OoOoOO
"Logan, help me with this," Brian called, stepping from the alley into the yard the next Saturday, and both Logan and Rory left their work and walked over to join Brian at the fence.
"What'd you get?" Logan asked.
"The walk," Brian said, swinging himself into he pickup. "Here."
One rock at a time, they unloaded the truck until there was a nice sized hill of multi-colored stones in the middle of the grass.
"Now the real work begins," Brian said, dusting his hands off as the backdoor squeaked open, and Lorelai stepped out.
"Just thought I would come see how things are going," she said from the porch.
The three of them looked up as Rory smiled, "We're just getting ready to do the walk way."
"Looks good. I'll just stay over here, I'd hate to get in your way. There's stuff to eat in the kitchen when you guys are hungry. And of course I would help but Michel can't be left alone at the desk for very long before he attacks someone," she said cheekily, turning slowly to go back into the inn as they got back to work.
OoOoOo
"Okay," Brian said with his hands on his hips as he surveyed the project. "I'll do the concrete and you and Rory set the stones in place."
Logan nodded seriously. The project looked enormous, but he wasn't chickening out now. For one thing, Rory's presence wouldn't let him, but more than that, this was Brian's dream, and he was going to do anything he could to help that dream become a reality.
"We'll do one section at a time," Brian said, mapping out the plan. "That way we won't have a mess if we don't get finished."
"Smart," Logan said.
"Why don't you go ahead and line the stones out while we get this ready?"
OoOoOo
"What is up with you and Logan?" Lorelai asked when Rory was rummaging around the kitchen, gathering things up for them to eat.
"Why?" Rory asked defensively.
"Because you're all over him and totally ignoring Brian."
"Brian and I broke up," Rory said off-handedly although she hated that admission.
"Really? Any reason why?"
Rory shrugged. "It wasn't meant to be."
"And now you and Logan are together?"
"Uh-huh."
"Well."
Lorelai stood in silence for a long moment. "I knew this would happen. Since the day I met Logan and saw you too together, I knew Brian wasn't the one." She said with a smile as she left.
Rory stopped for a few moments, smiling and shaking her head. Leave it to her mother to claim to predict the future.
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