Chapter 2 – The Truth Comes Out
-oOo-
Truthfully, Luke would rather work alone, but Liz insisted on sending TJ to help after they heard about the damage to the diner. Luke was forced to tell his loopy brother-in-law about the break-up after TJ mentioned the extra Hockettes tickets he got for Lorelai and him. After an incredibly awkward bear hug that he wanted to forget, Luke now had to take all of TJ's well-intentioned platitudes about love and relationships. Luke tried to tune out everything TJ was saying while they worked. He was not about to take relationship advice from someone who wore tights to his own wedding, dammit.
He tried to avoid thinking of Lorelai and what led to the break-up. He knew he's been a bit distant lately, but Lorelai understood. Well, he thought she did, or at least she should have understood. If she wasn't willing to wait for him, then it's better to call off the engagement now. It was a good decision all around.
The problem was that after their fight that night, he didn't realize that it was a break-up. He thought it was a serious fight, true, more serious than any of the previous fights in their two-year relationship, but he didn't know it was the fight. He wondered what he would have done differently if he realized that this was the fight that would end their relationship. Would he have followed her home? Tried to talk some sense to her? Tried to understand where she was coming from? He wasn't even sure. Even with the benefit of hindsight, he wasn't sure what he would have done, and that bugged him.
-oOo-
Sookie and Rory sat down at the kitchen, facing each other. There were brownies and some fruit tarts and a thermos of coffee in between them. They've listened to the messages from Lorelai and Chris quietly when Sookie first arrived, but as if by mutual agreement, they both said nothing about the break-up yet.
At first, they ate and drank coffee, chatting amiably about Yale and Sookie's children and other small town news. Rory saw Sookie looking at the ring box on the table and the cardboard boxes in the living room more than once, but wasn't sure how to bring up the topic on the top of their minds.
Finally, Rory cleared her throat and looked at Sookie directly. "Sookie, you need to tell me what happened with Luke and my mom."
Sookie visibly squirmed. "How much do you know?" she asked quietly.
"Not much," Rory admitted. "I knew they were having some problems, with the whole April issue, especially after her toast at Lane's wedding. But mom always tried to avoid the topic whenever I asked. And I was busy with finals and, um, stuff, I never really asked her how she was doing and if things were getting better."
"Well… To be honest, things were getting worse, honey," Sookie replied with a faraway look in her eyes. "In hindsight, I wish I did more than just listen to your mom and be there for her. I wish I spoke to Luke. Or maybe even Miss Patty or Babette, maybe they would have known what to do. He was so... so blind to what was happening with her. How he was hurting her. And he used to be so attuned to her, remember? Like he could tell by one glance if something was wrong, even when she's smiling."
"Yeah, those were the days, huh?"
"I know. And oh, you know the thing your mom does when she smiles but it doesn't reach her eyes?"
"Her fake smile? Yeah, I hate that."
"So do I," Sookie agreed. "But for the past few months, that's all I saw from your mom, especially when she was with Luke. Or talking about Luke."
"But why?" Rory asked, surprised. Whenever she asked her mom if things were going well with Luke, she said yes.
Sookie sipped her coffee slowly, trying to decide what to tell and what not to tell Rory. She figured Rory would find out everything anyway, so she might as well tell the kid everything she knows, including the night with Christopher. She watched Rory's face go from confused, to upset, to angry, to hurt, to a sad mixture of all the other emotions. She kept shaking her head and blinked back tears, unable to believe that her mom could hide all of this from her, and Luke could hurt her mom this much.
-oOo-
Later that night, Rory got a call from her mom, much to her relief.
"Hey sweets, so sorry to run from you like that. How are you? Missing Logan?" asked Lorelai in a voice that was trying a bit too hard to sound cheerful.
"Mom! Where are you? I've been trying to call you the whole day! I was worried sick!" Rory nearly yelled.
"I'm, uh, checking in at a hotel in New York. I'll drive out again tomorrow then I'll let you know once I decide where I'll stay for the next few days. I, uh, I might be away for some time."
"Are you okay, mom? How come you've been driving for hours and just got to New York now?"
"Oh, I, uh… I actually spent an hour or so with your grandparents at Hartford. I… I needed to ask for a loan."
Rory could hear the embarrassment in her mom's voice but couldn't help asking. "Loan for what? Are you having money problems?"
"No, nothing like that, kid," Lorelai hurriedly replied. "It's just that, uh, I owe Luke some money and given the circumstances, I kinda feel like I have to return it sooner rather than later, you know?"
"Money? When did you borrow money from Luke?" Rory asked, confused.
"Oh… Uh, only Sookie actually knows about this but, um, before Dragonfly opened we were running short, like really short… I had no choice but to borrow thirty thousand from him. I mean, I could go to my parents, but… you know I hate borrowing from them."
"And yet you're borrowing money now to repay Luke?"
"Yeah, well, desperate times, hon." After a pause, she continued. "They'll arrange for the check to be delivered to you tomorrow… If you haven't talked to Luke yet, do you mind giving it to him together with the ring and his stuff?"
"Okay mom…"
"I'll send you an email too with the computations for interest and all. If you could print it out and give it to him… The Inn accountant sent everything to me earlier while I was at your grandparents. And uh, there's another check for the cost of the renovations for the Crap Shack. I asked Tom how much Luke paid him… I'm so sorry sweets, I know this is asking a lot, but I really don't know who else to ask for help on this. I just… I just want to tie all the loose ends, so I can, you know, I don't know, start moving on."
"I understand mom. Can I come visit you?"
"Yes of course… I'll let you know once I settle in somewhere, then you can come visit me okay?"
"Good, good… Listen mom, I talked to Sookie earlier… She told me everything that happened. Why didn't you talk to me?"
Lorelai sighed. "I don't know Rory… Even with Sookie, I never really told her everything I was going through. It's just that… you both really like Luke, and I don't want to say anything to make you guys, I don't know, hate him because of me. And I felt like if I talked about it, it would make it more real… Like if I never talked about it, maybe I can convince myself it's all in my head. I know I'm not making a lot of sense right now."
"It's okay mom. As long as you're okay and you're safe, I'm good. I just want to see you." After a moment's silence, Rory continued. "Mom? I hope you don't get mad, but I called Dad today."
Suddenly, Lorelai felt like she couldn't breathe, knowing what was coming. "What? Why?"
"He, uh, left a voicemail at home. I mean for you, the message was for you. But I, uh… I figured out from his message that something happened between the two of you after Luke and I broke up, and Sookie told me what she knew."
Lorelai took a deep breath. "I'm so sorry dear. I'm…. I'm so sorry. Man, I screwed up everything. Everything, I… Listen Rory, I have to go. I'm sorry, I'm so sorry."
"Mom?"
"Please tell Luke I'm sorry too. I'll call you tomorrow, okay? Don't worry about me, I'm a big girl."
"Love you Mom."
"Love you too hon."