from a prompt by mirandahamiltons on tumblr

"I'm certified in CPR, I carry portable first aid kids in both of my cars as well as my moped, and I can provide letters of recommendation from prominent members of the community. Also Lulu, but due to the conflict of interest, I'm hesitant to include her in the final count."

"Is one of them Taylor?" Luke asks.

Kirk blinks slowly. "No," he says cagily.

"Granpa down," Willa demands, waving her hands at the floor. "Down, down!" Luke sighs and lets her go, and she immediately weaves her way between the tables, making a beeline for her favorite spot at the window. She either likes people-watching, or she's planning to rob the Cash 'n Go across the street; it could go either way with this kid.

"Do you always bring you with her to work?" Kirk asks, eyes squinty.

"I'm not working," Luke protests, "I just came in to give Lane her paycheck. We're about to leave." Lane, who is taking a suspiciously long time to ring in someone's order at the register, snorts loudly. Luke glares at the side of her head. "We were!"

"I didn't say anything," Lane says, eyes wide. She turns to Kirk. "He definitely doesn't check up on me on his days off anymore. That would ludicrous, considering how long I've been working here - "

"Shut up," says Luke.

"It's not exactly a child-friendly environment," Kirk says.

"She's fine, Kirk."

"You have a deep fat fryer back there. Do you know the safety risks of working in a kitchen with a deep fat fryer, Luke?"

"Yes I know the safety risks of a deep fat fryer, Kirk, I've been deep fat frying since before you were born."

"Oil spillage," Kirk says, "oil burns. Fumes. Chemicals. Burning chemicals. Slips from oil spillage. Burns from oil spillage. Oil spillage fumes - "

"Please stop saying 'oil spillage,'" says Luke.

"I worked at a McDonald's for three and a half weeks when I was seventeen." Kirk's gaze goes distant. "I never did regain full use of my right second toe."

Lane snorts again, then quickly disappears into the kitchen. Luke takes a deep breath. "I think we're good on the babysitting, Kirk. Thanks for the offer."

"Are you sure? My prices are very competitive."

"I'm sure they are, but you know - Jess brings her down here so she can visit us, not because he needs someone to watch her," Luke says. "The whole point is to, you know. Spend time with her."

"Oh," says Kirk blandly. He frowns minutely. "Yes, I see. Family."

"Yeah, Kirk, you've got one of those too, remember?" Luke says.

"Granpa, I see the flower man the flower man is there!" Willa yells. The diner's sole patrons, a couple of teenagers plowing through a plate of chili fries, look over at her and visibly cringe. "Granpa!"

"You see the flower man, huh?" Luke edges past Kirk and joins Willa at the window, unable to stop himself from smoothing her hair a little. It's as wild as Jess' used to be when he was a kid - he always looked like he'd just come in from a windstorm, no matter how hard Liz tried to keep it looking neat. "Looks like he's got your favorites today. Maybe we can get some for Aunt Lorelai on the way home."

"Orchids," Willa says proudly, having finally conquered the pronunciation. Luke grins widely at her.

"Morty overcharges," Kirk supplies. "You can get a way better deal at Doose's."

"Yeah, can't imagine why I'd avoid that place," Luke grumbles. Kirk doesn't seem to hear him.

"Although he usually has a better selection. Hello," Kirk continues. Willa peers up at him suspiciously, twisting both of her hands into the little button holes on her sweater. It's something she does when she's nervous; Luke puts his hand on her head again, and she relaxes a little. "I'm Kirk."

"Hi," says Willa, and hides her face in Luke's leg.

"If you're interested in flower arrangements, I used to do that professionally," Kirk says. "Orchids are very versatile, even if they do run a bit expensive. Did you know vanilla comes from orchids?"

Willa stares up at him, frowning and silent.

"The Ancient Greeks used to drink it to increase their virility," Kirk says.

"Ookay," Luke says, and picks Willa up. "Well, this was fun. Kirk, thanks for stopping by. Willa, can you say goodbye to Kirk?"

"Goodbye to Kirk," Willa mumbles, burying her head in Luke's shoulder.

"Goodbye Willa," Kirk says gravely. "Luke, keep me updated about the babysitting situation. Would you mind giving Jess my card, too? Just in case."

"I'm sure he'll be thrilled to receive it," Luke says dryly.