RR Test Run
"Sookie! Hurry up! Luke has to leave!" Taking Luke's hand, she dragged him into the restaurant kitchen.
"Just one. Last. Thing." Said Sookie as she put the finishing touches on the Test Run cake. "OK, what's up?"
"We are about to earn our first dollar," boasted Lorelai, picking up a cloth napkin and taking a bite out of a blueberry muffin. "Mr. Danes here, who spent last night in our fine establishment, would like to purchase a memento of the Dragonfly Inn."
Luke rolled his eyes, but a split second later wished he'd saved the eye roll when Sookie chimed in with, "What? You weren't memento enough for him last night? Lorelai, I'm ashamed of you! I thought you'd christen several rooms at least!" She turned to Luke and added slyly, "Was she cold? Unwilling? Frigid?"
He grabbed his ball cap, wishing he could pull it down over his beet-red face. "I'm outta here. You're going to have to get your money from someone else!" he groused and stalked away.
Lorelai chased after him, waving the napkin like a southern belle, laughing and calling, "Luke! Luke! Wait! She's too slutty for her own good."
She was followed closely by Sookie, still wielding the chef's knife she'd been using when they came in.
Luke turned his head, saw Sookie running and waving a knife near Lorelai, which stopped him in his tracks. "Everybody freeze RIGHT NOW!" he ordered in his most threatening boss voice.
"You – put down that knife right now! Are you insane?" Embarrassed, Sookie placed the knife on the front desk and stepped away from it.
"Sorry, Luke," she said, "I forgot myself."
"And YOU," he said, "Do you know how much accident insurance costs? Yes, of course you do! We just paid the bill the other day. We're gonna go bankrupt if we don't get some control around here!" Luke ranted, unaware that he'd unconsciously included himself in the day-to-day workings of the Dragonfly, in the same way that Lorelai was there to help at the diner any way she could.
Lorelai's eyes shone as she grinned, irritating him even more. "Do you understand what I'm saying?"
"Yes, Luke. We will, Luke." She flung her arms around him and kissed him full on the lips, melting his anger. "Thank you thank you thank you for taking good care of us."
In the meantime Sookie had also come to appreciate the situation. "Hey, Luke," she said carefully, "thanks for making sure I didn't kill my business partner." A giggle bubbled up out of her inadvertently.
"I couldn't very well let you maim my best girl, now could I?" he asked, his hands on Lorelai's hips as he pulled her to him. "Now, you two get one last chance to sell me a Dragonfly souvenir."
Lorelai and Sookie went behind the desk, where Lorelai pulled out a small cardboard box and Sookie opened up the cash box.
With a teasing grin, Lorelai began, "Mr. Danes, here is our finest silk scarf, delicately imprinted with the Dragonfly logo. We offer it to you today for the low low price of five dollars."
"Do you think it's something my girlfriend might like, Miss Gilmore?" He looked at her through lowered eyelids, his lush eyelashes shadowing the deep blue of his eyes.
Sookie couldn't resist another giggle at the sight of Luke Danes being sexy. He may have a nice ass, but his sexy look is nothing compared to my Jackson's.
"Oh, it's a real chick magnet," Lorelai crudely assured him. "Drape this around her neck and she's yours." She lifted the scarf out of the box and drew it across the back of her hand to show him how the fabric flowed.
He took the scarf from her hands and shook it out. He reached behind Lorelai's neck, lifted her hair and slowly pulled the scarf around her neck, letting it caress her skin.
Lorelai and Sookie drew a quick breath at the same instant. A little nonplussed at the thought of Sookie watching them, he pulled back a little, then changed his mind, seeing a rare opportunity to tease Lorelai.
"Carefully tie the scarf at the most appropriate location," he concluded as he covered Lorelai's mouth and tugged the scarf snugly, preventing her from talking.
She ripped the scarf from her mouth, letting her opinion flow. "Luke Danes! How dare you do that! Getting me all riled up and then gagging me!" she cried angrily.
"All riled up! Luke, you're getting this girl all riled up!" Sookie and Luke were both laughing openly while Lorelai stood there, scarf in hand, for once speechless.
"Here's your money," he laughed as he pushed a five dollar bill across the desktop. "It was worth it just to see your face."
Lorelai's pleasure at seeing Luke so delighted evaporated any thought of revenge. Still grinning, Luke leaned over for a goodbye kiss, saying, "I'll be back around two, OK?" before he walked out the door.
Settling down, Lorelai and Sookie looked proudly at their first revenue as Lorelai tied the scarf properly around her neck. They turned around to look at the wall, trying to find a place to hang the money when it was framed.
A soft step behind them made them turn their heads, seeing Rory as she entered the lobby. Dreamy-eyed she could as easily have floated into the lobby; the smile on her face seemed to keep her a few inches off the floor.
"Look at that kid. Do you remember being that much in love when you were 19?" sighed Sookie. "There was a guy in cooking school who was so nice…" She put her chin in her hand as she leaned on the front desk, lost in the memory.
"I remember being with my 3 year old daughter. It wasn't possible for me to love anyone more than that."
"He was so cute, but he was kinda prone to accidents. The price of insurance for his restaurant must be sky-high."
Lorelai did a double-take at this.
Sookie's eyebrows lifted even higher in wonder as she pondered the accident-prone classmate. "I mean, who could work around the guy? One time he moved the stove to clean behind it, but accidentally left it on when he pushed it under the sprinkler system and ruined the whole evening's meals. Water everywhere!"
Rory floated over to the front desk as Lorelai bent down to tuck the cash box away. Catching her daughter's profile in the corner of her eye, Lorelai stiffened. Rory had an aura, and not just any aura, she had an aura of Jess.
"Hi Mom," drifted from Rory's lips, not seeing Lorelai's hard puzzled stare. "Guess what?"
I know what, thought Lorelai. It's Jess. Something about you screams Jess Mariano. I can smell the hair gel and leather from here, even though Jess was still hundreds of miles away.
Lorelai knew that nothing covered shock like a red herring. "Dean asked you to the prom?" she replied facetiously, still searching for the physical evidence of the snarky youth.
"Mom! Are you trying to spoil my buzz?" Rory came to earth fast.
"Buzz? Puh-leez. You've never been buzzed." No gel in the hair, no back pocket to hold a switchblade. Certainly no buzz.
"Hah! I was buzzed just a few days ago. In front of Grandma." Rory buzzed? Was Jess involved?
"In front of Emily? Why wasn't I there to see that?"
"Oh, ask Luke. He'll tell you all about it." Luke knew? Where the hell have I been during all of this? Oh, yeah, here.
"Luke? Luke knows about this and hasn't told me? Man, sleeping with him is getting me nothing."
"Well, payback's a …"
"Michel!" shouted Sookie.
Both Gilmore Girls' heads snapped the double-take this time. Michel carried himself through the door in his usual princely manner, his suit impeccable, his shoes new.
"What? What is wrong now? I just came through the door." His nose tilted higher as he repelled their stares.
All three women giggled. "Nothing, Michel, we love you Michel. Good morning, Michel," sing-songed Lorelai.
She handed Rory a basket filled with various room necessities. "Walk through every room and make sure they have all of the toiletries, pencils, papers and all of the little things like that. Use your compulsive organizational skills to make sure everything is just right."
Rory lowered her head as she inspected the contents of the basket. A dark T-shirt peeked out from her shirt. "Don't you want to hear my news about Jess?" she asked, her happy floaty feeling collapsing like her mother's only attempt ever at baking a cake.
There he was. She was wearing one of Jess' T-shirts. "Sure, honey, I was just teasing you earlier, sorry."
Rory shrugged, bugged by her mother's ambivalence. "Jess heard from the Philadelphia company. He's got a writing assignment that will bring him to Connecticut this summer. He'll be here by the time I get back from Europe."
She looked at her mother with full, sad eyes; the Rory look amplified by the love she had for two people who couldn't seem to get along.
"Mom, I just need this to work. Luke needs this to work." There was no way they could have Jess in their lives without Lorelai's complete support.
Lorelai pulled Rory into an embrace stronger than her conviction that it could be made to work. "We'll find a way, honey. We'll find a way."
Releasing her daughter, Lorelai studied Michel as he confidently checked the front desk for all the supplies they needed over the next 24 hours. She assuredly went over to him and enveloped him in a tight sideways hug.
"Stop that," he said, brushing his hand at her arm in a deliberately impotent effort to push her away. "You're preventing me from getting ready. How do you expect me to tolerate an inn full of crazies if I do not have my desk in order?"
"You'll manage somehow," she encouraged. "You know, this is going to work, and in no small part to you, my friend and profit participant."
"Where are the doors?" he said accusingly. "I do not have the patience to explain the lack of doors to every stupid person who wants to go to their room." His eyes shifted from side to side as he looked up the stairs in the direction Rory had gone.
"The doors are coming," said Lorelai patiently. "I'll give Tom another call and see where they are."
"Mom! I have a question." Rory came back downstairs carrying a few pieces of paper. Michel saw her with the papers and headed quickly out the back door.
"These spa service papers – sometimes there is one in the bathroom and the bedroom, but sometimes only one. How many did you want to have?"
"We don't offer any spa services," said Lorelai. "Where did you get these?"
"Like I said, Mom, they were in the rooms. Someone put them there."
"Michel! He's been whining about this for weeks. Where is he? He can't just offer services that we can't provide."
Lorelai dashed over to the desk, looking to see if Michel had left any sign of where he was going.
"Mom, what do you want me to do about these papers?"
"Go take them out of every room immediately. We can't have people trying to order massages and shoe polishing. I'm going to find Michel and kill him. He can't hide all day long."
She began to regret telling Michel that she and Sookie were addicted to him and wish she'd told him to buzz off when it came to hiring for the Dragonfly. Reminders of his indispensable savoir faire in front of customers and impeccable hotel management background were the only things keeping her from strangling him some days. Today was not one of those days and she felt perfectly willing to spend a few years in jail for the privilege of stringing him up by his fancy Italian shoe strings.
She rounded the corner of the inn still not having found Michel. As she crossed the walkway, still in a blind rage, she ran full into Luke, returning from the diner.
"Hey! Watch it! These flowers are a gift!" He shouted, trying to grab her arm, but she moved even faster. He began to trot after her when she whipped around and rammed into him again, smashing the flowers once more.
"Well, dammit, Lorelai," he began before she interrupted him with a question.
"You're capable of murder, right?" she glared, chilling him to the bone.
"Apparently not as much as you are," he griped, vainly trying to set the broken blooms back onto their stems. "Who do we need to waste?"
"Michel. He tried to sneak spa services into the hotel without my knowing about it. It could have ruined our reputation before we even had a chance to earn one."
"Did you get it cleared up?" he asked, worried that Lorelai would murder first, fix the Dragonfly later, and there was no time for that, since Tom's team was driving onto the site right now with the long-wished-for doors. He took one last sad look at the completely destroyed flowers, then tossed them off into the woods at the edge of the property.
"Yes, Rory has it taken care of, but I want his head on a platter! And his shoes shredded and fed to him! And make him eat pancakes with extra blueberries until he gets really fat!"
He clasped her arm, promising to create all kinds of mayhem with her after the test run, but wouldn't she please focus on the more urgent needs. The doors were here and the guests couldn't be far behind.
"Doors," she said.
"Yes, doors. Let's get the doors installed."
In a flash Lorelai changed from would-be murderess to inn owner in a crisis. Catching up with Tom, she quickly chose a plan to install as many doors as possible before the guests started arriving; afterwards they'd install the exact door for the guest's room as they arrived. Taking advantage of Luke's presence, she assigned him the task of coordinating the door installation with Tom.
She set Rory up at the front desk in Michel's absence as she greeted guests and explained how to find their rooms. After the initial confusion with the doors, everything ran smoothly. Only once more did Lorelai face Michel as he slunk back to his post. "I'm going to have your ass in a sling, I promise you that, Michel," she said under her breath the only time he let her get close enough to speak to him that evening.
"Hey, did I hear you say something about flowers earlier?" she asked as they returned to their room to shower and dress for dinner.
"Yeah, but you killed them. Twice. The second time in my life that I bought flowers for a woman and she pulverized them," he needled. "I don't know if I can ever bring myself to buy flowers for another woman."
"You'd better not buy flowers for another woman than me, unless her name is Rory Gilmore," cautioned Lorelai with a chuckle. "Anyway, I'd rather have you here with me than flowers any day."
She looked at him in his dark sweater and pants combination. "You look nice," she said, "That's a very sexy sweater."
"I have a very good personal shopper. My girlfriend loves what she buys me."
She thought briefly about getting back out to the lobby, but her rebellious arms snaked around his waist while her traitorous hands found their way underneath the pima cotton smoothness of the dark sweater.
"Tonight. We'll take this up again tonight."
"You bet. Go get 'em." He moved away from her, trying to make it easy for her to leave.
"Not yet," she smiled at him as she stepped closer. "I need to tell you something."
"Not if involves taking my clothes off first," he warned.
"Luke. Look around the room, this is my work, my design, my planning, my dream. This inn is my dream, and I'm thrilled and excited that it's come true, but it wouldn't have been possible without the help and work of many people."
"It's your creation and you nearly drove yourself mad getting it done."
"That's exactly where you came in. You kept me from going crazy, Luke. Remember the night I decided to jump?"
He could hardly draw breath. "The night you came back from Harvard? Sure."
"Sookie didn't even know I was ready at that moment, but you knew and you were behind me. You helped me be strong enough to get through this. You helped me be the woman who can build a dream. You helped me grow and kept me from giving up. All that time you believed in me, and it made all the difference in the world."
He suddenly took a great interest in the throw rug at the side of the bed, until her hand on his chin forced him to look up.
"Luke, I'm serious. You made the difference. Thank you."
His expertise in throw rugs increased as he refused to give in. Saying 'you're welcome' meant admitting that his support mattered, but he just couldn't.
She had no choice. He needed to understand, believe and accept his part in her success. "I'm not going anywhere until you acknowledge it, Luke."
He took a calming breath, finally coming out with it. "You're welcome."
She attacked him with joyful laughter and kisses. "I'll see you later, then," she said, and ran off to run her inn.
From the opening toast to sending the last guest to bed, Luke was more than Lorelai's partner that day.
Red-faced and embarrassed when introduced as the inn's silent partner, he endured the catcalls and teasing abuse heaped upon him by the townies. He took advantage of his status when they called for a speech to say nothing more than, "I'm the silent partner, so I'm going to do my job and shut up. Here's Lorelai."
He recalled Lorelai's description of her mother's role as a corporate wife, and decided to take on that role today for his girlfriend. Keeping out of the spotlight, he nonetheless made sure she was watered, fed and took a moment to breathe occasionally.
When he saw Taylor going in for a third complaint session, he intercepted him and goaded him into a tiny argument off to the side off the room, giving Lorelai a chance to escape. He even worked with Lulu to make sure Kirk stayed in control.
The next morning he left early, promising to return in plenty of time for the monumental lunch with Emily. He knew Lorelai was nervous, because not only was she inviting her mother to comment further on the Dragonfly, but it was also the grand moment when he would be acknowledged (and hopefully accepted) as Lorelai's partner. Rounding out the Gilmore Triple Crown would be any discussion of Rory, her trip to Europe and potentially Jess.
Luke jumped down from the truck and trotted to the room for a quick cleanup before lunch. They had abandoned the room in a hurry that morning so Lorelai could take leave of her guests and get any last-minute feedback. As he washed up and brushed his teeth, he started tossing their miscellaneous clothing bits and etceteras into their suitcases so they could leave as soon as the inn was shut down that evening.
He thought about going through the lobby, but he was so determined to not leave Lorelai alone with her mother that he jogged around the back of the inn to the terrace instead. Passing by the kitchen's back door, he could hear Sookie's voice calling out instructions to her team as they prepared the last crew meal and Lorelai's family lunch. He exchanged nods and grunts with Manny as he stood outside the kitchen, on a break from the morning's breakfast rush.
He took the stone steps three at a time to reach the terrace level quickly. Many of the plants were still new-looking, and no mulch had been placed back here yet, but it easy to see that it would one day be a stunning garden terrace, a real showplace for the inn.
Energized from his exertions, his skin had a healthy glow as he walked through the wooden archway that had yet to be climbed by the morning glories planted there last week. Lithe, handsome and vital was how Emily saw him when she turned her head to see who was coming from the direction of the sound
In the space of a moment she had assessed his physical being and passed judgment on his fitness to be her daughter's partner. Clean-shaven and wearing simple clothes of good quality, he could have passed for Peyton Saunders. In other words, she could work with it to shape him into someone who could be shown to her friends on holidays and special events. Without saying a single word, Luke had passed the minimum viable boyfriend level.
Shit, he thought, no one else here yet. Good, that makes it a small playing field. A strategic offense would be better than letting Emily control the ball.
"Hello Emily," he said as he approached her chair. He refused to let her have the advantage of the 'Mrs.' Title giving her the chance to treat him like a youth. After all, he was closer to her age than to Rory's age.
"Luke," she greeted him with the hubris he expected. They weren't in a war, by any means, but they were both being circumspect and assertive.
"You've seen Lorelai? I could go get her if you like," he offered.
"Oh, no, she brought me here. I'd much rather get to know you a little better, seeing that you're so important in my daughter's and granddaughter's lives."
"Same here," he said, again being assertive, pushing her just enough to keep her off-balance. "The inn is incredible, isn't it?" Let's make it a little hard for her to say bad things.
"I'm worried that she's working too hard."
"Me, too," agreed Luke, "but the worst is over. The inn is built, she just needs to get it running efficiently. That will probably take another year or so."
"How do you know that?" she asked, surprised at the level of confidence he had in that assertion.
"That's how long it took me to get the diner stable," he explained, adding, "She's got more knowledge and experience than I had, so I expect the Dragonfly to go faster."
"Well, that's good," commented Emily. "She's very smart and capable. Richard started his business a while ago, but it's nowhere near stable yet."
Luke shrugged. "The diner and the inn are pretty similar. Insurance, I have no idea."
Emily put a checkmark in the 'Honesty' box for Luke.
"Luke, I want to say something while it's just the two of us."
His eyebrows raised, for the first time in this discussion he felt at a disadvantage.
"Lorelai and I had some of the best conversations of our lives over the past few days. I give you the credit for that, because the only difference between now and the past is your relationship with Lorelai. Whatever you're doing is working; please keep it up."
Before he could formulate a reply, Rory tripped in, happier than he'd seen her in the past couple of days. Hugs and hellos all around solidified their trio.
Luke watched the true affection Grandma and granddaughter had for each other as they chattered faster than his ears could follow about Yale, summer, the boy Emily had pushed onto her, and the Europe trip. He relaxed, unfolding himself comfortably over the chair, to hell with whatever opinion Emily might have of proper sitting position.
Rory, sitting close to him, absently patted his hand as she discussed the places she and Emily were going to visit.
"Italy for sure," Emily said.
Rory giggled and agreed, saying, "But we won't find better lasagna or coffee than right here in Stars Hollow." Luke harrumphed at that, which she interpreted to mean, Name the day, lasagna's yours.
"Well, you'll have to invite me over sometime so I can try it for myself," replied Emily, ever polite. Rory's glance at Luke assured him this wasn't an event that would have to happen any time soon.
"Now let me tell you about the jobs I found for you!" Emily became animated as she rolled out one social connection after another, each with its own interesting opportunity. Bookstores, libraries, the DAR, various charities, Emily's pull seemed endless.
"Food's here!" called Lorelai as she, Sookie and a handful of waiters came bearing trays of food. They noisily set up a buffet, showing off the pretty presentation.
Sookie served Emily without being asked, bringing her favorites from the last food tasting Emily had done in the Independence Inn. "Mushroom soup and wild greens salad with shrimp. The dressing is my secret recipe," she confided, before she gave a bubbly goodbye and headed home to her family.
Lorelai taunted Luke at the buffet, adding high calorie selections to his controlled portions of salad and shrimp. He shoved her with his hip and she shoved back in a playful dance of power and love as Emily observed them out of the corner of her eye.
"Lorelai, I have a few questions about your relationship," announced Emily as they finished their lunch, poured coffee from carafes and filled plates from the desserts left over from the test run last night.
At first wondering if he were about to have a heart attack, Luke recalled Lorelai's description of how it felt to be cornered by Emily. A vague choking feeling, followed by an inability to swallow, ending with a gut-wrenching nausea. Yep, that was just how this felt.
Lorelai spoke slowly. "I'm the mother, Rory is my daughter. I feed her, she goes to school."
"Please Lorelai, be serious for a moment. What do you intend to do with this man?"
"Pop and lock, Mom, of course. What did you expect?" she retorted, leaving both Emily and Luke bewildered. "And 'this man' has a name, and he's right here. I expect you to treat him politely."
She looked at both of them. "You said you were serious. You said you love each other. You said you're living together. How can you possibly know what you're doing after just a couple of weeks together? What makes you think this can possibly succeed when you don't even know each other?"
"Mom! We've know each other since before Rory was twelve. We see each other every day. Luke knows my house from the inside out, because he's repaired most of it over these years. He's been an ersatz father to Rory so many times she ought to be calling him Daddy Luke."
Emily began sputtering, regaining her composure only after Luke stepped in.
"Emily," he said in relaxed tones, "everything you said is correct. That's where we are right now. We're the same people we were a month ago, we've just acknowledged that our love for each other is deeper than we thought before. When we make other decisions, we'll keep you informed, OK?"
Lorelai passed Morse code messages to Rory, imploring her to please bring up another topic, like Jess, to take the heat off them. Rory only mouthed "No WAY" before looking the other way.
Emily pursed her lips, dissatisfied with the idea that Lorelai might really have told her the whole truth. "Well, then we'll talk again when we return from Europe."
Drained, Lorelai pulled out the box of feedback forms received from the guests at the test run. She hoped this red herring would work better than her Dean joke. Grateful for the subject change, everyone grabbed a handful of cards and started reading.
"Crazy townies," muttered Lorelai as she read completely contradictory requests. "Windows that open, windows that can't be opened, blue towels, red towels, thick towels, flat towels. Everyone wants something different."
Rory laughed out loud. "This guy wants porn in the room."
Emily read from a stack of forms that repeatedly asked for spa services. Looking at the cards over Emily's shoulder, she read a few, then scoffed at the idea.
"These are all from Michel! He's trying to get us to add spa services. I don't know what to do with him some days." She told her mother about Michel's attempt to unilaterally commit them to spa services.
They happily continued reading, bickering, and tossing ideas around to see who would catch them. Luke deliberately refused to be drawn in, citing Silent Partner privilege, which Rory promptly ridiculed, saying, "You're only silent because you can't get a word in edgewise past Mom." He agreed, Lorelai was offended, and Emily laughed heartily.
He refilled their coffees and placed a full carafe on the table along with a tray of cookies and petit fours from the dessert table. Making himself a cup of tea and indulging in a cookie himself, he settled into the chair next to Lorelai. She promptly took his arm hostage, entwining her fingers with his as she formulated new plans to torture Michel.
Using the toe of his shoe Luke dragged another chair across the terrace to him, removed the cushions and put his feet up. One cushion tucked behind Lorelai's back and one behind his, he basked in the afternoon sunshine and closed his eyes.
The bickering grew softer and kinder as the debate changed to talk of Europe, the best places to see, the fastest way to get charcoal started. Through his sleepiness, it vaguely registered with him that no one was planning to light a grill in Italy.
Only when his mother's voice slipped between the voices of the Gilmore Girls could he recognize the memory of the barbecue at his parents' house when he was ten. He had been playing catch with Mia's son John while their parents, Uncle Louie (didn't he have a girlfriend at that time?) and some others had the blue-collar version of what he was now sharing with the Gilmores.
Worn out, he and John collapsed on the grass at the edge of the patio, emptied their glasses of lemonade and debated the merits of the Stars Hollow High baseball team. When Lizzie playfully plopped herself on his stomach he didn't even yell at her. Much.
The voices were what he remembered best. Not the words but the sounds. Female voices, laughter, the rising volume and pitch when they all agreed on something, usually something hilarious about men. Mia and Mom commiserating over the trouble with raising boys. Lorelai and Rory and something about the randiness of Italian waiters and barking cheese. The words didn't matter; the happiness was the same.