A/N: I'm glad to know a few of you are still enjoying the story - please keep those lovely reviews coming as they're really good for my motivation on the cold, grey, uninspiring winter days! :)
(For disclaimer, etc. - see chapter 1)
Chapter 3
One of the guys I work with is in the worst mood this morning. He actually came in complaining about New York in the Fall. I mean, seriously, how could he? Not denying it's cold out there, because it absolutely is, but so what? At least we have seasons here. That's more than some parts of this country can say. Besides, whatever the weather, you're in New York City, embrace that.
I don't think there's one thing about this place I could find to complain about. The people, the subway, the hotdog stands, those crazy little record shops and book stores just hiding in corners, run by people with encyclopaedic knowledge of the most random bands and authors. It's all right here and it's ours for the taking. What's to complain about?
I'm with you, man. New York is an incredible place to live! I say this as a small-town girl who still loves the place she grew up in, but honestly, I couldn't wait to get here. It was as if my life hit a new level from the moment I arrived, and even though stuff doesn't always go my way, I get such a buzz out of all those things you listed. Not to mention the lights at night, the parks, the general atmosphere, the whole mess of cultures and different kinds of people. It is, without question, the most amazing place in the world to live. I wouldn't change it for anything.
Speaking of, I stumbled upon this independent movie theatre a couple of blocks from my office yesterday and just couldn't resist going in. I didn't even know what I was going to see, and let me tell you, it was weird with a capital everything, but I have no regrets. Just think, someday the person who directed or starred in that strange little black-and-white short could be super-famous and I'll be able to say that I was there for their debut.
Don't judge me, but ever since you mentioned being a small-town girl, I've had Journey stuck in my head. I'm not proud, but no matter what I do, it will not quit. Back-to-back Ramones albums would not shift it. See what you've done to me! Not that I can argue with your assessment of New York at all. Everything you said is true, and you're getting that opinion from a guy who was born and raised across all five boroughs. (Long story, maybe I'll tell it to you sometime, if you don't think that would be too personal.)
You know, I think I know the theatre you're talking about, and the short film, actually. You think that's weird, then you haven't lived. I've seen way weirder...
Jess stopped typing when he heard the front door of the apartment open then close with a clang. According to the clock in the corner of his computer screen, it was a little before midnight. Usually, he would have been asleep by now, but honestly, he wasn't even tired yet and the idea of emailing CoffeeGirl84 appealed much more than sleep. Not that he was about to say as much. Closing the lid of the laptop, he shoved it onto the shelf of the nightstand and grabbed up his book, just as the bedroom door opened.
"Hey." Francie smiled as she peered in at him. "You're up late."
"Just reading," he told her, gesturing with the book which he put straight back down again. "I wasn't expecting you."
"I wasn't expecting me either," she admitted, coming over to the bed to kiss him hello, her lips landing only on the corner of his mouth. "One meeting had to be moved, another got cancelled, and don't even get me started on the mix-up at this stupid hotel. Honestly, it's as if nothing functions in this country outside of the big cities. Sometimes I wonder why I ever set foot outside of New York."
As she talked, she dumped her bags, then stripped off most of her clothes, abandoning them into the laundry hamper at the end of the bed. Jess wasn't ashamed to say he watched what had to be the strangest strip show he had ever witnessed, only hearing maybe half of what she was complaining about. Francie did have a habit of starting a rant the second she came in the door. Also, she had developed the amazing skill of conversation for one, requiring very little if any kind of response from Jess as she went on and on.
"So, I told them, 'I did not fly a thousand miles to be treated like a glorified secretary. I built this company from the ground up and I will have the respect I deserve.' Anyway, long story short, it turned into a complete and unmitigated disaster, so I came home." She seemed to have finished her speech by then, standing at the foot of the bed in matching bra and panties and nothing else, her hand on her hip and a sassy smile on her lips. "I'm going to take a shower. Want to come along, scrub my back?"
Jess wasn't a fool. Like just about every adult in the world, he knew what she meant by that, and it had been a while, so he nodded and got out of bed. The moment he got within reaching distance of Francie, she grabbed onto his T-shirt, pulled him close and kissed him hard on the lips.
"I missed you, lover," she told him with a smile.
Jess didn't answer, not least because he knew she didn't need one, but also because he wasn't into lying as a rule. The truth was, he really hadn't missed Francie all that much, not this trip. He used to once, sometimes, but that was before. Things were a little different these days. There were other things and other people in his life, or more specifically, there was one other person on the far end of an internet connection that took his attention more often than she didn't. Of course, his relationship with CoffeeGirl84 was purely electronic and largely non-personal, which was why Jess allowed himself to be dragged to the bathroom by his very real, very present, apparently horny girlfriend without complaint.
Rory was starting to think she might have over-estimated how capable she was when it came to handling kids. It seemed like a good idea at the time when she offered to take her half-sister, GG, off her dad's hands, and then, to also add her half-brother, Tommy, to the mix for her mom as well. They were almost-eleven and seven-and-a-half, not exactly babies, so how hard could it be? That was what Rory had thought, until the time came for her to actually keep them entertained for the day.
GG had been dropped off first on Friday night and that really hadn't been so bad. She was, unfortunately, a little spoiled, but Rory had been prepared for that. Their dad, and moreover his wife, Sherry, were far too indulgent with their little girl, but frankly, Rory could live with needing to be the same just for a day. She could afford treats for her sister and was happy to allow them, just for the twenty-four hours or so that she was in charge. Rory and GG did all the normal girlish sisterly things expected of them, painting their nails, eating ice-cream, and watching a couple of cheesy movies. When Lorelai dropped off Tommy the next morning, Rory figured it would still be fine, that the kids would get along and enjoy at least some of the same activities. Apparently, there was a large gulf between the interests of a young boy from Stars Hollow and a pre-teen girl from Boston.
They didn't like the same television or movies, they didn't like to go to the same places, and when Rory finally thought she solved the problem on realising there was a street fair in town that she could take them to, the next issue was that neither one wanted to go on the same rides or partake in the same games. If Tommy consistently pulled her to the left, then GG was forever pulling her to the right. Rory was starting to wonder how her arms were even staying in the sockets, when suddenly, they turned a corner and a sign on the sidewalk caught Tommy's eye.
"Look, books!" he said joyfully, pointing to the board standing there. "What's a Trunch-e-on?" he asked, sounding out the strange name.
"It's pronounced Trunch-on, without the E," GG told him smartly. "I know because it's in a song called London Calling by The Clash. Daddy loves The Clash."
Rory bit her lip and tried not to laugh. Of course, GG had it absolutely right, their dad did love The Clash and the word 'truncheon' was featured in the song she mentioned, but it was all very strange coming out of the mouth of a ten-year-old with an attitude.
"But what is it?" asked Tommy, tipping his head back to stare up at Rory. "What's a truncheon?"
"Uh, well, it's a kind of a stick that British police officers have."
"They hit people with sticks there?" Tommy gasped.
"Well..." Rory suddenly realised she wasn't sure how to answer that one.
She supposed they were weapons in a way, though she had a feeling they probably weren't used anymore, except maybe in extreme circumstances? It really wasn't a subject she wanted to get into right now.
"Oh, hey, look, they have a kid's section in there," she said instead, pointing in through the window of the store. "You know, if you each found something you liked, I'd buy those books for you."
That was all it took for GG to go pelting into the store and, of course, Tommy followed, yelling, 'Wait for me!' over and over as he went. Rory heaved a sigh and stepped in through the door behind them. It was a relatively small store, so she could see the kids without actively chasing them down and standing over them. After all, they were unlikely to do much harm to books - they loved them too much to try, especially Tommy.
Keeping one eye on her half-siblings, Rory let the rest of her attention go to the more adult books in the vicinity. There were some interesting covers and titles that caught her eye and she picked up one or two for a closer look. She figured she may as well buy something for herself as well as for Tommy and GG. It wasn't as if she couldn't afford it, even if the small bookshop prices were bound to be higher than anything sold by Huntzberger Books.
"This one! This one!" Tommy was suddenly in front of her, bouncing up and down with a book held over his head for her to see.
"Wow, that was fast," she said, glancing at the clock and noting, actually she must have been engrossed in her own choice far longer than she realised. "You have something too, GG?"
"Just this one, please. I don't know if I really want it, but I guess it's the best they have."
Rory bit her lip so as not to scold her sister for being ungrateful. It really wasn't her place to fix GG's attitude, and besides, it absolutely wasn't worth the headache. She still remembered all too well the first time she took care of the kid for more than an hour by herself - GG had screamed almost constantly and made a rather expensive mess of a hardwood floor with permanent marker to boot. Some things just were not worth the trouble.
"Okay, then," she said, encouraging the kids to bring their books over to the counter. "Hi, uh, these two for the kids and this one for me, please," she told the guy back there, getting a real surprise when he finally looked up and she saw his face. "Wow."
That last part so wasn't supposed to come out of her mouth and Rory felt so foolish that it had. It was just that he was really good-looking, with chocolate brown eyes and a smile that almost floored her. The epitome of tall, dark, and handsome, she supposed - what was not to like?
"Huh. Good choices," he told the kids as he rang up their purchases. "I actually think Mom could do better though," he said of Rory's own selection, casting a glance at her and a smirk along with.
"Rory's not our mom." GG laughed like it was the most hilarious joke in the world. "We have different moms."
"My mommy is her mommy," said Tommy, pointing up at Rory with such a sudden and violent motion, he nearly stuck his finger up her nose.
"O-kay," said the guy, shaking his head slightly and looking bemused - Rory could well understand why he might.
"I'm not their mom, I'm their half-sister," she explained. "My parents aren't together. GG is my dad's daughter, Tommy is my mom's son."
"Complicated."
"You don't know the half of it." Rory rolled her eyes, looking down as Tommy spun a display of bookmarks, several of them flying off onto the floor. "Oh, no..."
"I'll get them!" GG offered, scrambling to the floor.
"Me too!" Tommy added, ducking down to do just that.
"Sorry about this," Rory apologised, searching for a way to pay for the purchases that were now waiting on the counter in a smart paper bag bearing the store logo. "Okay, finally!" she said, presenting him with credit card.
"Thanks... Lorelai," he said, looking surprised at the name he saw there. "Wow. You don't meet a lot of Lorelais."
"Actually, my mom named me after her, and then she shortened my name to Rory. I guess you don't meet a lot of female Rorys either."
"Not really, but then you probably don't meet a lot of guys named Jess," he said, rolling his eyes as he ran her card through the machine.
"Jess? Your name is Jess? That's so weird because... Oh my God!" The realisation hit Rory all at once. "The book, you wrote it. This book," she said, grabbing at the bag to retrieve it. "Why wouldn't you want me to buy your book?" she asked, eyes flitting from his name on the cover to his handsome face.
"I liked it once," he explained, shrugging his shoulders as he handed back her card. "Now, there's so much I'd change."
"Like what?" asked Rory curiously.
The smirk on Jess' face was one of the sexiest things she had ever seen in her life. "Keep the back cover, everything else goes."
"No way," she said, turning the slim volume over in her hands. "I'm sure it's great. I mean, only read a couple of pages, but I'm already invested. Trust me, I know about books, and I'm pretty sure this is a good one."
"If you say so." Jess shrugged. "I mean, the customer is always right, right?"
"So they tell me." Rory nodded.
He was leaning over the counter a little by now and she suddenly realised she was doing much the same. Their smiles were probably matching as their conversation started to feel strangely flirty, in spite of the fact they had talked about nothing but books and a little about their names so far. Not exactly hot and steamy topics.
Also, the kids suddenly made their presence very much felt, destroying any moment that might possibly have been occurring. They each popped up from the floor, with hands full of bookmarks, and noisy chatter aplenty.
"Rory, can we go now?" GG whined.
"Rory, can we have ice-cream now?" Tommy chimed in, mimicking the same tone.
"Uh, yeah, sure, we can go, and get ice-cream, I guess," she said, shaking herself into action. "Um, okay, so thank you, Jess," she said, grabbing up the bag of books she just purchased. "I'm sure I'll be back soon."
"Don't leave it too long," Jess advised, his smile suddenly disappearing. "I'm not sure how much longer we'll last when they open the huge discount store around the corner."
Rory's heart dropped to her feet. She was only glad the kids had both rushed to the door and were not paying attention, because GG, at least, would probably have given her away. As it was, she was grateful that Jess had no idea who she was in terms of her job. For reasons she didn't care to examine, she would really like to keep it that way.
"Well, hopefully, I'll see you soon," she said anyway, raising her free hand in a quick wave goodbye, before she chased after GG and Tommy.
Though she could easily have imagined it, she almost thought she heard Jess reply; "I hope so too."
To Be Continued...