Chapter 9: Surprisingly Okay
"Could you please not? I do not want my daughter to be a caffeine addict. Just order a tea" Luke begged when they sat down at the table at Weston's bakery and Lorelai's eyes immediately wandered off to the coffee section on the menu.
"Luke, you heard what the doctor said. One cup of regular coffee per day is perfectly fine."
"Yes, I know. And you already had your one cup back at the house. I made it myself, remember?"
"Ha, if you think that I didn't know for a second that it was a decaf then you're a fool, my friend. "
"Damn, I have no idea how you can tell the difference."
"Hello, I have a nose. Now would you please let me order my 1 cup of regular coffee?"
"Fine." Luke gave up. "But if our kid will wind up with two heads I'm blaming you."
"More to love," She joked. "And for your failed attempts to switch my coffee, you're gonna now have to order me a pie with extra whipped cream as an apology for trying to trick me."
"Like I wouldn't have to do it either way. But what can I say? If my pregnant girlfriend wants an extra whipped cream, she's gonna get an extra whipped cream. "
"Thanks, doll." She gave him a quick kiss. It's been a week since Lorelai moved to Stars Hollow, and despite the rocky start, things have been going pretty smoothly since then. She still felt weird staying at Luke's house, she didn't want to be a burden to William. She had some savings and she wanted to pay partially for bills and food but Luke's dad did not want her money. So that part was not so great, but other than that she felt good in Stars Hollow. The people were as nice as always - welcoming and kind. A lot of them were coming by the house and giving them old baby clothes, they were also gifted with a car seat and a crib. So they had all of the necessities covered and were very grateful. The school year has just ended and they were now free to start their job hunt.
"I honestly have no idea who would want to hire me right now. This is gonna be tough." Lorelai sighed looking at the job offers visible in the local paper.
"I know that you don't want to hear it, but are you sure you want to work now? The baby will be here in 3 months, and after that you won't be able to work for a while, anyway. You should just let me work for us and find a job when the baby will be older."
"You know I don't want to do that. I don't want to be like my mother, sitting in the house all day and waiting for you, doing nothing. It won't be easy but I will find something part-time, with a flexible schedule." She looked at the offer after offer when finally something caught her eye. "Hey, a local inn is looking for a handyman."
"Oh yes, and you're so good with handyman work" He chuckled.
"Ha, ha. I was thinking for you actually. It looks like it might be a full time job, we could call or even go there and ask for more details. It's here in Stars Hollow - the Independence Inn. How come I've never seen it?" She wondered. They spent numerous evenings walking around the town and she did not remember ever seeing this place.
"It's more on the outside of the town, by the lake. It's like 15 minutes by car, and an hour walk from the town square, we never wondered that far. It's Mia's place. I think you met her at one of the town's meetings. She's actually a friend of my dad's."
"Oh, yeah, I remember. She's nice. And since she's your dad's friend, maybe she'll be willing to give you this job. So let's go." She said, getting up from the table.
"Now?"
"No time like the present. Do you think your dad will lend us his truck?"
"I'm sure he will, he probably won't have to use it for a while. Fine, let's go." He said and they started walking towards his dad's store. "And while we're on the topic of cars, I think we should buy one. Preferably the one which has more than 2 seats. Because my dad won't be able to lend it to us all the time and even if he will, there's no place for a baby in there."
"Yeah, you're right. I thought about it also. I have some savings, and since your dad won't let me pay for anything we can use it for the car. I really hope that I'll be able to pass my driver's license before the baby is here."
"I'm sure you will, you're almost done with your course and you're driving well now. I also have some savings so we'll split it halfway. It won't be anything big and fancy, but I'm sure we can find something appropriate and safe."
"Great, we can add this to the list of things we should handle before the baby comes. I have no idea how we're gonna be able to do all of this in 3 months."
"I'm sure we will manage, it'll be fine." Luke assured her.
"You're unusually optimistic these days, you know that?"
"What can I say, you're rubbing off on me." He laughed. "And you know what? I think I'm going to get this job today. And we'll find something for you, too."
"Lucas Danes, what a pleasure to see you!" Mia yelled when she saw him walking through the door.
"Mia, hi. You know you're the only person in the world who can call me that, right?" He smiled and hugged her. "And other people shouldn't even try" He looked pointedly at Lorelai.
"You know I won't be able to resist it, Lucas." Lorelai laughed and then turned to Mia. "Hi, Miss Holloway. I'm Lorelai Gilmore." She introduced herself.
"Honey, first of all nobody ever calls me Miss Holloway, I'm Mia to everyone, you included. And second of all, you need no introduction, my dear. I'm sorry to tell you but you're the hottest piece of gossip this town has had since the romance of Lucy Greene with a local pastor in the early 1960s. Good times." She chuckled at the memory.
"Well, yeah, I figured you know who I am but it's still polite to introduce myself."
"In that case, it is a pleasure to finally meet you in person, Lorelai. Now tell me kids, what can I do for you?"
"We wanted to ask you about the job offer for a handyman that you put in the newspaper. Is it still available?" Luke asked.
"Yes, it is. Are you interested, Lucas?"
"Yes, I am. And I wanted to ask for more specifics. Is it part-time or full-time and what is the working schedule? Because right now I'm free whenever, but we're having a baby in mid October and I won't be available as much then."
"Honestly, I think it's perfect for you. It's a full time job but the working hours are very flexible. I will need you in the mornings to pick up daily deliveries, such as towels and sheets and put it in the storage for maids. But other than that, the other daily tasks are not hours specific. I would need you to prepare the wood for fireplaces and of course make small and bigger repairs when needed. Do you think you can handle that?"
"Sure I can. It would mean a lot to me if you could give me that chance, Mia. We really need the money right now. And I swear I will do my best."
"You don't need to convince me, Lucas. I know you're responsible and hard-working and the job is yours if you want it." Luke smiled widely at Mia's words. "Now for you it may be a little tricky, but I do have a maid position if you're interested. I know you're pregnant, but the job is not that hard, you can move at your own pace. I will need you here every day starting tomorrow for 5 days training but other than that, the schedule can also be flexible. And we will of course adjust it accordingly when the baby comes."
"Are you serious?" Lorelai asked with eyes wide open.
"I know it's not much and the job is not ideal, but I thought .." Mia started but was interrupted by Lorelai who hugged her tightly.
"Thank you, thank you, thank you. The job is perfect. I was sure that nobody would hire me when I'm pregnant and have no qualifications. This is the best news ever." She jumped into Luke's arms and laughed with relief. It felt like a huge weight was just lifted off her shoulders.
"It really is. Thank you, Mia. You're the best." Luke said happily.
They were driving back home, feeling happy and excited. This day really couldn't have gone better for them. They walked together to William's hardware store to give Luke's dad his keys back.
"Hey kids. What are you so happy about?" William asked when he saw their faces.
"We have very good news. We got jobs at Independence Inn" Lorelai said.
"Both of you? That's amazing." William never said it out loud but he was very worried that neither of them would manage to find a job in Stars Hollow.
"Yes, and I didn't even ask for one. Mia just offered it to me. She's so awesome. My mother would never believe that I got a job. She always thought I was useless." She meant to say it casually and without a care, like she always did when speaking of her emotionally unavailable parents. But somehow, when she mentioned her mom, she was overwhelmed by sadness and she suddenly burst out crying. Luke and William looked at her, shocked by this sudden change of emotions.
"Lorelai, don't cry. You know how she is. We were happy, remember?" Luke hugged her tightly and was stroking her hair, trying to sooth her. She clinged to him, resting his head on her chest and was crying even louder.
"Yeah, I know how she is." She sobbed. "But I'm still her child. I'm 16 for God's sake. I moved out of the house and she didn't even bother to call. It's not like I'm hiding. She knows where I am. Doesn't she care at all?"
He couldn't stand to see her so upset.
"Babe, I'm sure she cares. She's just angry and stubborn. She'll cool off and call you soon." He assured her.
"Honey, I can tell you as a parent that she's thinking of you and worrying about you even if she's mad. Luke's right. She'll reach out to you eventually." William chimed in and patted her on the back, trying to comfort her.
She finally calmed down and felt embarrassed about her sudden outburst.
"Oh God, this is so embarrassing. I'm so sorry you had to see it. I don't know what came over me. Well, I guess I know what. Those stupid pregnancy hormones."
"You have nothing to apologize for." William assured her. "Let's just go back to celebrating your jobs. And, also I have a little surprise for you. Come with me upstairs." He said with a smile.
"Upstairs? I didn't know this store had a second floor." Lorelai said, confused.
"Yes, it does, but it's just my dad's office." Luke said, just as confused. He had no idea what his dad wanted to show them there. Nevertheless, they followed him upstairs.
"So I've been working on it since I found out about the baby. I know your first plan was to move in with your parents but I also wanted to make a space for you and the baby here, in Stars Hollow. Just so you know, it's not finished yet but it will be pretty soon." He said and opened the door to his office.
Lorelai has never been there before but she was pretty sure that it did not look like an office. In the center of the room was a small kitchen and a dining room table with 4 chairs. On the right was a double bed, a small closet and another door, which she assumed led to the bathroom. The left side of the room was covered in pretty pink wallpaper with painted roses. There was a crib in the corner and boxes full of stuff which Lorelai recognised as baby presents from town folks.
It was definitely not an office. It was an apartment, which Luke and Lorelai quickly understood was for them.
"When? How?" Luke had trouble with putting a whole sentence together but William understood his question.
"I worked on this before the store was open and after it was closed. I had a few friends over who know constructions and were happy to help with the bigger stuff. You have running water, a working oven and it's basically ready. I just didn't have time to unbox the baby stuff. I know it's a small space. But I figured it's better than Luke's room. And you're gonna have your own family soon, I wanted you to have your own space. What do you think?"
Suddenly Lorelai was in tears again.
"Dear, please don't cry again. If you hate it you can change it however you like." William assured Lorelai.
"No, It's happy tears." Lorelai said with teary eyes. "It's beautiful, I couldn't ask for anything more. I can't believe you did all of that for us."
"Of course I did. You're my family. Luke is my son and you're carrying my grandchild so in my book that makes you my daughter. And I know family is a hard concept for you, but we Danes take care of our own, always."
"Thank you, William." She hugged him tightly.
It really turned out to be an amazing day for Luke and Lorelai. They both got jobs and a new apartment. And when Lorelai was falling asleep that night in their brand new place, Luke's hand wrapped around her and resting on her belly, she finally felt at home.