The Maine Event

Chapter 9

It still felt like Emily had been acting on a whim, just getting up and deciding to buy a house in Nantucket. Sure Rory knew her grandmother loved the place, her grandparents had spent every summer holiday there or at Martha's Vineyard as long as she could remember, except for the one she'd spent with Emily in Europe. And even Lorelai had confirmed that she sounded sane enough, and that coming from her was reason enough to take it seriously. But nevertheless it was a thought that was a little difficult to get used to - that there no longer was a house in Hartford, there were no more Friday night dinners, no Emily Gilmore the society wife or member of the DAR - she'd quit that too.

The rest of Rory's morning had been calm, the foggy air and peaceful sea making the strange, slightly melancholic, journey back to the mainland. From there she drove to Hyannis and from there took another ferry to Nantucket. She had taken the ferry with the car this time, knowing her grandmother didn't live in walking distance, making it easier to survive the whole three days there. She knew her grandmother wasn't really the same person, who's Friday night dinners she'd feared for years - now it felt different. But she wanted to have an escape just in case. Lorelai and Luke were already there, having arrived the day before, Lorelai already complaining to her why she wasn't there yet by text.

"Finally!" Lorelai huffed, stepping out of the house as soon as Rory pulled up behind Luke's truck. Lorelai wore just a sweater, and she was clearly freezing, as she held her arms across her waist shivering visibly.

"Is it that bad?" she asked as she stepped out of the car.

"I just missed you," Lorelai threw her arms around her daughter.

"Easy there, I can't breathe," Rory coughed, her mothers embrace suddenly feeling a little too tight. It wasn't like there hadn't been periods of time when they hadn't seen each other, hence this felt a little overwhelming. She suspected it was rather her sudden disappearance which Lorelai hadn't expected than anything else.

"How was the drive? I bet you're exhausted. Hungry?" she continued, as Rory took her suitcase and carried it to the house, stepping into the blast of warmth, her nostrils filling with the scent of Christmas - spruce, cinnamon and orange.

"I'm okay," she said carefully adding, "but I could eat something," as her stomach grumbled. The journey hadn't been long in miles but rather in minutes, a lot of waiting included and the food on the ferry didn't quite look like worth the price tag. Lorelai, however, was under the impression she'd driven directly from Maine.

"Luke! Hi," Rory greeted hugging him as he took her suitcase from her.

"I'll take it to your room," he offered after a friendly greeting.

"Oh, thank you, I don't even know which room is mine," she laughed.

"The Blackstone's wouldn't sell," Lorelai commented in a grumble, having hoped not to stay under the same roof as her mother the entire week. She knew she sounded ungrateful saying that, but sarcasm was what came most naturally.

"Rory! Lovely to see you, I hope the ferry attendant wasn't the short haired female this time, I swear she has some personal agenda against me," Emily noted, recalling her most recent incident involving a broken recliner.

"Hi grandma, how are you?" Rory asked courteously.

"Just wonderful now that everyone's here," she replied. "Berta has a wonderful menu planned for the next couple of days, so I expect you to enjoy and relax. Your room is upstairs the first door to the right, I'll show it to you later," she added, going to answer the phone that was ringing.

"How about we go get you something to eat," Lorelai said, pushing Rory towards the kitchen, almost like a love sick puppy, wanting to keep her all to herself.