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"ONE STARS HALLOW SPECIAL, comin' right up." Eileen spun through the busy morning-rush at Luke's, a pile of menus in hand. A daisy-covered headband sat atop her brunette locks, and a Fleetwood Mac graphic t-shirt adorned her torso.
"Why does Eileen get to wear band t-shirts and I don't?" Jess asked to no one in particular, still bitter that Luke didn't appreciate his heavy metal-themed choice of attire. He stood behind the counter, wiping down the surface with a cloth.
"Well, for one, I have seniority," Eileen quipped back, hanging up a table's ticket in the kitchen. "Certain privileges come with time, mi amigo. And, two, dad loves Stevie Nicks." She patted him on the back with a condescending smirk, before turning to the coffee pot and filling up two mugs.
"That's ridiculous," he said with a scoff. "Luke doesn't love anything, let alone retro hippie music."
Eileen smiled gently, a warm mug in each hand. She started to the table where Rory and Lorelai sat impatiently, awaiting their morning fix of caffeine. Rory had been looking back towards the counter periodically, trying to sneak subtle looks at the Mariano boy, which ostensibly went unnoticed. Not by dear Eileen, though — she was very attentive. She saw every glance. "You would think so, huh? But I guess you've still got a lot to learn, cuz." Eileen then leaned a bit closer to her cousin, lowering her voice to a whisper. "Like when a certain Gilmore girl has been stealing looks at you for the past ten minutes."
Jess was startled by the sudden revelation. He tried to play it cool and maintain his "mysterious outsider" persona, but he quickly stood up straight and cleared his throat with nerve. Eileen was right: he hadn't noticed. Surprisingly, he had been too nose-deep and focused on his work to notice. He had gotten better at the whole work thing over time.
Eileen walked away with a laugh, dropping off the drinks with the mother and daughter duo. "Morning, friends!"
They each paid her a warm smile in return, protectively cradling their coffee as if someone were going to steal it. "Morning, Eileen!" Rory greeted sweetly, picking up a tissue for her mom.
"You okay, Lorelai?" Eileen asked, noticing the pile of tissues on the table and the congestion in her voice.
"Cold season is making its rounds, I'm afraid," Lorelai replied, before quickly sneezing again. "And I was just telling Rory how, if I'm going to be sick, I wish it could at least be something cool. Like a rare, never-before-seen disease or haunted leg or something."
