The Scarecrow

Chapter 35

"Is that how you greet your mother when she shows up on your doorstep weary after traveling from afar to see her only daughter and unborn granddaughter?" Lorelai asked in an overly dramatic, hurt tone.

"You don't have to be so melodramatic.  I've had a rough day," Rory replied and invited Lorelai inside.  The ladies went into the living room and Rory continued.  "Did I know you were coming?  I seem to be forgetting a lot of things lately."

"No, you didn't know I was coming, so......SURPRISE!"

"Ok, so, then why are you here?  Not that I don't appreciate a surprise visit from my favorite mom, but...."

"I've come to help you celebrate your last book deadline?" Lorelai's inflection led upward indicating a question rather than a definitive statement.  Rory gave her mom a stern look.  She knew there was more to the situation than Lorelai was telling her.

"Ok.  Ok.  Finn asked me to come stay with you because he's worried about his crazy, stalker secretary coming over here," she confessed to her daughter.

"I don't think I like you two being in cahoots," Rory rebutted.

"Please, for the love of all that is John Hughes, stop using the word cahoots!  You know how much I hate it," Lorelai pleaded.

"I'm a big girl and can take care of myself.  I don't need my mommy rushing over because my boyfriend told her to," Rory replied.

"Kid, you don't understand the severity of this situation," Lorelai began to explain.

"His secretary has a crush on him and is using Alanis lyrics to lure him.  She's been sending letters since January, and he didn't bother to tell me.  We fought about the latter.  The end," Rory recalled her knowledge of the situation.  She didn't think she had anything to worry about as it seemed pretty cut and dry in her book.

"There's more to it than that.  She made copies of the keys in his desk and let herself into his place.  He found her there after work today."

"Oh - " Rory replied in surprise.  "This is like a Lifetime movie come to life!"

"I made a very similar point," Lorelai stated with a small smile.

"Oh.....oh.....oh.....this is bad," she said after the letter the reality of the predicament sink in.  "Chances are Finn keeps a spare key for my house in his desk, too."

The doorbell rang just as she'd finished her thought.  Lorelai jumped up to the answer the door.  Neither had any idea who would be there at this time.

"Rory," Lorelai called from the foyer.  "Were you expecting a locksmith?"

"No, but I'm guessing Finn sent him."

"That's what he said, too," Lorelai said.

"By all means, let him in," Rory called back.

The locksmith made quick work of changing the locks on the front and back doors.  He also changed the lock on the door into the garage and reprogrammed her garage code just in case.  It wasn't part of his normal job, but he offered to do it anyway.  Finn thought it would be one more safety precaution just in case she'd figured that out, too.  He'd been paid handsomely to complete the task and was not much trouble for him.  While Lorelai led him around, Rory texted Finn.

Rory: Thank you.

Finn: For What?

Rory: Protecting me.

Just as she sent the message, he called her.

"I'm sorry for not telling you, Rory.  I just didn't think it was a big deal, and I didn't want to stress you out about it," Finn apologized.