Gilmore Girls: Wish Upon a Snow

Chapter 11

Jess sat down at a barstool, his heart racing. Pulling at his hair, he wondered where Luke could possibly be. He thought for a moment, trying to conjure up some kind of a diner emergency that would cause him to be somewhere on his wedding night. The diner had not even been open today, much to the chagrin of Luke. Cesar had insisted on attending Luke's wedding, and there was simply no one to run the place. 

Who was cleaning up the mess from the wedding? Jess thought that he remembered Luke complaining about how much it had cost him to get Kirk to do all the setup and cleanup but maybe he decided to help? That had to be it.

Jess set out through the front door of the diner to the town square. Seeing Kirk, he jogged over to speak with him. Kirk was wearing safety goggles and gardening gloves, gathering flower petals into a garbage bag. Jess grinned. "Kirk. What on earth are you wearing?"

Kirk looked at him, completely nonplussed. "You can never be too safe, Jess. I wouldn't be doing my job correctly if I did not protect myself from rogue thorns, viruses, and poison oak."

Jess rolled his eyes. "Have you seen Luke?"

Kirk thought for a moment. "I think everyone in the town has seen Luke today, Jess." He raised an eyebrow and gathered up more petals.

Jess could feel his patience thinning rapidly. "No, Kirk. Recently. As in within the past hour or so."

Kirk thought again. "Nope," he said, shrugging. 

Jess turned on his heel and headed back towards the diner. Feeling unsettled, he decided he would rest for a while. He had been through a pretty tumultuous day and he felt like he was not thinking clearly. Making his way up to the apartment, he felt heavy and tired. Slipping into his old bed, he drifted off without another thought.

--

Rory tore through cabinets, looking for PopTarts. Her mother had insisted on having celebratory PopTarts in honor of the wedding while they waited for Luke to return home. They had not discussed the pregnancy again, and Rory felt a pit of unease growing her stomach. Digging around in the cabinet, she pulled out a jar of cinnamon that had a "best by" date in 2007. Gross. Rory threw the jar away, wondering what other special surprises were waiting for her in the cabinets. After throwing away two boxes of cake mix, four open boxes of stale cereal and a jar of marinara that was inexplicably sticky, Rory found the PopTarts. They expired the next week, so Rory shuddered to think how old they probably were. They took forever to expire. 

Lorelei came bounding into the kitchen in her pajama pants. Her feet were bare and her hair still held a residual curl from the wedding. "Rory! I expected a hot and steaming PopTart ready when I made my entrance. I think we can cross one future career off for you," she smirked.

Rory plugged in the toaster, glaring at her. "And what career is that?"

"PopTart preparer, one of Emily's maids, winner of Chopped," she listed, counting on her fingers. "But really, kid. How long does it take to make one?" 

Rory put the PopTarts in question in the toaster and pushed the lever down pointedly. "I am not sure," she said, "Ask the toaster." 

Lorelei complained about some town ordinance that Taylor was trying to pass for a few minutes. Something about permits for birthday parties. Rory was not paying attention. She thought about Jess. His supportive reaction to the pregnancy had surprised her. The pop of the toaster snapped her back.

"I am telling you, it is because he is still upset that he did not get invited to that party we had for you when you were 16. Or maybe, he is trying to ensure that any and all party supplies are purchased at Doose's," Lorelei chewed on her thumbnail and sighed. "Or maybe..."

"Mom!" Rory cut her off, handing her the PopTart. 

Lorelei switched the PopTart from hand to hand due to the heat. She reached for a paper towel. "You live here now, Rory. You need to pretend to care about these things, at least. I think it could be a great story for the Gazette. Birthday Party Permits!"

"I told the dad today," Rory said, leaning against the counter.

Lorelei looked surprised. "Well! My plan worked. How was it?"

Rory was slightly taken aback that her mother's first question was not the obvious one. "Well...it went better than expected."

Lorelei crossed her arms over her chest. "I'm glad, kid." She sat down at the table and began eating her food. Rory waited for her to continue but she did not elaborate. 

"I am really happy for you, Mom." Rory looked at her mother. She felt a pang of guilt for telling her about the pregnancy on her wedding day. "You deserve this."

Lorelei looked at her for a long time without speaking. Her expression was soft, a hint of sadness in her eyes. She smiled. "I am happy for you too, kid." 

Rory sat down next to Lorelei, putting her head on her shoulder. Lorelei snaked an arm around Rory's waist, leaning into her.