Page 91 of Pity Play

“I, uh … well … no,” I tell him. “I was asking Lorelai.”

She breaks her silence by saying, “You want to date me? Why?”

“Lorelai.” I get down on one knee in front of her. I belatedly realize this is the same posture I might use if I were proposing. “I bought Pop’s so that I would be in Elk Lake more.”

“You didn’t do that for me,” she states almost bitterly.

“Part of the reason I did that was so that we could see what might happen between us. I like you so much. I think you’re the loveliest, kindest, most beautiful woman in the world, and morethan anything, I want to see what might happen if we give us a chance.”

Her eyes fill with unshed tears and I can’t tell if they’re tears of joy or something else. “Luke …”

“Please, Lorelai,” I beg. “I have enjoyed getting to know you so much as an adult. I admire you, I respect you, I want to get to know everything about you. And I want to kiss you. There needs to be a lot of kissing.”

Blinking rapidly to staunch the moisture in her eyes, she asks, “Will you eat Toaster Strudel with me?”

“God, no,” I tell her. “But honestly, I’d do almost anything else.”

The tension eases from her face and she offers me the slightest smile. “I might be in Chicago for a while.”

“Luckily, I have a restaurant here, too,” I tell her. “So, wherever you are, I can be in the same place.”

Lorelai doesn’t answer right away. In fact, she takes so long that Chip interjects, “For the love of God, woman, date the man! If it weren’t for Bob, I’d go out with him myself!”

Going for levity, I smile at Lorelai and ask, “So what’s it going to be? You and me, or me and Chip?”

She laughs heartily before answering, “For Bob’s sake, I’ll agree to date you.”

“You won’t be sorry,” I tell her. Then I lean in slowly and say, “I’m going to kiss you now.” But she doesn’t give me the chance. Instead, she hops onto my lap and throws her arms around my neck and lays one on me. It is the sweetest, most passionate kiss. It’s full of hope, and promise. When we finally break apart, I ask, “Will you let me take you home tonight? I have a surprise for you.”

“A surprise?” she wants to know.

Chip stands up and declares, “It’s not that I mind being a third wheel, but I think things might move a little faster if I go.”

He takes his wallet out, so I motion for him to put it away. “Your dinner is on me,” I tell him. “And let me know the next time you and Bob come in. I’d love to meet him.”

“Thank you,” Chip says. Then he winks at Lorelai, and adds, “I’m going to need to know what that surprise is. Call me tomorrow.”

Once Chip is gone, I tell Lorelai, “Thank you. I promise you won’t be sorry.”

I can’t help but laugh when she says, “I’d better not be …”

CHAPTER FORTY-THREE

LORELAI

Luke and I walk hand in hand next to the river. I don’t think I’ve ever been party to such a romantic moment. He stops walking and turns to look at me before kissing me again. I could really get used to this.

“Do you mind if we stop off at my apartment first? That’s where the surprise is.”

I arch an eyebrow in response. “That sounds like a line,” I tell him.

He shakes his head. “Not a line. It’s a G-rated surprise.”

“Toaster Strudel?” I tease.

“Girl, I’m going to make you real strudel one of these days and you are going to love it so much that you will never touch Toaster Strudel again.”

Crossing the bridge, Luke leads me toward the first of the two icon towers in Marina City. “I didn’t know you lived here.”

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