It had taken Jess roughly a week to realize that if he wanted to make some changes he needed to start looking into his options sooner rather than later. Transferring his position to someone else meant that there needed to be a transition period and even before that could be started he needed to explore if Jenn even was willing to take over. This move felt like the least bit of a failure - it didn't feel like failing Truncheon, and while she wasn't perhaps exactly the type to lead a company, maybe with a course or two, and some support from Truncheon Philly, she could be.
He'd taken Jenn out for lunch at the small italian place just around the corner from the office, wanting to speak to her without interruptions.
"So how's Vera?" Jess asked casually about Jenn's spouse, after the waiter had taken their order involving the day's specials.
"She's good, she just went back to school actually," Jenn replied, placing her phone down on the table, giving him her full attention.
"Listen, I actually wanted to run something by you. You see, I've been considering taking some time and step back from management - I haven't decided anything yet - so I'm here just exploring your interest. If I were to do it it would probably mean you'd need to take a couple of courses yourself, from work time of course. I would pick up some of my old author's instead - I know Sandoval at least has been missing the fact that I don't really edit anymore," he explained, referring to one of the authors he used to handle.
"Honestly, I don't know what to say - I've never really pictured myself in that role," Jenn replied, brushing her hair behind her ears.
"It would definitely be a raise in income, some additional benefits," he tried to sell the idea. To be frank, as he spoke, he was more and more desperate to sell this idea to her. The alternative was one of junior editors or Noah or someone from outside - none of which he particularly liked to see as his successor.
"But wouldn't Noah exceed in experience? I wouldn't want to be stepping on his toes," Jenn worried.
"Not by seniority," Jess replied. This was what he had to go on - he knew Noah really wasn't a bad option but he was a bad option from his point of view. Given the fairly recent things he'd learned about him - he wasn't exactly objective and he'd tried to compare their resumes as objectively as he could - and seniority was one of the few factors Jenn had over Noah.
"Oh come on, the guy has been a department manager before... I don't think he'd be very happy if I were to just grab this opportunity from under his nose," Jenn exclaimed.
"Why are you so worried by what he thinks?"Jess inquired.
"Don't get me wrong, I'm a feminist through and through. If Vera has no objection to this idea, I certainly wouldn't. But I'm not sure how I'd be with him working under me - I'd probably feel like he's questioning my judgement or something," Jenn explained.
"Hell - I wasn't sure what I was doing in the beginning either. But sure - if you don't want me to suggest you to the HPG I could just leave it up to them to decide. Somehow as he spoke, every minute he was feeling more and more strongly about not wanting to be in his position anymore - he didn't want to worry about who was going to do the quarterly reports or to make sure the salaries were paid out on time, who was hired and who was fired - he just felt so exhausted from all this.
"Okay," Jenn sighed, "but only if the HPG agrees to it, and I feel I definitely could use some training," she added even without talking to her spouse. Jess could see it in her eyes that she did want the challenge, perhaps the added high from the self-realization this offered having given her the extra push.
Their food was then brought to the table.
"Good..., I'll talk to Huntzberger," Jess said as he cut into his ravioli and Jenn took a bit of her spring risotto.
"But why don't you want to do this yourself? What are you going to do, besides picking up some of your old authors?" Jenn asked curiously. They'd known each other for years, since they both worked in the Philadelphia office and Jenn had watched him grow from a simple junior editor to manager in the past 10 years or so, while she herself had started from the editor's assistant positsion.
"I have a book coming out myself, and I just feel like I want to spend some more time with my daughter before she's all grown up," Jess explained. There were other factors of course - Celeste, the stress and long hours which he could do witout, but he felt like these things were better left unsaid at this point - Jenn ought to know these herself and it wouldn't do him any good if he began to emphasize them.
Jenn nodded understandingly as she chewed. "So what's the book about?" Jenn continued, being genuinely interested.
"Hey Ror!" Christopher greeted her as he stepped out of the elevator, having called just a few hours ago wondering if he could stop by, saying he just happened to be in town and was hoping to catch up.
Rory really hadn't seen Christopher for nearly a year. The last time had been when he'd briefly visited them in the Vineyard during the summer. Sure they still called during holidays and birthdays, and she'd announced the pregnancy to him by phone not just by sending him the announcement card - he was her father after all, but with them living in separate cities and Christopher experiencing instead of mid-life blues or crisis almost a second youth when it came to the family business that he had managed to make very successful through hard work, there really hadn't been much chance to catch up face to face.
Christopher clearly was off work that day - wearing just a simple denim button-up shirt with some khakis. His beard was rougher than the last time she'd seen him, but he looked fit and well.
"Hi, wow, it's been a while!" Rory exclaimed, heaving herself up from the couch with a low groan, adding. "Sorry, the place is a mess," she added.
It was the end of the week, and the cleaner usually came on Monday morning, but Rory having now mostly been at home and Logan away in Maine and working the rest of the week, Rory hadn't put too much effort into tidying up, which she usually preferred to do herself, not to seem utterly spoiled and useless to Maya. Maya's job included looking after Finny and when it came to cleaning up after him - but nothing more, and Rory prefered to keep these things separate. She wasn't even sure why she cared anymore abot what impression she left, but the feeling that she needed to keep proving that she could do simple things such as washing their clothes and tidying up the kitchen or toys, was deep rooted in her - which now pretty much meant that Logan was doing these things, Rory having clearly pushed him slightly out of his comfort zone.
"It's quite alright," Christopher replied, adding after a small pause, "and you look...good," as he glanced over Rory, dressed in a relaxed wrap-dress, her hair pulled up in a lazy pony tail.
Rory chuckled at his response, clearly seeing that he meant well, but she knew better than that. She looked exhausted, lopsided and huge for the gestational age. She'd just been to Dr. Norton yesterday, who had also included a perinatologist so she wouldn't have to make two separate journeys. But all she had really heard was that they were keeping a close eye on her.
"But seriously, you doing okay?" Christopher asked, worriedly, as Rory led them over to the living room. He took a seat opposite her.
"Okay-ish," Rory replied, making a sceptical wobble with her hand. "Medically everything is still looking good, but I don't feel exactly perky. But the doctors were optimistic that I ought to make it to the magic 34 week mark," Rory added. She was beginning to have mixed feelings about that prognosis though - the 7 whole weeks (or more) seeming like forever in this state.
"I guess that's good, I wish I could do something though...," Christopher sighed, as he watched Rory lay back down on her side propping the body pillow under her bump.
"So what brings you to the city?" Rory asked, curiously. His father used to be this guy who just showed up out of the blue, but he really hadn't done that in a while, thus she had a feeling he had a pretty specific reason.
"Ah..," Christopher sighed. "I've decided to head over to Tokyo for the next couple of years. The company is expanding, and it's a great opportunity. So I'm trying to work some things out before I go," he replied, casually but at the same time seeming a little apprehensive. To him this was a chance of a lifetime, almost feeling like he was now doing the things he should've been doing in his 20s and 30s.
"That's huge, a big change. You seem excited," Rory replied. His father had a particularly adventurous streak, and Rory knew that look that she could see in his eyes.
"I am, but you see, I am a little concerned about Gigi," he sighed. "She's been doing really great here in the States. Academically the French middle school she went to really gave her an advantage here, so she's actually skipped the freshman year in Boston, so she's actually starting her senior year next year," he explained.
"So you don't think Gigi should come with you," Rory presumed.
Christopher nodded.
"The thing is Francine and Gigi don't really get along great - Gigi is a lot like her mother with her modern views and Francine is just a whole other generation - and there's no changing her," Christopher said, trailing off a bit. "And with Sherry in France...," he began, not quite finishing his thought.
Rory was beginning to get a suspicion to where this was going, but she allowed him to speak.
"I know there are great international schools in Tokyo and if that's what I have to do, I'll bring her along. But I just think that she's been through enough moves, so if I can skip dragging her along, uprooting her just before going to college I think owe it to her to see if this might be a possibility. She's pretty set on going to Columbia anyways and one of her closest friends just recently moved to New York, and I thought I should at least examine New York as an option," Christopher said, feeling guilty already.
"But she's a minor," Rory pointed out the obvious.
"I don't expect you guys to take her in or anything like that, though I do admit, that I certainly wouldn't object, but I just want her to have family nearby. I can get her her own place, a nanny or housekeeper of some sorts. I just want her to have someone whom she can come to if she needs to talk to someone or help..., maybe be in contact with the school if there's anything and I can't come straight away," he explained.
"And I fully get it, you have your hands full here, but... all I ask is for you to consider it. I looked into boarding school, I considered one of my aunts who is like 70 who lives in the City, I even thought about asking your mother, but you know... that it's not that easy between us," he explained. He hadn't come lightly, he really did feel like he'd exhausted his options.
"Wow, I don't know what to say...," Rory exclaimed. She had a hard time picturing this.
"What does Gigi think about all this?" Rory asked after a moment of silence.
"She'd love to stay in the States, but I haven't really dared to suggest New York before I had a more concrete plan so she wouldn't get her hopes up," he replied.
At the very least Christopher's visit left Rory with something new to think about that didn't involve her feeling uncomfortable. She wasn't sure if she was ready to take on a teenager, even if it didn't involve any real parenting as such. She barely knew enough about toddlers. It felt like a lot of responsibility, also it felt like it depended greatly on the person Gigi really was. In a way she figured this was like what Logan must feel like about Owen - knowing of him but not yet really knowing him. Rory had been there when Gigi was born and she knew she was smart and a bit more of the outgoing type compared to herself at her age, and as Christopher had said, a lot like Sherry, but she didn't know her.
"You'll never believe who stopped by today," Rory began to explain to Logan what Christopher had talked to her about, as he emerged from his study that evening. He was mostly working from home these days, only really going into the headquaters for a few meetings so in case Rory needed him, he'd be around to come help out.
"I thought I heard your dad's voice," Logan answered, unsurprisedly.
"I thought you had a conference call," Rory sighed, almost having felt like surprising him with the information.
"I did, he just has a distinct pitch," Logan chuckled, adding, "Was he just catching up or...?"
Rory explained the gist of Christopher's plans and what he'd asked her to Logan.
"Huh," Logan added thoughtfully, running his hand over his face and neck.
"I mean I love that he'd trust me with something like that, and there is that certain something about maybe making up for some missed time with my sister, but that it'd be during the same time we're having two new babies - I don't know, I almost hate him for putting me in this position, you know," Rory huffed. "If I say 'no' I feel like I'm this monster who doesn't care about Gigi's well-being and likely drive her even further from me, and if I say 'yes' and am too tired to really pay attention who knows how she'll turn out," she worried.
Logan was beginning to laugh quietly.
"What?" Rory exclaimed.
"I think you're overthinking this," Logan said.
"What do you mean?" she asked confusedly.
"I mean, sure, we're going to have our hands full, but she's, what 16-17?" he began.
"16," Rory replied.
"So she'd probably be pretty excited about living on her own, and probably thinks she knows everything, right?" Logan continued.
"I wouldn't know," Rory replied. She certainly wasn't thinking about living on her own when she was 16.
"Well, I would - I've been in boarding schools since I was 13, which wasn't all that different than living at the dorms at Yale. Now she'll probably have a place, live in housekeeper who'd make sure she gets to school in the morning, eats and calls the doctor if she sicks or something. And he said she's smart, determined to go to college - so to me that sounds like she's interested in keeping her grades up, so that usually means she has no real issue with doing her homework. So as far as I can tell we would only really need to like have some weekly dinner with her, catch up, see how she's doing, be a phone call away is she needs anything," Logan explained. He would've loved something like this in his age.
"I guess...," she hesitated, the thought of reinstating something like the Friday night dinners by herself seeming like a very odd twist of faith. "I don't know, to me living alone at 16 just seems sad and lonely," she added.
"Well I guess I can't really answer that for her - I don't know her and I guess it depends a lot on the contacts - how much she liked living with her parents," Logan replied, recalling too well his drive for freedom from his back in the day.
"So you think we could handle something like that?" Rory
"I mean, we could try - if problems arise, surely there are boarding schools that'd be willing to take her if needed," he suggested. He had to admit he was trying to put the situation into his own perspective - if it had been his dad asking him to watch over Owen for example, with just the curiosity of getting to know him, he'd probably want to do it. He understood Rory was overwhelmed, and he wasn't going to push it - it was her decision, but he would support her no matter what. "In the end it's up to you, but I am more than confident that we can do anything together, Ace," he replied.
"Is this what dying feels like?" Lorelai grumbled in a low voice into her phone that she had on the speaker phone.
"Well if it feels anything like having someone who likes to kick pushed up under your ribs, then sure," Rory groaned in response having just a few minutes ago been punched so painfully from the inside that it had momentarily taken her breath away.
"Yeah, but you'll get two cuties in the end," Lorelai tried to bargain.
"What's wrong with you?" Rory inquired curiously, propping herself up on her elbow.
"Apparently just because I've gotten the vaccine doesn't automatically mean I'm immune to mumps. Oh no, it just means that I have like 20% chance of getting it... so here I am swollen up like a blowfish," Lorelai moaned. She'd been running a fever for 24 hours now, and was barely dragging herself out of bed to go to the bathroom, let alone shown much interest towards food.
"Oh, wow, isn't like quite serious for adults?" Rory replied worriedly.
"Are you saying that I'm old?" she huffed in reply.
"No, no... that's not at all what I am saying," Rory knew better than to begin explaining her real meaning when her mother was sick. She was not fun when she was sick, even more stubborn and less understanding than ever.
"Well so far it doesn't seem to be very serious, I just feel awful," she replied.
"Is Leo doing better already at least? Rory asked.
"He's not completely cured, but he's moved from the bed to the couch at least and is eating better," Lorelai replied.
"Well that's good at least," she commented.
"What, no more sympathy for me?" Lorelai huffed, half jokingly.
"Aw.. you poor thing," Rory added jokingly.
"Gee, thanks," she muttered.
"So Michel is running things at work, didn't you have like some crazy weekend coming up?" Rory recalled.
"Oh, crap, I completely forgot. How could I forget!" Lorelai exclaimed pulling herself up to sit in bed on adrenaline. They had two weddings at both of the Inn's that Friday and Saturday, both fully booked.
"Just take a deep breath and call Michel, I'm sure he's capable enough to handle it," Rory tried to reason.
"Sure he can, but he can't be in two places at once. Lucy is on maternity leave, Jordan has a broken leg...," she began, her words coming to a stop but her mind kept thinking of all the possible scenarios. "Oh god, I'm going to have to call in Kirk to do it!" Lorelai declared in a terrified voice.
"Well he's not completely useless - he did make your wedding quite nice," Rory tried to add some hope.
"Yeah, he's good with the set, but actual organizing, people - I think not," Lorelai cried out in despair.
"Well... maybe call grandma?" Rory suggested, grasping at straws, but the silence that she got in return answered itself, hence she simply added, "or hire someone professional from Hartford - Gayle Events or Pink Olive or what was it...," she suggested.
"Yeah, and admit to them we're not up in our game, they'll never bring business to us again if I do that," she grumbled.
"Or.. I know it's a long shot probably, but you could ask Celeste maybe?" Rory proposed a little hesitantly, not really knowing whether Celeste had the time or will to do something like that.