The Case of Juliette Gilmore

Chapter 9

"So you are going to go to Friday night dinner tonight?" Charles questioned Juliette over the phone.

Juliette was laying on her bed, staring up at the stars on her ceiling and twirling the fluffy pink cord of her phone in contemplation.

"Well I wouldn't turn down an opportunity to see my dad, you know he lives in Cali." Juliette shrugs, causing Charles to sigh.

"Yeah but what do you even know about this Straub and Francine huh? What kind of grandparents don't try and see their granddaughter during her upbringing?" Charles argues, worried about the emotional rollercoaster that the concept of Friday night dinners has caused.

"I'm sure they won't be that bad. Grandma and Grandpa talk very highly of them, and dad is the greatest so I'm hoping the apple didn't fall too far from the tree." Juliette chewed lightly on her bottom lip, starting to get preoccupied with what she could possible wear tonight as her battle armour, rather than thee phone conversation she's having with her best friend.

"Well my Nonna is coming over tonight and making gnocchi and Tiramisu and you know that she will make enough for you in case you need to ditch."

Juliette smiles at Charles' concern for her emotional wellbeing.

"Everything's gonna be fine! But thank you my love. I need to start getting ready so I will talk to you later." Juliette gave exaggerated kisses down the phone line before hanging up, not quite realising what she was getting herself into.

Later that evening Juliette hears a soft knock on her door. She lets out an absentminded enter command as Juliette focuses on putting the dangly Ruby earrings in her ear.

"Hey Jules, ready for your second ever Friday night dinner?" Rory asks her sister who immediately straightens up and gives her sister a hug as a greeting.

"I'm ready to see dad for sure." The two share a smile, moving to exit Juliette's room and go downstairs to the living room. Juliette takes a steadying breath in, patting down the imaginary wrinkles in her red chiffon dress before following Rory down the stairs.

"Dad!" Juliette calls out, seeing the handsome face of her father. Juliette rushes forward, throwing herself in her dad's arms. The two hold each other in a tight embrace before Christopher pulls back, holding his daughter at arms distance and looking over her.

"Who is this gorgeous young woman in front of me, and what have you done with my squirt of a daughter." Christopher jokes, causing the girl to give off a radiating smile that made Christopher immediately see a young Lorelai Gilmore.

"I can't help it that you're getting old." Juliette jests back at Christopher, who ruffles her hair in response.

"Oh Richard, Isn't Rory the spitting image of Christopher? It's a wonder those two girls are twins because they look more like clones of their parents!" Emily gushes, standing up and analysing Rory and Juliette's faces, much to their dismay.

"I just hope you both inherit his business sense also my dears." Richard nods, crossing his lift leg over his right.

Juliette began to feel a bit like she was trapped in a bad family sit-com, pretending to be the prefect little family of mom, dad and the two kids coming to have dinner with the grandparents, and it made her feel a little queasy in the stomach.

"I'm going to go and get a soda, would anyone like anything?" Jules questions the group, moving slowly away. In. The direction of the kitchen to get some air from the family fun.

"I'm okay thanks Jules." Rory replies, moving to sit down on the couch between Christopher and Lorelai.

Juliette walks away, mumbling under her breath as she pulls a can of diet coke out of the fridge.