The Other Gilmore

The Test Run

Pulling herself together and putting on a brave face, Frankie went about her business in Stars Hollow. She had her summer routine: going to Luke's for breakfast, working with Ms. Patty until the evening, then heading home to lounge on the couch and watch horrible movies that made her forget the emotional pain she was in.

Rory was finally home from Yale, but her sleep schedule was completely messed up, so she would stomp around the house at three in the morning and wake up Lorelai and Frankie. Lorelai decided to lock her oldest in her room so that she and Frankie could sleep and not be disturbed.

Friday night, the three Gilmore girls were sitting at the table with a very hostile Emily and Richard. The older generation of Gilmore's were separated, but they hadn't announced that to anyone yet, including their family, so the girls had to sit through the awkwardness of their passive aggressive jabs at each other throughout the meal.

The test run at the Dragonfly Inn was the following day, and Frankie and Rory were helping set up. Lorelai was freaking out over the missing doors, and the guests were arriving, but Tom, the contractor, radioed to inform her that the doors were on the way and would be installed momentarily. At that news, Lorelai rushed everyone outside to greet the guests.

As the golf carts carrying the guests pulled up, everyone began gushing about the inn and how beautiful it looked. Frankie helped greet everyone with Lorelai, while Rory scurried off into the inn.

A while later, when Frankie had checked in with the kitchen staff for Lorelai, she walked back to the front desk just as Emily and Richard arrived.

"Mom, dad!" Lorelai called with a wave. "Look, girls, there are your grandparents, and everything they own."

"You didn't tell us what attire was required, so I had to pack everything," Emily retorted, strutting up to the front desk.

The twins greeted their grandparents, who then requested their room key. Emily had a sour face, and was appalled that they had to go outside to get to their room.

Just as Emily and Richard left, Luke walked into the inn holding a bouquet of flowers. Lorelai fixed her hair, which Frankie noticed, and walked away from the front desk.

"What's going on there?" Frankie asked Rory quietly.

"They're dating."

"What?" Frankie exclaimed, only to be immediately silenced by her sister.

"Sh! Not so loud. They're going to a movie."

"How do you know all this?"

"I met mom for lunch at Luke's the other day and she told me there."

"I'm so out of the loop," Frankie muttered, turning her attention back to the car crash that was her mother's interaction with Luke.

Dinner was served later that evening. Frankie sat with Jackson and Rory, bantering about the vegetables that the produce man had grown for the meal, and discussing what his and Sookie's plans were for their wedding anniversary. He was very pleased with the gift the chef had bought him. Jackson said that, because of the test run, he thought she would have forgotten all about it.

Frankie walked around the inn, enjoying the peaceful atmosphere, when she bumped into Jason, Lorelai's ex-boyfriend.

"Oh, hey. I didn't know you were coming," she greeted, taking a seat across from him on the couch.

"It was very spur of the moment."

"I see." She sat awkwardly as Jason went back to the book he was reading. "Does my mom know you're here?"