A Father's Love

Chapter 31

   Shelby was the first thought he had when Luke woke up the next morning. He laid there, staring up at the ceiling for a few minutes. Being a parent felt like the hardest job Luke ever had. Only his kid could make his heart feel this way. At least he'd see Shelby this morning since the Gilmores come by almost every morning for breakfast.

Being a holiday weekend and people passing through on their travels caused the diner to be packed that morning, so Luke was plenty busy. It took a hundred times, but he finally got Jess downstairs to help out.

Things were so hectic, Luke hadn't noticed the Gilmores and Shelby stopped by until he took the plates that were freshly made and headed around the counter. His leg bumped something, almost causing him to stumble. Thankfully, he was able to catch himself and hold on to the plates without spilling any of the food.

Luke moved one of the plates out of the way to see who he bumped into. Shelby had been standing there next to the counter, waiting for him, too shy to approach him. He noticed she had a habit of standing somewhere without saying a word, sometimes in the way, until someone noticed her. "Shell, how many times do I have to tell you? Don't stand in the middle of the walkway." He quickly set the plates down on the correct table, apologizing for the long wait before returning to grab the coffeepot to refill their coffee. Once their cups were refilled, he went back over, kneeling to Shelby's level.

Shelby was rubbing her nose vertically like it hurt or something.

"Did my leg bump your nose?"

She nodded, not looking up at him.

"Let me see." Luke gently pushed her hand away to examine her nose. He held her face in his hands, touching around her nose with his thumbs. Since there wasn't any bruising and it didn't appear to be swollen, Luke figured she was fine. "I'm sorry, kiddo. I didn't see you there. You're so quiet." He smiled to show he was teasing her.

Shelby didn't. Instead, she leaned back against the side of the counter, pressing her hands to it behind her, and moved the toe of her sneaker along the floor.

"Hey, I hate to rush ya, but I gotta get back to work. We're packed this morning. Is there something you need?" She sucked in her bottom lip, chewing on it. He moved his head closer to hers so Shelby could whisper to him. "What's up, kiddo?" Luke urged her, holding a hand to her arm.

"Wan' to talk."

He looked at her. "Now? Can it wait 'til later, or do you need to talk now? 'Cause if you feel you need to talk to me, we can go in the back," Luke pointed over his shoulder. If something was bothering her, he didn't want to prolong it further than they had to. But at the same time, they were all running around, making sure the customers weren't waiting too long.

Shelby muttered something. He couldn't really tell what she said, but Luke caught the W sound so he figured she said it could wait.

"You want to wait?"

That time, she nodded at the floor.

"Are you sure?"

Again, she nodded.

"Okay, kiddo. Go sit with Lorelai and Rory, and I'll be there..." Luke rose to his feet, jumping out of his skin when he realized the girls had sat down on the end of the counter. "... Aw, jeez. Don't scare a person like that."

Lorelai shrugged. "We were just sitting here. Not our fault you're easily freaked out," she harmlessly teased him.

Luke glared at her as he went to grab the coffee. Realizing he had to make more, Luke quickly got to work on it, telling them they were going to have to wait a few minutes unless they wanted decaf which caused him to receive a look as if he admitted to supporting dog-fights or something. Of course, Luke should have known better than to suggest decaf.