Zebadiah pulled his car up to the house and got out slowly, the house looked like it must have the day it was built. It was late October and Thomas's crew were down to the final details of the project. It had taken almost seven months to complete, but he had done it.

It looked like home.

He slowly walked up the steps, eager to see the changes inside as well. He wondered if Lucy had been able to keep pace with Thomas. As he entered the house he took in the warm wood and the smell of fresh linseed oil and he knew she had succeeded.

The thought of Lucy made him smile, he had missed her. It had been over two months since he had last seen her, and he had thought of her every day. She had been the one thing that kept him pushing to complete the work in Houston, and then the fiasco in New Orleans, as quickly as possible. He wanted to come home, back to LeClair, and be with her.

He took the stairs two at a time, thinking he would find her on the top story working, but the work was completed and she was nowhere to be found. Frowning, he pulled out his phone and looked at the time. It was after five, perhaps she had gone home for the day. He turned and started down the stairs with the thought of going to her house, he could bring her back here.

"Well look what the cat dragged in," Thomas said with a grin as he entered through the front door. Zebadiah looked behind Thomas, hoping to see Lucy, but she wasn't there.

"It's been awhile," Zebadiah agreed, taking Thomas's extended hand.

"Over two months," Thomas said unnecessarily.

"It looks like you've made excellent progress while I was away." Zebadiah was impatient to get to Lucy. He felt like a teenager eager to see his crush.

"We're in the homestretch now, only the detail work left." He nodded as he started to walk through the house, instantly beginning to take Zebadiah on a tour of all the work that had been done.

"And the wood work, all of that has been completed?" Zebadiah asked casually.

"Almost three weeks ago, Lucy worked like a mad woman to get it done. She had a job offer in New Orleans that she couldn't pass up, so she put in a little extra time."

Zebadiah felt his jaw tense at the news that she was gone.

"New Orleans, I don't suppose you have her contact information, I have some additional work I'd like her to do for me." Zebadiah watched Thomas as he studied his feet.

"No, I don't. She chose not to share where she was going with anyone, not even Etta. She calls to check in every now and then though." Suddenly, he looked up, his eyes meeting Zebadiah's with the fakest smile he had ever seen the man give. "I hear congratulations are in order, when's the wedding, or has it already happened? We read about the announcement not too long ago."

Zebadiah cursed silently to himself, but his face remained calm, almost cold. He had hoped the news wouldn't make it this far north. If Lucy had heard, his heart stopped at the thought of it, she would have run, which is exactly what she did.

"There was never an offer or a plan to marry." Zebadiah said shortly. He could tell that Thomas didn't believe him, meaning he wouldn't lend a hand in finding Lucy.

"The house looks great, I'll have to start furnishing it soon," Zebadiah said, changing the subject to Thomas's obvious surprise.

"Yes, I know a few people who can help you with that if you're interested," Thomas offered.

"No thanks." Zebadiah wanted Lucy to furnish the house the way she wanted to, and he had no doubt she wanted to. "What about out back?" he asked, leading Thomas out onto the back veranda to look over the new porch railings and columns.

He spent another half of an hour with Thomas before he left, and as soon as Thomas was out of sight, Zebadiah got in his car and drove to Etta's to find out exactly what was going on with Lucy. He knew she would tell him.

*******

Lucy's feet ached as she climbed the stairs to the small apartment that she shared with another girl about her age. They both worked at one of the hotels in the French Quarter, and it was always busy, no matter the time of year.

She pushed through the door, which tended to stick, and entered the cold apartment.  It had one little window unit to heat and cool it, and they turned it off when they weren't there. Neither one of them had much money so they were both frugal, which suited Lucy fine.

She threw herself down on the couch and looked at the pile of mail that sat in front of her on the table. She had little doubt that it was full of bills. Pushing her shoes off her weary feet, she fell over onto the couch and thought of Zeb. She couldn't help but wonder where he was and what he was doing. He was probably picking out china patterns with Gianna.

Lucy closed her eyes against the tears that threatened at the thought.

"What a hell of a day!" Paisley Denham said as she entered the apartment. "Lionel was on a rampage in the kitchen, how was the front of the house?" she asked as she plopped down on the chair across from her.

Both she and Lucy worked in the hotel's restaurant, Lucy waited tables and Paisley worked as a sous chef, but she had also been known to wait tables when she needed extra money, which was almost all of the time.

"It was a day just like all of the others, rich men and women thinking that they deserve extra service without any extra expense."

"Extra expenses like tipping the waitress?" Paisley laughed. "Been there. What we need is one of those rich handsome men to take us away from it all." She sighed at the daydream

Lucy thought of Zeb and felt her heart stop. "You know the rich ones are always a little deranged, right?" she joked.

"Sure, but to what degree and is the fortune worth the hassle?" She looked over at Lucy. "I'm not looking for true love, it doesn't exist, but money, that does exist."

"Yes, it does," Lucy agreed, thinking of the pearls that Zeb had bought her simply because she had admired them. He hadn't even blinked at the cost.

"What about Pizza for dinner? I have coupon," Paisley suggested, jumping up from her chair.

"Sure," Lucy agreed, not really hungry.

When her phone rang she jumped, the only one who had her new number was Etta.

"Etta?" Lucy couldn't keep the concern and fear from her voice.

"Lucy, I'm not doing well, can you come home for a day or two, just to help?" Etta's voice sounded quiet and rough, as if she had a cold.

"Of course, I have the next few days off, do you need me tonight, or will tomorrow morning be O.K.?" Lucy didn't relish driving down there this late. It was after ten and she wouldn't get there until after midnight.

"Tonight, I'll sleep better if you're here, could you pick up some cold medicine on the way? I'm completely out." Etta coughed.

"I will, and I'll be there as soon as I can," Lucy said, ending the call then jumping from her seat with a burst of energy. "I have to go; my grandmother is sick."

It took her ten minutes to pack a bag and get in her car. She was lucky that she did have the next two days off otherwise she would have had to call in sick, something that was frowned upon by management.

At least Etta needing her took her mind of Zeb, even if it was only for a little while.