Laura was busy helping Roy move his things to the guest room down the hall. "Are you sure you don't mind, Roy?" she asked for the tenth time.
"Laura," Roy said patiently, "How could I mind? Your son is alive, and he's coming home. What kind of person would I be if I didn't want him to have his room back?" He finished hanging up his clothes in his new closet and closed the door. "Well, that about does it. I better get going or I'll be late for work."
"Thank you, Roy," said Laura with a smile. Too bad you won't be here when Lucky comes home. I think he will really like meeting you." She saw Roy to the door and went back up to Lucky's room to get it ready for him. Leslie was already in there, making the bed. When Laura had gotten home and told Leslie about her grandson, they had cried for awhile together, then Leslie had laughingly said that just about everyone in that house had been thought dead and had come back at one time or another. Telling Lulu had been easier than Laura had expected it to be, because the child hadn't ever really believed that Lucky wasn't coming back. She had just nodded wisely and gone to her room to draw him a picture.
Elizabeth sat down the box she was carrying and rang the Spencer's doorbell. She was bringing back a few household items that Laura had loaned to her when she'd first moved to her studio. Now that she was working for Chloe Morgan Designs as a receptionist and general helper to Chloe, she was making enough money to buy things for her apartment.
The door was answered by Leslie Lu, and Elizabeth knelt down to give her a hug. "Hi Lulu! How are you doing?"
"Fine," answered the little girl. "Lucky's back from Heaven and I'm drawing him a picture."
"Oh, honey," sighed Liz, giving Lulu another quick hug. They had all tried to explain to her that people don't come back from heaven, but Lucky's little sister had never really understood that. She didn't push the subject now, though, because she had to get to work. "Where's your mommy?"
"She's upstairs working in Lucky's room," said Lulu as Liz brought in the box and set it near the door.
Liz assumed that she meant Lucky's old room, which Laura had rented out to Roy DiLucca. "Well, I have to go to work now, so will you tell your mom I dropped these things off, and tell her I said thank you? I wish I had more time to visit with you, and I promise I'll come soon and we can have a tea party together."
"With Lucky." said Lulu. "I gotta finish my picture now. Bye 'Lizabeth!" She turned and skipped back up the stairs before Elizabeth could say anything.
Elizabeth sighed and started her short walk to L&B/Chloe Morgan Designs. Someday Lulu would understand. Until then Liz supposed it didn't hurt the child to pretend. She wished she could pretend like that. She was dreading seeing Nikolas today, because she had come to a painful decision when she'd awakened that morning. She'd decided that she was being selfish, dating Nikolas when she wouldn't ever feel more than friendship for him, and she was going to tell him that, today, when he came to visit her at work.
When she got to work, she was able to forget about her problems for awhile and get caught up in her work. The phone rang constantly, and Chloe was breezing in and out of the office all morning, with instructions for Liz each time she passed her desk. Elizabeth was fascinated with Chloe's work, because art was Liz's passion. She wondered if she would ever be as creative and talented as her famous boss. At about eleven o'clock Liz glanced at her watch, and felt her stomach turn over. Only one hour and Nikolas would be here, bringing her take-out from Kelly's, and she would have to tell him she didn't want to date him anymore. She hated to hurt him, but this was the best thing she could do for him in the long run.