Nina got out of the taxi at Lassiter's Hotel, waiting as the driver took her money and gave her the change. She took her suitcase and thanked him, then headed into the hotel reception, hoping that she wouldn't have the same problem as the last time she was there.

"Excuse me, ma'am, would you like some help with your luggage?"

Nina looked up and smiled at the young man in front of her. "No, it's just the one suitcase and it's not heavy. I can carry it. But thank you for the offer anyway."

"Okay. Then let me check you in and take you up to your room."

"Thank you, uh..." She looked at the name tag on the man's jacket. "Chris."

Chris smiled politely and led Nina to the front desk. "What have you booked under?"

"Nina Tucker."

Chris nodded. He had noticed who the guest was immediately, but had decided that he wouldn't say anything since he felt that she probably wouldn't want to be announced. It wouldn't take long for people to figure out that she was there anyway, so he wanted to provide as much privacy as he could.

"Okay, you're checked in. Let's go to your room." Chris grabbed a keycard from the desk and led the way to the elevator. "You're in room 150, on the third floor. I hope that's okay?"

"Of course it is. I really don't mind."

"Here we are." He unlocked the door and handed the card to Nina. "Enjoy your stay, and if there's anything you need, just let a staff member know and they will help you out."

"Thank you... Actually, there is one thing."

"Name it."

"Is Terese here today?"

"No, she's on personal leave."

"Oh, okay, that's okay. Maybe I'll see her around town."

"I can call her and see if she's okay to have a visitor if you like?"

"No, that's okay. But thank you for the offer." She knew Terese's address and wanted to go and see if she was alright, but she wasn't going to intrude. She would eventually see her around town, and that was when she would talk. For now, she wanted to go and see Lou. "What about Lou? Do you know if he's working today?"

"I think he is. At least he was when I was on my break."

"Okay, thanks. I might just drop off my stuff and then go for a walk."

Chris nodded and took his leave, closing the door behind him.

Ten minutes later, Nina found herself outside Harold's Store, staring through the window at her step-father. She didn't even notice that someone had stopped next to her and was speaking to her.

"Hey, earth to Nina, are you alright?"

Nina jumped, startled. She looked to her left and saw Karl there. A grin spread across her face as she wrapped him in a tight hug, happy to see him again.

"What brought you here this time?" Karl asked.

"Family. Lou and I were talking last week and we decided that I should come and meet my sister. Sorry, step sister."

"You know that Lauren lost her husband a few weeks ago, don't you?"

"Yeah, Lou told me. I wish I could fix it for her, it must be really hard for her and her children."

"They'll be alright. Maybe don't mention it though?"

"Of course not. What do you think I'm like, a horrible person?" laughed Nina.

Karl smiled. "Sorry, that was mean."

"It's alright. Are you coming in too? We could have a chat while we drink coffee."

"That would be nice, but I'll have to take a raincheck. I need to get to work. Can we meet up later?"

"I'm having dinner with Lou tonight, so maybe tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow is great. Susan and I are both free. I'll call and tell her so we don't make other plans."

Nina nodded and gave Karl a hug. She said goodbye, then walked into the shop and up to the counter.

"Nina! You're here," smiled Lou happily.

"Yes, I just got here about an hour ago. How are you?"

"I'm good. It's been hard, but everyone is getting through it."

"I hope so. How is Lauren anyway?"

"She's better than she was before we buried Matt. She's really looking forward to meeting you, although, she doesn't actually know that you're Nina Tucker. I told her she has a step sister named Nina that I thought she should meet."

"That's okay. When do I get to meet her?"

"At dinner. Is that still okay?"

"Of course it is. I'm going to walk around for a while, maybe go see if any old friends are still around."

"Georgia and Mark are both off today, I'm sure they would love to say hi again."

Nina laughed. "They are both very lovely people Lou, but I'm sure they have other things to do."

"Believe me, they would drop everything to see you again. After they met you, all we heard was how much they love you and how amazed they were that you were so nice to them and took some time to speak to them and meet them in your hotel room."

"Yeah, speaking of which, how did they know where to find me?" she asked with raised eyebrows.

"A little birdie may have mentioned it in passing..."

"Lou! I knew you and Karl were up to something that day."

"What? It gave you the confidence boost you needed, didn't it?"

"Shut-up." Nina grinned. "Thank you."

"Anytime sweetheart, anytime. Now, would you like something to eat or drink?"

"Can I get a coffee to go?"

Lou made the coffee and handed it over, taking the money Nina held out to him. "Enjoy the walk and I'll see you tonight."

"Bye Lou." Nina gave him a smile as she turned around and left the shop.