The next morning, Lucas woke up before the sun. It took him a second to remember where he was. And then he groaned. He should have left Hope Valley last night before anyone even knew he was there. Now, he couldn't go anywhere in this town without being recognized. What was worse was the fact that he'd had a less than stellar tenure as governor so far. Around every corner someone was either questioning him about his shortcomings or pitying him for his failures.

Right then, Lucas wasn't in the mood for either. But it's not like he had a choice. He had to eat somewhere and there wasn't any food in the house. One way or another, people were going to see him. Lucas would rather have it be on his own terms.

After changing into one of the suits he'd brought in with him, Lucas exited his house and stepped onto the streets of Hope Valley. Luckily, it was still early, so he didn't encounter anyone until he reached the door to the cafe. Lucas had only taken one step inside when he heard voices coming from the kitchen. Smiling for the first time that morning, Lucas headed in to say 'hi' to the Canfields. They'd never been anything but kind to him and he always enjoyed stopping by when he was in town.

But when Lucas stepped into the kitchen, it wasn't the Canfields that he saw. Instead, it was Faith, Lily, and Mei. Lucas had heard that Faith had officially adopted Lily a couple weeks ago and that they were still living above the cafe. Even though Mei and Mike now lived down the street from the saloon, Lucas knew that Mei was still a regular at the cafe and even helped babysit Lily from time to time.

Faith was the first to notice him.

"Lucas!" she burst out, her face immediately lighting up. "I didn't know you were back in town," she said, putting a hand on her hip.

"It was a last minute decision," Lucas said, giving her his signature governor smile in return.

"Well, it's good to have you back, Governor," Faith replied, still smiling at him.

"Thank you," Lucas said with a nod. Then, he turned to Mei and Lily. "Mei, Lily," he said. "It's nice to see you both."

"Hi," Lily replied shyly, waving from where she sat at the counter.

"How are you, Lucas?" Mei asked, giving him a warm smile. "Mike didn't mention anything about you coming back."

"Oh, Mike doesn't know," Lucas replied and now he smirked at the thought of seeing the surprise on his friend's face. "I arrived late last night after the saloon was already closed."

"I'm sure he will be very surprised to see you then," Mei said, chuckling. Before Lucas could reply, the cafe's back door opened swiftly and Minnie stepped inside.

"Lucas!" she said, when she saw him. "It's so nice to see you. When did you arrive?" Minnie asked, setting her basket on the counter.

"Late last night," Lucas answered, for the second time in the space of five minutes. "How are you?"

"I'm great," Minnie replied with a smile. "And it's great to have you back." Now, Lucas smiled his first real smile since he'd arrived.

"Thanks Minnie."

"So, how long will you be staying, Lucas?" Faith asked then, while Minnie started to prepare the day's breakfast. When Lucas directed his attention back at her, he realized that Faith was still smiling.

"I'm not sure," Lucas said, but now he suddenly felt self-conscious. Why was Faith looking at him like that? Was his tie crooked? He had brushed his hair that morning, hadn't he? Focus, Bouchard! Lucas chided himself. "Probably only for a few days," he managed to reply, trying to refocus his train of thought.

"Oh, well that's a shame," Faith replied, still smiling at him even as Lucas detected a hint of disappointment in her eyes. "We sure miss you around here." Lucas didn't really know what to say to that, considering he felt as if he didn't really belong in Hope Valley anymore. But luckily, he was saved from answering when the door on the other side of the cafe flew open.

"You wouldn't believe how many people want to buy eggs this early in the morning!" the voice said, bursting into the cafe. Everyone turned at the same time, but no one was more surprised than Lucas to find Fiona Miller breezing through the doorway, holding a carton of eggs from Yost's Mercantile.

"Lucas!" Fiona jumped, looking both surprised and slightly uncomfortable to find everyone in the room staring at her, including the governor himself. "When-how-what are you doing here?" she stammered.

"I-I just came back for a couple days," Lucas found himself explaining, but something about her sudden appearance left him frazzled. He'd heard Fiona was back in town, as she was now helping extend the Suffragette movement to Hope Valley and the surrounding towns, but Lucas hadn't heard how long she planned to stay. "How are you, Fiona?" Lucas asked after an awkward minute, finally remembering his manners. He was keenly aware that everyone in the room was watching him, so he tried his best to recover.

"Oh, I'm great. I'm really good," Fiona rambled, obviously still a little discombobulated from the whole affair. "Are you staying long?" she asked him then.

"Just for a couple days," Lucas repeated.

"Oh, right. Of course," Fiona sputtered, perhaps remembering that he'd said that exact same thing only moments earlier. She took a deep breath and seemed to recover slightly before saying, "Well, in that case, I hope you enjoy your stay." And then she smiled at him.

"Thanks," Lucas replied, attempting a smile of his own, but it didn't quite feel right.

"We didn't even know Lucas was back until he walked in here this morning," Faith explained to her friend, Faith's radiant smile still in place. Has she always smiled so much? Lucas couldn't help but wonder.

"Thank you so much for getting the eggs, Fiona," Minnie said then, before anyone could say or do anything that made the situation even more awkward. It was then that Lucas noticed the weird looks on both Minnie and Mei's faces. How had this trip gone from bad to worse so quickly?

"Oh, of course, Minnie," Fiona replied, crossing the room towards her and handing Minnie the carton. "I'm glad Ned still had some left. It was quite busy in there." At this, Fiona turned to Lucas and smiled teasingly. "Maybe everyone just knows that the governor is in town." Lucas chuckled, but glanced down as a little bit of embarrassment heated his cheeks.
"I doubt it," Lucas replied, but he smiled. "I didn't tell anyone I was coming back."

"Mike doesn't even know," Mei added.

"Well then." Fiona raised her eyebrows. "Hickam is sure in for a shock!" Lucas chuckled.

"That's exactly what Mei said," he agreed.

"I bet the saloon won't be quiet today," Faith piped up, causing Fiona to glance over at her friend.

"Why's that?" a new voice asked and at that exact moment, Florence stepped foot into the cafe. It was all Lucas could do to hold back a groan. If the whole town didn't already know about his arrival, they would now. Florence had a reputation. To say the least.

"Lucas!" Florence exclaimed, upon seeing him. "Well, what brings you back to town, Governor?"

"Just visiting," was the extent of Lucas's reply, as he tried and likely failed to smile politely. If he had to explain what he was doing back in town one more time, Lucas thought he might explode.

"Well, it's lovely to have you back," Florence answered, unfazed by Lucas's lack of enthusiasm. "I can't believe you managed to arrive without any of us knowing! Wait until I tell Ned…" And then Florence was out the door before anyone had a chance to say anything at all. Lucas tried very hard to contain his exasperated sigh, but it escaped anyways, causing everyone in the room to look at him. If Lucas didn't know any better, he would have thought that Fiona was trying to hold back a smirk as she smashed her lips together. She glanced away, but not before Lucas caught the mischievous glimmer in her eyes.

"Lucas, would you like-" Minnie started to offer, but her words were cut off when Angela, Allie, and Cooper banged through the door, with Joseph coming in behind them. After Lucas had greeted everyone and shook Joseph's hand, he turned back to Minnie.

"I'll come back later," he said, already taking a step back. "When it's not so busy."

"Oh." Minnie scrunched up her eyebrows in confusion. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah, of course," Lucas assured her and then forced a smile. "It was great to see all of you," he said, addressing the rest of the people in the room. Before anyone could say or ask anything, Lucas turned on his heels and headed back the way he came as fast as he could without looking suspicious. He burst out of the door, the fresh air immediately bringing relief to his flushed face.

Lucas had never felt so awkward in his entire life. First, there was Faith and the way she had kept staring at him. Lucas really needed to find a mirror so he could check his appearance. Maybe he had forgotten to brush his hair. And then what was with Fiona? Lucas had never seen her that flustered, even when they had worked together at the oil company. Had something at the mercantile upset her? Had he upset her?

And then Florence. Now, Lucas did let out a groan. Lucas was willing to bet that she'd already told at least ten people that he was in town before she'd even made it back to the mercantile. And Lucas never bet anything unless he was sure he would win.

Shaking his head, Lucas tried to clear it. This had all been a big mistake. What had he been thinking, coming back here? It'd just made everything worse and his life far more confusing. Without hesitation, Lucas started to head back towards his house. He just needed a moment to himself. He needed to think.

"Governor!" someone across the street shouted at him and Lucas groaned again. That's what you get, Bouchard, he thought to himself, trying and failing to keep the irritation and bitterness at bay. Sometimes, Lucas forgot why he ever wanted to be governor in the first place. Pasting a smile on his face, Lucas turned and crossed the street where a small crowd was forming. It didn't look like he would be getting any peace and quiet anytime soon.