Steve, meanwhile, throws himself into some more work, spending the bulk of his time outdoors aside from the hottest part of the day, when he takes his lunch inside and drinks some lemonade he'd made earlier in the week. He even breaks from work to catch a wave or two just down the beach from the hut, and when he comes back inside to clean up for dinner, he puts on a nicer shirt, leaving the first few buttons undone, and the pair of khakis he'd found to wear to the Mardi Gras party.

When he overhears the sound of the front door opening, he's just coming out of his room, rolling the sleeves on the shirt up to his elbows, and grins.

"How was your day, dear?"