Owen sagged with a bit of embarrassment. "So you know who this famous Brooke is too?"

"Dude, everyone knows who she is. She used to be one of the biggest models in the world, and she's a great actress and a spokesperson for several big companies. You have to know who she is."

"I had to use Google."

Riley groaned lightly. "I know you watch television, Owen."

"I do, but...it's normally documentaries or the History Channel. I don't watch a lot of what's popular on television. Besides, it's not a crime for me not to know the name of a model."

"Have you seen her?" he teased. "Yes, it is."

"Can we move on from this? I was explaining to you about how this Brooke Matthews is Howard's niece and why he thought she and I should work together."

"You're right, you're right. Sorry. Go on."

Owen went on to describe their conversation and how Brooke was an artist.

"So...wait. She's an artist, and she wants to paint in the desert?" Riley asked.

Owen nodded.

"But Howard thinks she'd make a good assistant? How? Why? I mean, I get the whole two birds with one stone thing, but if she's just interested in painting, what good is she going to be to you?"

"She claims she's also good at organizing things, and Howard feels..." He paused and sighed, shaking his head and hating to have to admit this again-even to Riley. "He feels I need someone to help me learn how to be better at social interaction."

He expected his brother to laugh-or at the very least grin.

But he didn't.

If anything, Riley looked fierce and pissed off.

"I hope you told them both to go to hell," Riley said firmly.

"Excuse me?"

"You heard me." Then he stopped and took a calming breath. "Owen, there isn't a damn thing wrong with you. You're an amazing scientist, and you love what you do. That's all that should matter. Who cares if you can make social chitchat with people? The truth is you talk about the things that are important to you. And...if memory serves...this whole project out in Nevada is about teaching people about the meteors. So...why are they harping on this social skills thing? You know how to talk about meteors and the planets and the stars! That's what they're paying you to go there and talk about, not about pop culture or whatever current event people are gossiping about!" He cursed. "That's just bullshit!"

If there was one thing Owen loved about his brother, it was how-no matter what-Riley was fiercely defensive of him. No matter what the situation was, Riley had Owen's back, and it was at times like this that Owen was grateful.

"It's not so bad. Really. I... I do need to work on my social skills. Maybe then I'd be a little less of a-"

"Don't say it."

Owen sighed and looked at his brother. "Not saying it doesn't make it any less true, Ry. I'm a freak-socially. I'm not comfortable around people."

"You do fine around us."

"That's family, and it's different and even then...you guys all make fun of me from time to time. I know it, and I'm okay with it."

"We don't make fun," Riley said with a hint of defensiveness. "You're just very overwhelming. You make the rest of us feel like idiots."

"That's not my intention. Ever. I just... I have so much going on in my brain, and sometimes stuff comes out before I can stop it. It usually isn't until after I've said something that I realize how ridiculous it sounds. I mean...no one wants to hear random statistics spouted out at them all the time. I wish I could change it, I do, but I don't know how!"

"Okay," Riley said, sounding calmer. "Then maybe this Brooke person isn't such a bad idea."

"That just sounds...wrong."

"Hear me out-if Howard recommended her, then you know you can trust her. I know how close you and Howard are, and you know he wouldn't steer you wrong, right?"

"Steer me? He's not driving me anywhere."

"Figure of speech, bro. Try to keep up," Riley teased. "All I'm saying is if you need an assistant on this trip-and it seems like you do-then maybe you should take her up on the offer. And you said she's beautiful, right?"

Owen nodded. "I'm not sure what that has to do with anything."

Riley rolled his eyes. "Do you have something against beautiful women?"

"Not exactly."

That fierce look was back on Riley's face. "Was she mean to you? Did she say anything to upset you? And for that matter, do you think Howard would even suggest this working scenario to you if she was going to make you uncomfortable?"

"All women make me uncomfortable," Owen reminded him.

"You do just fine. You're totally at ease with Savannah, Zoe, Aubrey, Anna, and Darcy-"

"That's because they're all family now-and Darcy's our sister! It's not the same thing."

"It's exactly the same thing!"

"So you're saying I should look at Brooke like she's my sister?" He gave a mirthless-yet nervous-laugh. "I don't think that's even possible."

"Ah...so you do find her attractive!"

Ugh. He always hated talking about women with his brother. Any of his brothers. They were all so at ease with the opposite sex while Owen was...not. He could actually feel his face turning red and suddenly wished they had stuck to just talking on the phone.

"Tell me about her," Riley prompted, and Owen knew he wasn't going to be able to avoid doing so.

"She's beautiful," he started. "When she walked into the lecture hall, I was... I don't even know how to describe it. Honestly, just the sight of her left me speechless. Besides the fact that women like her don't normally take my classes or come to hear me speak, she walked in and...the entire room was brighter."

A slow grin tugged at Riley's lips, but he stayed silent.

"When she approached me after class and then I was close to her, I realized she was more than beautiful-that word seemed too small to describe her. She smiled, and her entire face glowed," he said with awe. "Fair skin, light blue eyes, and she has this amazing long blond hair. You just know it would feel soft."

Riley's smile grew, but Owen wasn't paying attention; he was too lost in remembering everything about Brooke.

"And she talked to me like...you know...like I was normal. She seemed excited to work with me." He paused and remembered the sweet sound of her voice as she talked about her skills. "And then there's her art. Her paintings. Riley, they were... I've never seen anything like them before. Maybe in a museum, but..." Owen trailed off, unable to find the right words.

By now Riley was grinning like a loon.

"When I picked them up, I felt like I was actually touching the sky-the entire universe! She has this way of making the colors just draw you in, and then there's the textures, and the way she sees them is almost...magical."

Riley's face came close to the screen. "Magical? Did you seriously just use the term magical?"

"Um-"

"You...Owen Shaughnessy...don't believe in things like that. You've never looked at anything that way. You're a man of science. Of practicality. Even with the most whimsical of things you tend to look at them in a logical and pragmatic way. And you're sitting here telling me Brooke's work is magical?"

Owen hung his head. "I know. This is a terrible idea, right? I shouldn't even be considering it."

"Hold on." This came from Savannah, who was pushing her husband aside so she could be seen on the screen. "Owen? Look at me."

Her tone was sweet but firm, and knowing she was a little fragile at the moment, Owen did as she asked without arguing.

"Do not listen to your brother." She playfully slapped Riley on the back of the head. "If you think her work is magical, then I think that's great! And if you had that strong of a reaction to it, then she is truly talented. Don't feel bad about how you feel!"

"I... I wasn't. I know Riley was teasing. And he's right. I never look at anything that way, but when Brooke walked into the room in her flowy skirt and bracelets, she reminded me of..." He stopped and shook his head. "Never mind."

"Oh no," Riley said. "You can't get out of it that easy. Finish the sentence."

"Riley," Savannah sighed, bumping her husband's shoulder. "Leave him alone."

"Hell no. Do you know this has never happened?" He looked at his wife with a big grin still in place. "Owen never gets like this over a girl. Never."

"Well..." Owen stammered.

Riley sighed and gave another exaggerated eye roll. "Okay, he was mildly intrigued by you when he first met you, and he was the one to convince me to stop being such an ass around you, but still. This is different." He turned back to the screen and leaned in close again. "Out with it. What did she remind you of?"

"A fairy. A gypsy. A nymph," he said, his face flaming. "It... I... I never-"

"Okay, okay," Riley said, sitting back and looking satisfied. "We get it. You're totally crushing on her right now. Which makes this whole situation perfect."

"Oh, this I must hear," Savannah said, grinning.

"Hear me out-again. If you let Brooke help you on this project and you find you're comfortable around her, then it's a game changer."

Owen wasn't following.

"If you can sit and comfortably talk with a beautiful woman-have conversations with her that aren't just you spouting encyclopedia passages-then it's going to completely change your world, bro."

"I think you're oversimplifying this."

Riley shook his head. "Nuh-uh. No way. Trust me on this. Girls make you nervous in general. Pretty girls make you more than a little uncomfortable. Beautiful women practically render you catatonic. Now according to your theory, you can get over it when you're related to them-like all of your sisters-in-law-but not any other way. Maybe by spending time with Brooke, you'll relax a little and see she's just like everyone else."

"Somehow I doubt that."

"Owen, you just met her, and from what you described, it lasted all of fifteen minutes. Don't write her off just yet."

"I'm not writing her off," Owen said defensively and then huffed with agitation. Why did he have to keep explaining himself over and over and over? "I like Brooke. A lot. And spending time with her? Um...it's not going to do anything but make me even more attracted to her!"

Once again Savannah slapped Riley on the back of the head. "Stop giving your brother bad advice." She shook her head and looked into the camera. "Owen, the decision has to be yours, and you need to be comfortable. While Riley might be on to something, the fact remains you have an important event you're prepping for, and you have to decide if you need the distraction."

"Distraction?" he questioned.

"Brooke."

"Ah."

"Personally, I don't think you're so bad with the opposite sex," she said with a wink.

"Hey!" Riley cried with just a bit of outrage. "What the hell does that mean?"

"It means," she said with an exaggerated sigh, "the first time Owen and I met, he did just fine putting me in my place. He was uncomfortable, but I think it had more to do with what was going on between you and me. So I say he doesn't need to do some sort of crazy social experiment with Brooke. If he wants her with him on this project, it should be because she'll be an asset to him-professionally. Not personally."

Riley shook his head and scooted his wife out of the camera frame. "Now who's offering bad advice?" he teased before looking back at Owen. "If you ask me, I think she sounds perfect all the way around."

"But...what if she...you know...doesn't like me?"

A look of understanding crossed Riley's face. "It's a chance we all have to take at one time or another, Owen. No one likes it, and-let's be honest-rejection sucks. But...not everyone gets rejected. And for all you know, she might be crushing on you a little bit too."

Somehow Owen greatly doubted that, but rather than argue about the subject, he decided to let it go.

"So, Savannah...talk to me about baby names."

"I don't think he's going to call."

"He never said he would."

Brooke sat and watched as her uncle contemplated his next chess move. They were out in his yard-a small piece of land with a tiny garden and an all-season game table where he loved to play chess. It wasn't a particular favorite of hers, but he enjoyed it, so she indulged him. Chess had been her brother's game. He and Howard would play for hours. Even now she could still picture the two of them sitting out here playing.

"But...how am I supposed to know if he's going to hire me?"

Sighing, Howard reached across the table and patted his niece's hand. "Patience. Owen Shaughnessy doesn't make decisions lightly. Or quickly. We've planted the seed, and now...we wait."

Her eyes went a little wide, and she shivered in the cool afternoon breeze. There was an outdoor heater beside them, but for the life of her, she wished they could just go inside. "For how long?"

Howard shrugged. "As long as he needs."

This was not the news she had been hoping for. Brooke felt as if she was on the cusp of doing something great, and the thought of having to sit around and wait until she knew if she was finally going to get to paint in the desert-safely and with her family's blessing-was making her crazy.

"Can't you...you know...call him? Prompt him? Make sure he's even considering it? Because if he's not, then I'd like to start looking at other options."

"Brooke, sometimes you need to be a little less impulsive. Waiting another day or two isn't a big deal." He looked at her, saw her shiver again. "You want a heavier sweater?"

Ignoring his question, she went back to the topic they were already on. "But it's already been a week, and you just said it could take a while," she reminded.

"No, what I said is Owen doesn't make decisions quickly."