Chapter 4

To his credit, Howard Shields didn’t outwardly react to Owen’s news. He sat behind his desk and continued to look at Owen with a serene smile on his face.

Which bothered Owen. He wished the man would stand up and reprimand him for being unreasonable and selfish and rude.

All the things he’d been telling himself all morning.

Clearing his throat, he went on, “So you see, it would be pointless to hire an assistant. I have the entire event outlined already, and I’ve looked at the roster of the students who will be accompanying me, and they’ve all worked with me before. They’re familiar with my teaching style, so there isn’t going to be an issue.” He paused. “Please thank your niece for me.”

He couldn’t even bring himself to say her name.

After neither of them had spoken after a minute, Owen stood. “Well, I, um…I should be going,” he said, not meeting Howard’s gaze. “Have a good weekend.” Owen was almost out the door when Howard called his name. He dreaded turning around.

“I have those contracts for you,” Howard began. “I’ve been meaning to bring them by, but it kept slipping my mind.” He chuckled. “Just another symptom of getting old. Forgetfulness.”

Relief swamped Owen. “I’m actually not sure if I’m going to need them.”

Howard arched a graying brow at him. “Is that so?”

Nodding, Owen stepped back toward the desk. “I’ve been giving this some thought, and…I’m a little worn out from all the traveling. I think I’m at a point where I’d like to find one specific university to work for and maybe do very limited speaking engagements. Although, to be honest, I could use a break from those as well.”

“I know you haven’t been particularly happy about the way things have gone in the past year…”

“If I could, I would even back out of the Red Rock project.” Owen paused and shrugged. “I knew it was done as a lottery with the professors, I just didn’t realize it was a mandatory one.”

“They do like to be fair,” Howard reminded him.

“That’s all fine and well when all of the participants who are being considered actually want to be participating!” he cried and then immediately stepped back in embarrassment for raising his voice to his mentor. “What I mean is—”

“I know what you mean, Owen. And I understand.” He studied Owen for a moment. “I think you’ve been looking at this project as some sort of punishment. It’s not meant to be that way. Viewing the meteor shower in Red Rock is an amazing experience! I think if you stopped focusing on the parts of it you are dreading, you’ll find there are many great things about it you will enjoy.”

Sighing, Owen pulled out a chair and sat back down. “Howard, you know I love what I do. But there are people who are just better at that aspect of the job than I am. I enjoy working alone in a lab. I love doing research on my own. I work better alone.” He emphasized those last words.

“It’s not good to be alone all the time, Owen.”

“I grew up in a big family,” Owen replied with a hint of defensiveness. “I was never alone. Now, as an adult, I don’t mind it. And either way, it should be my decision to make and mine alone. I don’t believe a committee should have the right to tell me I need to hone my social skills and force me to participate in heading up events when there are more qualified interested parties!”

“Some would disagree.”

Owen took a steadying breath. “How much more enjoyable and educational would it be for a group of students to participate in an exciting event that was being led by someone who is passionate about being there? I believe what is happening now—forcing me to take this on—will be a disservice to those students. So is it worth it? For the university, for the faculty, to try to prove a point no one asked them to prove?”

Owen’s heart was racing, and he knew he was sweating, but he didn’t care. It felt wonderful to get his feelings off his chest. Even if they didn’t change a damn thing, Owen felt better just saying the words out loud. Maybe talking to Quinn was better for him than he could have imagined.

Swallowing hard, Owen looked at Howard and expected to see disappointment—or at the very least a hint of anger for his tirade—but what he saw was compassion. Sympathy. And understanding. Howard stood and walked around to the front of the desk until he was standing beside Owen.

“I had no idea you felt like this,” he said softly.

“I’ve been telling people I didn’t want to go on the trip ever since I was appointed,” Owen reminded him.

“Yes, but…I think we all felt it was because you were just uncomfortable with the expectations. No one suspected—at least I didn’t—that you felt this strongly about going.”

Owen met his gaze almost defiantly. “Well, I do.”

Howard nodded. “I can see that.”

“So what happens now?”

Crossing his arms, Howard sighed. “Unfortunately, it’s not for me to decide. I can put in a recommendation to see about someone replacing you, but—”

“But what?”

“It’s not my place,” Howard said.

“What’s not your place?”

“Owen, I know it took a lot for you to come here today and tell me all of this. And I respect you for doing so. But I also know I’m a pretty safe bet.”

Safe bet? What did that even mean? “I’m confused.”

“You know you can come to me at any time and I’m going to listen to you and try to help in any way I can. We’re not just colleagues, we’re friends, right?”

Owen nodded.

“You know I’m not going to judge you, and I’m certainly not going to get angry with you for speaking your mind, right?”

Another nod.

“Then, as your friend, I feel you should know that if you want out of this project—if you honestly believe you cannot do it to the best of your ability—then you need to plead your own case.”

Owen jumped to his feet. “Excuse me?”

“You heard me. If you can stand here and express how you feel about the project and the entire process, then you should be able to go to the faculty and talk to them as well. It will mean more coming directly from you. Although…”

Great. Now what? “Although what?” Owen asked.

Waving him off, Howard walked back around his desk and sat down. “It’s nothing. Just promise me you’ll think about it.”

He was dumbfounded. When did the world suddenly decide to go topsy-turvy? Quinn was giving good advice, and Howard was giving bad? How was that even possible? This had to be a bad dream because, for the life of him, Owen couldn’t make a damn bit of sense out of any of it.

Okay, maybe he could. It wasn’t as if Howard was giving bad advice, per se. He just wasn’t giving the advice Owen wanted to hear.

Unable to make himself leave, he stared at his friend, his mentor, and frowned. “So you’re saying you’re not going to help me with this.”

“If you’re looking for someone to be a sounding board for you, I’m here. If you’re looking for someone to do your dirty work for you…” He paused. “Well, that isn’t me.”

Unfortunately, he knew Howard had a point. It wasn’t fair for Owen to ask Howard to fight his battles—no matter how badly he wanted to. With nothing left to say, Owen gave a curt nod and turned to leave. “I understand.” He was at the door once again when Howard said his name. “Yes?” Owen replied softly, almost afraid to turn around.

“I’m sorry.”

And so was Owen. He nodded again with a murmured word of thanks.

“About everything,” Howard added. When Owen didn’t move except to place a hand on the doorframe, Howard added, “I never should have pushed you on this. I hope you can forgive me.”

“I do,” Owen said as he walked out the door.

* * *

Brooke happily made her way down the hall toward the faculty offices for her lunch date with her uncle. Between her classes and painting, she had been doing a lot of research on the meteor shower and thinking of ways she could assist Owen on the trip—should he ever ask her—that she had missed spending time with Howard. So, that morning, she had suggested getting together for lunch as he was leaving for work. Part of her wondered if Owen was lecturing today, and she considered taking a slight detour past his classroom but opted to go to see her uncle first.

Maybe she’d stop and surprise Owen after lunch and see if he wanted to go to a gallery with her tonight. She had texted him a couple of times over the past week—just saying hi or asking how his day was—and she had sat in on two more of his classes, but they hadn’t spent any time alone since the previous week. And she found she missed him.

“Knock, knock,” she sang as she tapped on her uncle’s office door. He looked up at her with a smile, but she could instantly tell something was wrong. “Hey, is everything okay?”

Howard stood up and came around the desk to hug her. “I’m fine.” He paused and then stepped back. “So where should we go for lunch?”

“Uncle Howard,” she admonished. “I can tell something’s the matter. It might make you feel better to talk about it.”

He took her hand and squeezed it. “We’ll talk at lunch. For now, why don’t you tell me about your day?”

She knew a diversion when she heard one but decided not to fight him on it. “Considering it’s only a little after noon, there’s not much to tell.” She paused. “That’s not true. I actually did quite a bit.”

They were walking down the hall, and Howard chuckled. “Okay, now I’m intrigued. Did you paint something spectacular?”

Blushing, she shook her head and laughed with him. “Hardly. I spent the morning doing some research on the Eta Aquarid meteor shower.”

“Really? And what brought that on?”

Brooke nudged him with her shoulder playfully. “Well, if I do end up going to Red Rock with Owen, it would be beneficial to know more about it. I’ve been reading up on it quite a bit. My mind wanders a lot, so I’m a slow study. And I know it’s important, not only so I can talk to the students, but also so I can also start thinking about my paintings and what I might expect. It never hurts to study beforehand and hope it leads to inspiration.”

Howard smiled as they continued to walk out of the building and toward the parking lot.

“I thought we’d just walk to lunch,” Brooke suggested. “There are a lot of places close by. That is, if you don’t mind walking.”

“Not at all,” he said, still seeming distracted. “The fresh air will do me good.”

Okay, she thought, something was definitely up. Maybe she could cheer him up with a little astronomy talk. Or at least her weak attempt at it.

“So…you want to hear what my research taught me today?” she asked playfully.

“Absolutely,” he replied, his smile never wavering.

“Okay, but just remember, I’m not as eloquent with it as you and Owen are. I memorized just the basic facts.”

He nodded.

They made their way across campus, and Brooke decided she’d give him a quick overview and then they’d choose where they wanted to eat. “Well, the Eta Aquarids is an above-average shower, and it can produce up to sixty meteors per hour at its peak. The best place to view it is in the Southern Hemisphere. Well, that’s actually where you’ll see more activity. Not necessarily better viewings, just more.”

Howard nodded and said, “That’s right.”

He didn’t seem quite as impressed as she’d hoped, but she went on. “However, you can see up to thirty meteors an hour in the Northern Hemisphere. This particular shower is from the dust particles left behind by Halley’s Comet. This is an annual event seen from mid-April to mid-May. The best way to view the shower is from a dark location after midnight.”

Howard chuckled as they crossed the street. “Well done, Brooke. You weren’t kidding when you said you memorized some facts.”

“Wait…I have one more,” she said proudly. “Although the meteors can be seen anywhere in the sky, they actually radiate from Aquarius.” She stopped and took a small bow. “And now I’m done.”

Laughing, Howard stood beside her and clapped. “You did a great job.” They continued walking along with the throngs of people.

“Thank you. Not that I’m ready to hold my own with a group of astrophysicists, but I have to admit it might be nice to have at least a basic level of understanding of what’s going on and a couple of facts tucked away to pull out if needed.”

When her uncle didn’t respond, Brooke got a sinking sensation in her belly.

She wasn’t going to Red Rock.

Don’t cry. Don’t cry. Don’t cry, she chanted to herself.

Softly, she cleared her throat and willed away the tears as she looked around. “So…um…how about that hot dog place you’ve been bragging about?”

Howard came to an abrupt halt. “You want hot dogs for lunch? You’re always telling me you don’t like them and all the reasons why I shouldn’t eat them.”

Shrugging, she did her best to smile. “Sometimes a girl just wants some junk food. Are you saying you don’t want them?”

“Huh? Uh…no. No. That’s not what I’m saying at all. I was just trying to give you an out if you want it.”

“I’m good.”

They walked in silence for the two blocks to Howard’s favorite lunch haunt. At the counter, Brooke told her uncle to get her whatever he was having while she went and grabbed a booth for them. To be honest, she was happy to have a few minutes to herself. As she sat, she realized she was shaking. Damn it.

What happened? For days Brooke had been marveling at how great she and Owen had gotten along, how they’d just…clicked. How could she have possibly been so wrong?

Deep breaths, she reminded herself. There was a chance she was misreading the situation—the current one with her uncle. Maybe he wasn’t going to tell her she wasn’t going to work with Owen at Red Rock. Maybe something else was bothering him.

Then she immediately shook that off. Other than her parents, there was no one she was closer to than her uncle. And just like she could never hide anything from him, there wasn’t anything he could hide from her. At least he never had before.

And she kind of hoped this time was going to be the first.

“Okay,” Howard said as he slid into the booth across from her, “you are in for a treat. I got you a traditional Chicago-style hot dog, a side of fries, and a Coke.” He placed the plate of food in front of her along with her drink and then set up his own food before sliding the plastic tray to the side.

Brooke studied the mess of food in front of her with a combination of dread and curiosity. “Um…what exactly am I eating?” she asked with a nervous chuckle.

“That, my dear, is a classic Chicago-style hot dog—also known as a Chicago dog or Chicago red hot. It’s an all-beef frankfurter on a poppy seed bun, and it originated right here in the city of Chicago. Hence the name. It’s topped with yellow mustard, chopped white onions, sweet pickle relish, a dill pickle spear, tomato wedges, pickled sport peppers, and a dash of celery salt. Trust me when I say it is a feast for your taste buds.”

Somehow she doubted that. “Um…back home we do it with sauerkraut, spicy brown mustard, and onions in red sauce. I’m not sure how I’m supposed to eat this. Do I cut it up or…?”

“Watch and learn,” he said, picking up his hot dog and taking a giant bite out of it. The look of pure joy on his face made Brooke smile. When he finished chewing, he motioned for Brooke to pick hers up. “Go ahead. Try it!”

To say that she had made a huge error in suggesting this place for lunch was an understatement. Other than the hot dog and bun, there wasn’t anything else on there Brooke would eat—at least not together like this. Looking up she saw that her uncle was watching her expectantly, and she figured he wasn’t going to take another bite of his own lunch until she tried hers.

“Okay,” she said hesitantly. “Here goes nothing.” The hot dog was awkward to handle, and she took a minute to figure out how she was going to even take one complete bite because the damn thing was so big and cluttered with toppings. Finally, she thought, Screw it, took a bite, and… “Holy crap! That’s good!”

Howard laughed out loud with pleasure. “I knew it! I knew you’d like it!” Then he took another bite of his own, and all was quiet until they were done. He was wiping his hands with a paper napkin when he spoke again. “Now that I’ve introduced you to some of Chicago’s finest cuisine, is it fair to say we can come here again?”

“We definitely can,” she agreed. “I cannot believe how much I enjoyed that. It’s certainly not an easy thing to eat—it’s incredibly messy but well worth it.”

“Excellent! I knew if you gave it a chance you’d like it. Now don’t get me wrong. I enjoy a New York hot dog just like everyone else, but there is something about a Chicago dog that is…well, it’s more like an experience than just a meal.”

Brooke laughed. “I don’t know if I’d go that far, but it was very good.” She took a sip of her drink before growing serious. “So what’s going on, Uncle Howard? You looked a little…distracted when I arrived at your office earlier. Is everything all right?”

And right before her eyes, his expression seemed to close. Gone was the happiness of moments ago, and his shoulders slumped.

“I had a visit from Owen this morning.”

Damn it. For once it didn’t feel good to be right. Fiddling with her napkin, she let her gaze drop to the table. “Oh? Did you give him those contracts you mentioned the other day?” It seemed like a good way to let him break the news to her gently. Although maybe it would have been better to rip the Band-Aid off quickly.

“He doesn’t want to look at the contracts,” he replied sadly.

Brooke looked up at his tone.

Howard shrugged. “Owen seems to feel like he’s done traveling so much. He wants to find one university to teach and study and work at and cut back on the lecture tours.”

“And that’s upsetting to you…why?” she asked curiously.

It took a moment for Howard to speak again. “I see a lot of myself in Owen. When I was his age, I was an extreme introvert.”

Brooke couldn’t help but smile. “I still can’t picture that. You were never like that around us.”

“You’re family. Family is like a safe zone. It’s comforting and familiar and easy to relax around them. But once I was at work and back here in Chicago, I was a different person. I wasn’t comfortable in my own skin.” He chuckled. “Isn’t that how you described Owen?”

She nodded.

“Anyway, I remember going to a conference in California. San Diego. I didn’t want to go and did everything I could to get out of it. I argued with all of my colleagues about the validity of making a conference mandatory. After months of carrying on, I finally accepted the assignment. But in my mind, I knew I was going to hate it—every moment of it.”

“What was the conference about?”

“It was on theoretical astrophysics,” he replied.

Brooke just nodded because she had a feeling the description would be way over her head. “And you didn’t think it was necessary?”

“Of course not!” he laughed. “I thought I knew it all. I still do sometimes.” He shrugged. “The thought of going across the country and having to stay at a hotel with a bunch of people I didn’t know was beyond unappealing. But in the end I went.”

“And you hated it?”

He shook his head. “On the contrary, I loved it. That conference changed my life.”

Her eyes went wide. “It did? How?”

“That’s where I met your Aunt Marie.”

“Really? I didn’t know she was a scientist too.”

“She wasn’t,” he said, his voice turning a little whimsical. “She worked at the hotel where the conference was being held. Her job was assisting the event coordinator. She spent a lot of time walking around the convention center and checking on the rooms and making sure everything was stocked and clean. Those first few days I was there, I always found a room that wasn’t in use in between my workshops and just sort of sat by myself to decompress a little.”

She didn’t push him to say more, knowing he was getting lost in his own memories.

“The first time I talked to her, I was kind of a jerk. I was so prepared for her to tell me to get out of the room that I sort of went on the attack first.” He shook his head and let out a small chuckle. “When she said she completely understood my need to hide out for a bit, I relaxed. So I went back to that room the next day in hopes of seeing her again.”

“And did you?” Brooke asked, finding herself getting engrossed in his story.

He nodded. “She came in, and this time I helped her move chairs around. We talked about her job, and she asked about mine and if I was enjoying the conference. At that point, I hadn’t done much, but I told her it was okay.”

“Did you go back there again the next day?”

Howard grinned. “I did. And this time I brought snacks and drinks for us to share. We had a picnic.”

“That sounds nice…very sweet.”

“It was. I asked her to dinner that night, and she said yes. Believe it or not, she was the first woman I ever asked out who wasn’t a colleague.” He smiled and shook his head. “I was so damn nervous. We ate at a restaurant right across the street from the hotel because I didn’t rent a car and I didn’t want her to drive us anywhere—I’m old-fashioned that way. And we stayed out all night talking. When the restaurant closed, we just went back across the street to the hotel and sat outside by the pool until the sun came up.”

Brooke gasped. “That’s amazing!”

“It certainly was. Luckily she didn’t have to work that day. I had lectures to go to, and when she left to go home, she said she’d see me later. Imagine my surprise when she showed up at our room during my break.”

“Wow,” Brooke sighed. “I love that.”

“But I lived in Chicago, and she lived in San Diego, and I knew at the end of the week I’d be leaving.”

“So what did you do? I mean…I know she eventually came to Chicago, but how long did it take?”

“She flew home with me that weekend.”

“No!”

Howard smiled broadly. “Yes,” he said. “It was something we both felt strongly about. Neither of us wanted a long-distance relationship.”

“But…how? I mean…you barely knew each other!”

“Scandalous, right?” he teased. “Actually, the hotel set up a transfer for her to one of its properties here. The manager wasn’t happy to do it on such short notice, but her supervisor was a friend and pulled some strings. And up until that point, Marie had been staying with a friend because her apartment lease ended the month before and she hadn’t found anything new. It was perfect timing.”

“Aww…I still can’t believe you moved in together so quickly!”

“Oh, Marie didn’t move in with me.”

“She didn’t?”

He shook his head. “I paid for her to stay at the hotel for a week, and we found her a small apartment close to mine. And once she was settled in, she sort of…drew me out of my shell. She forced me to get out and socialize. I started making friends with people I didn’t work with. We traveled. We went to plays and movies and galleries, and for the first time in my life, I was living.”

Her heart squeezed in her chest because of how passionately he spoke.

“Your aunt? She was an amazing woman. And if I hadn’t gone to that conference, I never would have known her. I never would have experienced the greatest love of my life.” He sighed and looked at Brooke with a sad smile. “And it doesn’t matter that we only had ten years together. I wouldn’t change a thing. She made me a better person.”

Tears stung Brooke’s eyes as she reached out and squeezed one of his hands. “You were very lucky to have found each other.”

They sat in silence for several long moments before Howard straightened in his seat. “And that’s why I see myself in Owen. He’s choosing to close himself off, and I hate to see that for him. He’s young, and he’s in a bit of a rut. I know he travels on these lecture tours, but even when he goes someplace new, he’s not…he’s not connecting. He’s not interacting.”

“You can’t force him to,” she heard herself say, even though it was exactly what she wanted to do for Owen herself.

“I know I can’t.” He looked up at her pleadingly. “But it’s hard to stand back and watch someone make the same mistakes I did, you know? I was hoping with a little nudge in the right direction, he’d see that there’s another way.”

“I know you meant well—”

“I shouldn’t have involved you. I’m sorry for that.”

She shook her head. “It’s all right. I understand why you did.”

He gave a mirthless laugh. “Do you? Because I’m a little ashamed of myself. I got your hopes up about the job and I was trying to play God with a friend.” He shook his head again. “I don’t know what I was thinking.”

“You were looking out for people you love. There’s nothing wrong with that.”

“Normally I would agree, but in this case I hurt the both of you.”

For a minute, Brooke wanted to linger on how Owen was feeling, but she didn’t. She couldn’t. Not yet. “I’m fine. Really. I just have to start looking at other ways to get to the desert that make everyone comfortable.”

The smile he gave her was sad. “You know there’s going to come a time when you can’t please everyone, right? You’re going to have to start living for you.”

“I know,” she said, nodding. “But not on this.”

Howard’s phone beeped with an alarm, reminding him of a faculty meeting. “Where does the time go?” he wondered as he stood up. “If I were stuck in my office for lunch, the time would be dragging, but now that I’m out and enjoying a meal with a delightful girl, it flies by.”

Brooke chuckled as she stood and joined him, linking her arm through his. “I’m glad we did this.” She rested her head on his shoulder as they started to walk. “And thank you for introducing me to this culinary delight.”

That made him laugh out loud. “It was my pleasure, Brookie.” He kissed the top of her head, and they walked out into the sunshine and began to make their way back toward the campus.

Neither spoke on the walk back other than to comment on the weather or the sights, and Brooke was good with that. It had been a bit of an emotional lunch, so the relative silence was a blessing, though it did leave her mind free to wander toward thoughts of Owen and why he didn’t tell her himself about not wanting to hire her as his assistant—and not wanting to go on the trip, period. She had thought they’d crossed that hurdle from strangers to friends, and being that he knew how much she had riding on the position, it would have been polite to tell her to her face.

Rather than having her uncle break the news to her.

Once they were back at the entrance to the faculty building, they stopped, and Howard hugged her. “What are your plans for the rest of the day? Anything exciting?”

“There’s a showing at a gallery Dr. Kennedy told me about that opens tonight. I’m planning on checking it out.”

“Wonderful! What time are you heading out?”

“If it’s all right with you, I think I’m going to go home and relax for a bit and then come back this way and grab a bite to eat before going to the gallery. So I’m afraid you’re on your own for dinner again.”

He smiled. “No worries there. I’m quite used to it. Although I’ll admit I’ve been enjoying sharing meals with you since you arrived.”

That warmed her heart. “I have too. I’m just in the mood to explore the city a bit tonight and see what other shops or shows I can find.”

“Is anyone going with you?” he asked, concern lacing his voice.

As much as she hated for anyone to worry, this was going to be one of those times she was doing something purely for herself. “Nope. Just me, playing the bohemian tourist.”

Howard frowned.

“Wasn’t it just you a few minutes ago—”

He held up a hand to stop her. “You’re right, you’re right. Go and enjoy yourself.” He kissed her on the forehead before turning to walk into the building.

Brooke stood there for several minutes as she tried to decide what to do first—go straight home and make some calls or go straight to Owen’s classroom and demand he talk to her. With a steadying breath, she turned to go when her phone rang. Rummaging through her purse, she pulled her cell phone out and sighed. Swiping the screen, she lifted the phone to her ear and put on her cheeriest voice.

“Hi, Mom!”

* * *

All day Owen felt ill at ease, like he was waiting for something bad to happen.

Maybe an angry mob would hunt him down or something.

Actually, that would be preferable to the ways he was torturing himself.

After leaving Howard’s office, he had felt anxious and a combination of angry and sad. All of which were pretty much out of the ordinary for him. Not the anxiousness—he felt that sometimes on a daily basis—but the anger and sadness definitely weren’t part of the norm.

It wasn’t as if he expected Howard to fight his battles for him. He didn’t. But in this particular case, Owen had hoped his friend would take pity on him and help him out of a difficult situation.

Wasn’t that what he was already doing with Brooke?

Damn. Owen hated it when his subconscious had a point.

Okay, so he left Howard to break the news to Brooke about not coming on the trip with him. It was the coward’s way out, and Owen knew it, but there was no way he could have done it himself. One look into her blue eyes, and he would have caved, just so he’d have the opportunity to spend time with her.

He scrolled through the text messages on his phone—the ones she had sent him over the last week. Smiley faces, friendly greetings, and a picture of a starry night from several days ago. Each one of them had made him smile. Most of the time he hadn’t responded. Didn’t know how. There wasn’t anyone in his life he just…texted with for no reason. It was a common form of communication—he was aware of that—but normally that communication had a purpose.

So did hers. She was reaching out to you!

And he’d felt unsure of what the proper etiquette was for responding back or how to respond without sounding uncomfortable.

The constant seesawing he was doing where she was concerned was giving him motion sickness, and it had to stop. Class was over, and the rest of his day was free, as was his weekend, and that meant he was able to go back to his hotel and find something to do to distract him. Collecting his things, Owen left the lecture hall and made his way out to the parking lot to his car.

Friday afternoon traffic was fairly brutal, but he wasn’t in a rush. His hotel wasn’t that far from the campus—a couple of miles tops—but right now it could have been ten miles away. The roads were pretty much like a parking lot, which left him time to think.

What do do…what to do…

There were several books he had planned to read. Maybe he could download them to his tablet and settle in for a night of relative escapism. Boring but still a viable option. He didn’t have to be back at the campus until Tuesday, so he had three and half days to himself. Maybe he’d look into taking a flight home to see his family. He shook his head. Too much time wasted in travel to make it more than a rushed event.

He inched along in traffic and sighed. You’d think in such a busy city he wouldn’t have any trouble trying to come up with something to do. But that’s what happened, he supposed, when you weren’t the outgoing and social type.

You could be…

Yeah, yeah, yeah. He’d had the option, and he’d thrown it away. It was self-preservation. At least…that’s what Owen was telling himself. There was no way he could take on going to Red Rock and spending time with Brooke—time he knew was going to do nothing for him but make him want her more—and then watch her walk away when they were done. He was many things, but a masochist wasn’t one of them.

He turned off the main road and felt relief when the hotel came into sight. Within minutes he had parked and was walking through the lobby toward the elevators. While waiting for the elevator to arrive, Owen realized he was no closer to having something to do for the weekend. He walked back toward the concierge desk, intent on getting some suggestions for things to do outside of the hotel.

He could read anytime.

“Excuse me,” he said softly and then cleared his throat and spoke a little louder. “I was wondering if you could recommend something to do this weekend.”

The young man behind the desk had a ready smile. “Absolutely! Tell me what you’re looking for—museums, shopping, restaurants, tourist attractions, something off the beaten path…we’ve got everything!”

He was too upbeat and perky for Owen’s taste, but Owen could mildly appreciate his enthusiasm for his job. “I’m thinking more along the lines of museums or something equally quiet.”

“Ah, give me just one minute.”

And sure enough, a minute later Owen had a handful of brochures and literature about a local history museum, an art museum, a natural history museum, and even a nature museum.

“As you can see, we have quite a few museums to choose from,” the concierge said. Then he handed Owen a map of the area. “This map specifically details how to get from the hotel to each of the museums. Several are within walking distance.” He stopped and chuckled. “Or at least a somewhat reasonable walking distance. It’s easier than dealing with the traffic.”

Owen nodded.

“Is there anything else I can do for you?”

“No, but thank you. I appreciate the information.”

“Anytime. And enjoy your weekend, sir.”

After another murmured thank-you, Owen made his way back to the elevators and went up to his room. All of this information he could have easily found himself online, but he was trying to make himself interact with people more. And honestly it hadn’t been…terrible. Huh. How about that?

Once inside his room, he got comfortable and sat down to look at all of the brochures. He was a fan of museums—any museum, really. It was very satisfying to spend the day immersed in history or learning something new, and suddenly Owen felt some excitement for the weekend.

His plan was to relax for the night—order some room service and do some reading—and then spend the next three days touring the Field Museum, the Chicago History Museum, and then the Museum of Science and Industry. With that decision made, he spent a few minutes ordering and downloading the books he had wanted, and when he looked at the clock, he saw it was almost six.

“Dinner,” he said and reached for the room service menu. Scanning it, he quickly realized nothing was appealing—at least not tonight. A BLT was always an option because…well…bacon. And even though it would have been fine, it wasn’t what he wanted. Owen wasn’t sure what specifically he was in the mood for, but it wasn’t on this particular menu. There went his perfectly planned evening. But rather than letting that stress him out, he decided to try to go with flow. A quick walk around the block to find something interesting to eat would not only kill some time, but it would also give him an opportunity to enjoy more of the great spring weather.

When he stepped out onto the sidewalk a few minutes later, he took in the sights and smells of the city, something Owen didn’t normally take the time to do. But he was trying something new, trying to break out of his little comfort zone and see what else was out in the world for him to experience.

So far? He wasn’t overly impressed. There were a lot of traffic and a ton of people walking all around him, and it felt a little chaotic and crowded. He shuddered with discomfort but decided he was going to deal with it. He needed dinner, and if this was how he had to go about getting it, then so be it.

The first block didn’t have anything that piqued his interest. The second block either. Next thing Owen knew, he was almost to Grant Park, which he knew was almost a mile from his hotel! His stomach was growling, and he couldn’t believe he’d walked so far and hadn’t found a single place where he wanted to eat. He stopped on the corner, looked around, and decided he was going to pick a place right then.

A diner.

There, on the opposite side of the street, was a diner. Most diners had hundreds of selections on their menus, so Owen had no doubt he’d find the perfect dinner and be back in his room enjoying his book in no time.

He crossed the street with a pep in his step, and even though there was a crowd of people waiting, he wasn’t deterred. He was a single person, and if there was a counter, he’d be more than happy to sit there. Maneuvering his way through the crowd, he made his way up to the podium and waited for the hostess to come back and take his name.

“Owen?”

He froze. It couldn’t be.

Slowly he turned around, and there were those eyes—those blue eyes that had captured him from the start and had been haunting him for weeks.

Except they were looking at him now with a whole lot of negativity, anger, and disappointment.

Next time he’d order the BLT in his room and be done with it.

“Hi, Brooke,” he murmured and looked over his shoulder to see if the hostess was back so he’d have an excuse to get his thoughts together. But no such luck. Turning back around, he faced Brooke. “What brings you here tonight?”

“Dinner.”

She even sounded negative, angry, and disappointed.

And a little hostile.

Apparently, Howard had told her about not going to Red Rock.

“Me too,” he said quietly. “I didn’t think it would be this crowded.”

“It’s a diner on a Friday night—of course it’s crowded. Every restaurant is crowded on a Friday night in the city. It’s when most people go out.”

He wouldn’t know. He was usually working, which is what he said just to prevent an awkward silence.

Brooke seemed to relax a little. “So why aren’t you working tonight?”

“Um…I was caught up on everything. I don’t have another class until Tuesday—and it’s my last one for this semester.”

Her eyes went a little wide. “And…and then what will you be doing?”

Nervously he looked over his shoulder again. Where the hell was the hostess?

“Owen?” Brooke prompted.

Looking back at her, he quickly stammered, “I’m supposed to leave to tour Red Rock.” And he instantly regretted his words. To her credit, Brooke continued to look at him, not showing any reaction to his words.

“Brooke? Party of one! Brooke, party of one!” the hostess called out.

Brooke looked beyond him to the hostess, waved her hand, and then looked at Owen. “Well, it was…nice to see you. Enjoy your night.”

“Thank you,” he murmured but didn’t look at her.

She hadn’t gone two steps when she stopped beside him. “Would you like to join me? I asked for a small booth, so there’s room for a second person.”

Owen’s head snapped up as he looked at her, completely surprised by her invitation. “Really?”

At first she didn’t answer, but then she nodded.

“I…I’d like that very much. Thank you.” Clearly, the new Owen was a glutton for punishment. Now that he had been the first to mention the trip to Red Rock, it was certain to come up, and he’d have to explain to her—face-to-face—why he didn’t want to hire her. Well, he thought, not the real reason. There was no way he was going to admit how he was attracted to her. That would be…well, it might be some sort of discrimination issue, and he wasn’t ready to deal with that either.

Brooke stepped past him, walked over to the hostess, and explained that Owen would be joining her, and then the two of them followed the hostess to a small booth in the far corner of the diner. They sat, and Owen thanked Brooke one more time for asking him to join her. She smiled at him, picked up her menu, and began to read it. He did the same.

The menu was like a large book, Owen thought. It was tall and thin, but it had about ten pages worth of options. Did he want breakfast for dinner? A sandwich? A burger? Pasta? Fish? Maybe there was such a thing as too many options because even with everything seemingly under the sun to choose from, he still couldn’t decide.

“What are you thinking of having?” Brooke asked from behind her menu.

“I’m not sure. There’s quite a lot to choose from.”

“Mmm-hmm.”

For another five minutes, Owen looked at his options. The waitress brought them glasses of water and took their drink orders, and Owen knew she’d be back any minute to get their food orders. Because he was a little overwhelmed and feeling the pressure to make a decision, the BLT seemed like a safe pick. Then one of the specials caught his eye—the brisket. His mother used to make one of the best briskets he had ever eaten, but maybe he’d give this one a try.

Satisfied, he closed the menu and put it down. A minute later, Brooke did the same. He was just about to ask what she was going to have when the waitress reappeared and put down their drinks. “You ready to order?” she asked.

Brooke and Owen looked at each other and nodded. He motioned for Brooke to order first.

“I am going to have…” She paused, picked up the menu again, and glanced at one of the pages. “The brisket.”

“You got it,” the waitress said with a smile. “Would you like a salad with that?”

“Um…yes, please. With ranch dressing.”

“Okay.” Writing down Brooke’s order, she paused and then looked to Owen, still smiling. “And what can I get for you?”

He was a little dumbfounded for a moment. What were the odds of two people ordering the same thing out of a ten-page menu?

“Sir?”

Oh, right. His order. “I believe I’ll have the same.”

“And would you like the salad too?”

He nodded.

“Okay, great. Thanks!” Taking their menus, the waitress turned and walked away.

Owen gave Brooke a weak smile and immediately picked up his glass and took a long drink. It took all of five seconds before they were back to staring at one another. “So…”

“So…” she mimicked, a smile tugging at the corners of her lips.

Which were pink. And glossy. Owen almost groaned after noticing that.

Brooke was dressed similarly to the way she was the first time he’d met her—long, flowing skirt and lots of bracelets, but tonight, instead of a tank top, she had on a fitted white T-shirt and her hair was loose. And, as usual, she was carrying her sweater rather than wearing it.

And she smelled amazing.

Yeah, definitely had to stifle a groan.

“Where is Howard tonight?” he asked, searching for a somewhat safe topic.

“He’s home. I’m going to a gallery tonight to look at a new artist’s work. I would have taken him along, but he had a faculty meeting, and I know he tends to turn in early. I wanted to have some time to sort of walk around and experience a little of the nightlife in the city.”

“By yourself?” Owen asked incredulously. “That’s not particularly safe.”

She chuckled. “Have you been speaking to my parents?”

He looked at her curiously. “I…I’ve never met your parents. How could I have talked to them?”

She shook her head, still laughing. “It was a joke, Owen. I was implying you sounded a lot like them. They’re always very vocal about how I need to go out in groups rather than by myself. I get it. They’re concerned. But I’m twenty-eight years old. Sometimes I enjoy going out and doing things on my own.”

He nodded, looking down. “I can understand that.” He paused and then looked back at her. “Doesn’t it intimidate you at all?”

“What?” she asked curiously.

“The crowds? The city? I just wanted to grab something to eat and go back to the hotel, but I feel like I got picked up by the crowd, and the next thing I knew, I was here. It was a bit unnerving. I only intended to go a block or two and ended up a mile away.”

She smiled sympathetically at him. “To be fair, a city block is very long. I don’t think it’s very hard to walk a mile here.”

“Maybe.”

Sitting there, Owen kept waiting for the other shoe to drop, for Brooke to call him out on not hiring her and using her uncle to tell her.

But she didn’t.

Instead, she started talking about some of the shops she’d seen while walking around and how she’d ended up here at the diner—she was craving something that reminded her of her home on Long Island, and that meant going to a diner. By that time, their food had arrived, and they ate in companionable silence.

Owen couldn’t help the pleasurable sound he made at the first taste of his dinner. It may had been more than twenty years since he’d tasted his mother’s cooking, but the brisket he was having felt as if Lillian Shaughnessy had made it herself.

“It’s quite good, isn’t it?” Brooke commented.

He nodded. “My mother used to make the best brisket, and this reminded me of hers.”

“You better not tell her that,” Brooke teased and then looked crestfallen at the look on his face. “What? What did I say?”

Slowly Owen put his fork down and used his napkin to carefully wipe around his mouth. “My mother passed away when I was ten,” he said quietly. “I ordered this for dinner tonight because when I saw it on the menu, it reminded me of her.”

Brooke reached across the table and placed her hand on top of his. “Owen, I’m so sorry. I didn’t know. I never would have—”

“I know,” he quickly interrupted. “Sometimes something or someplace will remind me of her. I try not to let it make me sad, but sometimes…like now…I can’t help it.”

“I know what you mean,” she replied softly. Squeezing his hand one more time, she pulled away and went back to eating. They ate the remainder of their meal in silence.

After the waitress cleared away their plates and left the check, Brooke tilted her head and looked at him. “So what are you plans for the rest of the evening?”

“I had planned on just doing some reading. I downloaded a mystery I’ve been wanting to read. Nothing exciting.”

She nodded and reached for her purse.

“Dinner’s on me,” he said and stopped her before she could say anything. “You were very gracious to invite me to join you. From the looks of that line, I would have been waiting for a while, so…thank you.”

“I didn’t ask you to join me so you would pay for my dinner, Owen.”

“I know. I just… Please let me do this.” Please let me clear my conscience a little.

A slow smile crossed her face. “Okay. Thank you.”

Together they stood, and Brooke led the way across the restaurant and out the door. Out on the sidewalk, they faced one another. “So this book you downloaded,” she began, “have you started it yet?”

He shook his head.

“No. How come?”

“Well, I know once I start a book, I tend to want to get back to it quickly. Especially if it’s a good one.”

“I’m the same way.” But he still wasn’t quite sure why she had asked.

Brooke was studying her feet—or the ground, he couldn’t be sure—and he could tell she had something else to say. Maybe she was trying to get the courage up to finally confront him. It was agony waiting for her to do it, and as much as he was dreading the confrontation, he was also hopeful she’d just yell at him and put him out of his misery.

But she was quiet.

Still.

Maybe he was going to have to be the one to own up to what he had done and apologize. He tucked his hands in his pocket, and just as he was about to say her name, she looked up at him.

“Would you like to go to the gallery with me?”