Page 12 of Owen Bailey Needs Advice

“Nah,” he says. “Coco’s coming by with food.”

“Right! Your sister.” Sometimes it’s weird thinking about Owen having another woman in his life. He always had Lucy; his momma is the sweetest. It’s clear where Owen gets his heart. But Coco is new to me. Truly, she’s new to Owen too, since she was adopted as a baby and only reunited with his family a year and a half ago. “Huh. That still throws me sometimes.”

“Yeah?” he says, his eyes closed once more.

“Do you need to stay awake?”

“Get with the times, lady. Concussed people can sleep all they want these days.”

I bite my lip, watching him, then think back to Coco. “Does it still throw you? Having asister?”

His chest rumbles with a chuckle. “Not usually. I’m prettyused to her. Honestly, most of the time, it feels like we’ve always had her. She’s one of us.”

“I can’t imagine not knowing Kayla my whole life.” My one sibling lives in Post Falls, just fifteen minutes from here. She lives there with her husband of nine years, Tim, and their two sons, eight-year-old Bucky and six-year-old Steve—because Tim has a thing for Captain America. I see them at least once a week. So the thought of not knowing she existed until recently baffles me.

But then, Owen’s always been better at the unexpected than I am. It didn’t surprise me that he accepted and loved Coco from the minute he met her. That’s just Owen.

He squeezes my fingers. “What did you come by for? I’m pretty sure it wasn’t to make me dinner or talk about my long-lost sister.”

“Right.” I hiss, taking in his sleepy form and bumped head. “It can wait.”

“Nah. Go ahead. I’m just going to sit here with my eyes closed listening to your every word, Annie.”

I smile at him. Sure, he doesn’t see it, but I don’t do it for anyone’s benefit. I do it because Owen, more than anyone I know, produces smiles. He makes others happy. He’s like the sun. He’s a vitamin that everyone in the world needs and some don’t have enough of.

Where the jury is still out on me, he is the most lovable human on earth.

5

Owen

“Y

ou’re a scientist, right?” Annie’s voice is like ringing bells, singing me off to dreamland. Only, I’m not going to sleep. I’m just sleepy. I’m listening. Closely.

“Hmm,” I hum, remembering her question. I’m a science teacher. She knows it. I know it. I don’t feel like that question really warrants an answer.

“Well,” she continues, “I’m going to conduct an experiment. And I need you.”

“You need me…” I say, liking the sound of that. Annie needs me. Good, I need her too.

“Yes, I need your help. Scientific help. How do you feel about falling in love?”

“You mean I haven’t yet?” I blink my heavy eyes open. Iamtired. I said those words out loud. Those buried and forever hidden words. They aren’t supposed to be spoken out loud.

“You’re tired.” Her hand slips from mine, and I’m sorry I opened my big, dumb mouth.

It’s the last thing I hear her say, the last thing I think, before drifting off.

Iwake to the smell of baked bread and the sound of chatter.

“If you could take your past and present advice and incorporate it into your real-life study, now that would be perfect.”Coco. My sister is here.

That’s when I notice the TV is on. It’s muted, no sound escapes the box on the ground, but it’s clearly on. Ariel is swimming under the sea, and while her mouth is moving, again, no sound. My niece, Alice, lays on her stomach, on the ground, feet up and kicking in the air.

“That’s brilliant, Coco. I’m going to do that. If I can talk Owen into it, anyway.”

“And maybe instead of findingthe one, your study should be building a long and lasting relationship. There are things you just won’t have him do on a first date. Things that wouldn’t make sense. But things that could very well lead to finding the right person.”

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