"Mama used to say, you have to know someone a thousand days before you can glimpse her soul." ― Shannon Hale, Book of a Thousand Days

~oOo~

Eve didn't know why she was so nervous but she was.

Once Owen had left, Eve slept for another hour or so before being woken up by a text message from the man who made her heart flutter. The scientists were close on finding an anti-biotic to use on the babies and there had been no other deaths so far. Other than that, Rita was doing well and didn't allow Owen to slack off. He preferred Eve to Rita any day. It made Eve smile when she read it but it also reminded her that she needed to get food for their…date?

No.

No, it wasn't a date but they were having dinner. But why did it feel so weird that he was coming over again to see her and that she didn't mind at all. However, she sluggishly got off the couch, changed her oversized t-shirt to a better one without changing her sweats before she went down to the shop that the island had for those who worked here. It was mainly a small office that got requested food in from the mainland so that the workers could get their own diet the way they wanted to. Looking over her options Eve decided that she would make her mothers' fried chicken with potatoes that never failed to impress anyone. It was how her mother married her father, one way to his stomach and next thing they knew, Eve was born.

Which reminds her…

"Oh my gosh! It's my little baby girl!" Eve's mothers voice shrieked over the phone. Eve smiled as she roamed the racks for the things she needed. "How are you doing? Is everyone treating you alright? Are you getting enough to eat?" Eve's mother asked her, never minding that Eve was a big girl now and could take care of herself.

"Yes, yes mother I'm alright. I was actually just calling for your fried chicken recipe." Eve said and then there was silence on the other line before a shriek of excitement. Eve rolled her eyes, prepared to deny anything her mother might suspect.

"You're cooking for someone! Oh, please tell me it's a man! I know how you are with dates and dating but please, please tell me it's a date!" Her mother begged over the phone. Eve was never one for dating because…well, because who would want someone who attracts animals? Eve tried to date, sure, but it never worked out well enough. There have only been two men in Eve's life and both had left her high and dry. She's tried to be normal but with her infatuation with dinosaurs, their bones, and anything that related to them. People called it a hobby or something along the lines that it wasn't really a career for a woman to go into. Both men had left her feeling worthless and insecure of herself so that when she was offered this position she didn't hesitate. Not only was her position at a higher up level but she was in charge of both animals and people alike.

"There…happens to be a man but it isn't a date. He's the new raptor trainer what I hired a few weeks ago. He's been helping me with a few…rough spots that's hit home. He's very nice and he asks questions so it's not like I'm talking his ear off. And he's quite handsome too just to put your mind at ease." Eve and her mother giggled. Eve then went on to explain the situation where she was put under stress with the sudden sickness of the babies. How Claire didn't know what it felt like to care for a living thing, guessing that if she kept even fish as a pet that they wouldn't live long with her. Eve loved her job but she didn't love the fact that Claire kept hassling her to train her t-rex like show ponies at a circus. T-rexes were dangerous murderous creatures from the Jurassic era that had no interaction with humans at all. If they did, humans stayed very far away from that carnivore.

"Why can't it be a date then? You two certainly talk enough and to me it sounds like he likes you." Her mother asked and Eve shook her head as she grabbed the things she needed.

"I've only known the man a month! He's already been hit on by Claire and he really doesn't need his boss may I remind you, to hit on him as well!" Eve said to her mother to which the woman chuckled over the phone.

"Oh, Claire is one thing sweetie but you are completely different than that woman. You love your job that you are amazing at, you are beautiful thanks to my good looks, and you are the most caring kind creature on this planet. That man is a fool if he thinks otherwise."

"Well…"

"Well what?"

"I told you about the sick ones right? Well, I got into a heated argument with Claire who told me to take some time off to cool down so, I might have had too much to drink when he decided to check up on me. Nothing happened! But he did stay with me until I fell asleep before leaving."

"And? I'm feeling an and coming up."

"He came back the next morning to make me breakfast." There was silence before another shout of joy came over the other end. Eve chuckled and smiled awkwardly at her mother's excitement but it was nothing…well…he was just being a good friend right? Right?

"He likes you! Why can't you see that?!" Eve's mother said with a cheerfulness in her voice.

"Because men don't like me that's why. They never have and I hardly think that Owen will."

"So his name is Owen? What a cute name." Eve groaned.

"Mother…."

"Now, now sweetie. I know you call everyone by their first name but I happen to know by just the way you say it, it means that you like him more than just a friend."

"Nothing is going to happen. For all I know he's like this with everyone. Or he could be a womanizer for all I know."

"If he turned down Claire I highly doubt that. Anyways, I'll text you the recipe and remember to season the chicken and flour or else it won't come out as good. And I bake my chicken first before I fry it that way it's not too greasy." Eve's mother reminded her before she said good-bye to her child. Eve missed her mother, being only able to see her on the holidays. While her father worked long days Eve was always close to her mother for comfort and support. Of course Eve loved her father just as much but Eve felt the closest with her mother. She was always there when Eve felt like an outcaste or whenever the kids at school picked on her. One time she got the pet rabbit at school to bite a boy who teased her because the rabbit didn't like anyone else expect her. After that the kids kept calling her a freak and poking fun of her Eve wanted to stay home forever. Of course Eve's mother told her that she couldn't hide at home forever, seeing that it would only give the bullies a win. Eve toughened up and went back to school, never allowing the bullies to bother her or get her down ever again.

Eve gathered her ingredients for dinner then headed home where had a minor panic attack on what exactly to wear. This isn't a date! Even groaned and decided that it would be best to just wear shorts and a tank top to battle the heat of the island. Eve put her hair up into a bun before she started to get the chicken cooking along with the potatoes. It was already three when she began cooking and work ended for the workers at four so Owen would be at her apartment in an hour which didn't leave her with much. While the water is boiling and the chicken is in the oven Eve went to her balcony to look over the park and the t-rexes. Most of the ride and attractions are still being built along with many of the animals that still need to be born to give visitors a range of dinosaurs to see. But so far everything was coming along great.

Until there was a knock at her door.

All logical thought went out of her head along with all the conversations that could possible go at this dinner. Her palms started to sweat and she began to get nervous over something that was just…imaginary! This is not a date. This is not a date.

"Hey Eve." Oh god he brought wine. Eve thought in her head once she opened the door. Owen stood before her, dressed in jeans and a tight t-shirt with a bottle of wine in his hands.

"Hello Owen. Please, come in. Dinner is almost ready." Eve said and held the door open for him. Owen smiled at her before moving inside, placing the bottle on the counter to take his place at the island. He watched as Eve moved about the kitchen, finishing up with dinner before the woman noticed that he was staring at her. "What?"

"You're nervous." Owen said and Eve felt her face warm up. She looked down at the pan of potatoes she was stirring but could still feel his eyes on her.

"I am not. I am just, maybe, a little flustered due to the fact that the memory of my intoxication in front of you is still fresh in my mind that I maybe am flustered. So in the time while you were away I might have thought of scenarios where things go normal, right, and wrong that mainly due to the fact that I have been told I do have an imagination but certainly not an overactive one although it could be the case if you were to have known me as a child but then again…" Eve took one look at Owen and closed her mouth.

"So I'll take that as a yes." Owen smiled and took one of the empty glasses that Eve had placed on the counter for drinks before she started to ramble. "And I'm only going to allow you to have one glass tonight. Getting you properly drunk will come later." Owen said as he poured the wine. Eve smiled and nodded her head, not really trusting her words just as this moment.

Owen began talking about his day, telling her all about how the small first antibiotics arrived today and that the babies are taking well to it. Rita and Owen then spend all day feeding the dinos, going over procedures should anything happen along with going over all the codes for such emergencies, and then having Rita make fun of him when the abrictosaurus babies were chasing after him because he didn't put down the food fast enough. Eve giggled and handed Owen his plate before they moved to the balcony to look over her babies. Not to mention that she thankfully remembered to pick up the glass from the smashed bottle last night but the stain will remain until she got it cleaned up. Owen made a comment about the stain and she blushed about how he would be scared should she ever chuck something at him.

"There would be a lot of stains then." Eve said and Owen almost choked on his wine. Eve shut her eyes tight and groaned. Owen however was smiling and seeing his boss like this was very entertaining. "I did not mean it like that. Ugh, I cannot talk like a normal person can I?" Eve asked.

"Well do you normally invite people over for dinner?" Owen asked. Eve was quiet for a moment before shaking her head. "Wait, I'm the only person you have invited over?"

"Well, I've gone out to drinks with Rita and a few others but other than that I've been busy with my job and…the fact that I've never really had a friend before." Owen stopped eating to look at her.

"Ever?"

"I have a weird connection with animals and people found me weird. All my life I found that it was better to stick to what likes me and leave it at that. I mean Rita is one of my co-workers who I value highly along with a few others but I never know if they…like me as a friend or just being polite due to the fact that I am their boss." Eve told him.

"Do you think we're friends?" Owen asked and hated the way that Eve's face fell. She began to pick at her food and wouldn't look at him until he flung a piece of chicken at her. Eve froze before looking up at him with a confused expression once more but Owen just smiled at her. "We're friends you silly woman!" Owen said and Eve chuckled before continuing eating her dinner.

"Thank you for clearing that up." Eve said. "And that was such a waste of good food." Owen chuckled and threw another piece of chicken at her to which she stopped eating to glare at him. Owen began to laugh and Eve shook her head at his antics. They went back to chatting about the job and Owen asked more questions before the t-rexes noticed that they were up there. "Would you like to feed them?"

"All the way up here?"

"Yeah, hold on." Eve placed her plate down on the side table to go back into the apartment to grab her tablet. "It's still a prototype but so far it works. With this I can check on all the statuses of all the living dinos on the island along with remote feeding from anywhere. Check it out." Eve handed over the tablet to Owen.

"Will I be getting one of these?" Owen asked, looking through it in amazement.

"We're in the process of giving all trainers one so that we can keep an eye of them. This way, say, if they got sick we would know before visual symptoms appear. Normally we don't baby them but we don't want another round of sickness to spread."

"No, this is a great idea incase we're needed elsewhere in the park." Owen said. "How do I feed them?"

"Here." Eve moved the chair closer so that there were only a few inches from them so that she could look at the tablet too. "So, you would go to this menu, push this button, and then there would be a list of animals to choose from but until then there is a choice between cow and lamb. Chicken is much too small for them but for your raptors, they will be perfect." Eve said and the both of them turned to look at each other.

Then they happen to noticed how close they are to each other.

They pulled away from each other, both of their faces were colored by the light dusting on their cheeks. Owen could feel his stomach flutter whenever that color appeared on Eve and his hand twitched to brush the stray hairs away from her eyes. In the weeks that he had known this woman she is always surprising him at every turn. Eve is bright, smart, caring, and intelligent. Every day of knowing and seeing this woman at work is…something he never thought that he would see in his whole lifetime. There was something that Rita said to him earlier that echoed deep in his thoughts as he looked at the woman before him.

"Eve is an amazing creature blessed to do something amazing. Very few people understand that Owen. I would hope you would see that in time." Rita said to them as they changed the bedding in the pens of the babies to give the twins a hand. They would also be putting the dead on carts to be burned. Burying them wouldn't do any good and it made Eve better if they returned to the ash from which they were in before.

"From what I can see, Eve really is a special woman." Owen said and Rita gave him a look. "What?"

"You've been here almost a month correct?" Rita asked.

"Yeah, why?" Owen asked.

"No reason. Just thinking about something."

"Okay, know you can't hide something like that from me. What going on?" Owen asked her, looking at her fully now.

"It's just…in a month since you've been here Eve has never taken a liking to someone…you know, before and a few of us are just worried about her. If you do happen to find that you like her in return just…be careful of her. She's not like the women you might have involved with." Rita said and Owen was at a loss for words. He really never thought of Eve like that but the thoughts were there every now and then. He would picture her always smiling at him and he even had a dream that he kissed her once. The sweetest passion filled kiss he ever had.

"I would never. My mother would have my head but…do you think she would…go out with me. On a date I mean?"

"Who knows. She's full of surprises that's for sure but maybe she'll say yes. You'll never know unless you ask. There is no rule against dating a co-worker here so long as it doesn't cause problems."

"Hey Eve." Owen asked Eve as he pressed the button for the food. A cage opened and two lambs ran out, giving the t-rexes something to chase.

"Yeah Owen?" Eve looked over at him with a smile on her face.

"Well…I was wondering if…."

"Yeah?"

"Can we do this again sometime?" Owen asked, mentally slapping himself for not saying what he really wanted to say.

"Of course. Let's say every Friday we have dinner together? Sound good?" Eve asked him.

"Sounds perfect."

~oOo~

A/n: You guys have no idea how many times I have rewritten this ending of this chapter. Ugh, it's been a pain but I got it done! Please review and let me know what you guys think! Until next time!