Angela decided to play along with Booth's deception. "So, this friend of yours, Bob, told you he had a dream about his coworker Betty that was pretty intense? Did he say whether he had ever thought of her in that way before?" She sipped her coffee, eyes fixed on his face. His inner struggle was playing out on his face and she suppressed the urge to squeal with glee. It was about time. All he needed was a little nudge in the right direction.

"No, he hasn't, I mean how could he? He works with her. They're just friends," he insisted. Angela seemed to buying the whole story, but he wasn't sure. She was way too perceptive for his peace of mind.

Angela smiled and took another sip. "Well, I think Bob needs to consider the possibility that the dream is a subconscious signal that his feelings for Betty aren't as platonic as he likes to think. I think he ought to act on his feelings."

Booth frowned. "I don't know, Ange, what if she rejects him? She's never given any indication that she feels that way."

Angela smirked. "Oh, I'm sure she does," she assured him. His eyes narrowed at her and she realized her slip. "How could she not? It sounds like Bob's got it all going on. But he'll never know unless he takes a chance."

Booth sipped his coffee thoughtfully, then asked the question that was really bothering him. "And if he takes a chance and he gets lucky and she does feel the same? What if it doesn't last? How can they go back to being just friends, go back to just working together?"

Angela felt a pang of sympathy for the fear she heard in his voice. Unable to help herself, she reached out to touch his hand. When his eyes met hers, she smiled softly. "Life is full of uncertainty. Nobody knows what's going to happen next. I believe we all have to take what happiness we can find and store it up against the dark times. If we let the 'what ifs' rule us, then the darkness wins."

With a sinking feeling Booth realized she had seen through his whole deception, but it seemed she was going to let him keep it up to save face. He smiled at her crookedly, shaking his head. She really was amazing. He pushed his coffee away and sat back.

"Well, I'll pass your advice along to Bob. It'll be up to him to decide what to do next," he said, shaking his head. "Poor guy, I don't envy him this decision." He stood up and put his suit jacket on as she rose, studying him once more. Booth tried not to fidget as her eyes bore into him.

"Tell Bob not to wait too long. She may be waiting for him to make the first move. Or she may be even more afraid than he is. Either way, the window of opportunity isn't going to stay open forever."

Booth met her gaze steadily for a long moment, reading the warning there. He finally nodded. "Right." He turned toward the door. "Why don't we go see if the squints have made any progress in our absence?"

Angela smiled and led the way, satisfied that she had done her best. Now it was up to them. She dearly hoped they would make the right choice.