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I head in his direction, sneaking one more glance over at Atticus.
He’s a few feet away from the crowd of kids at the telescope, talking to one of the other teachers.
Eve.
Atticus says something and she laughs, throwing her head back in mirth and reaching out to put a hand on his arm.
My stomach lurches and I force my attention back to Jake, my stride more purposeful.
He’s not mine to yearn for, and yet I’m burning for him anyway.
ChapterEight
Atticus
My stomach dips, awareness wringing my every nerve ending.
Taylor glances at me from twenty feet away, no more than a shadow in the darkness, and my entire body bursts into flames.
Eve follows the direction of my gaze and then chuckles and pats me on the arm. “I’m going to check on Ryder and Nathan.”
I nod, forcing my gaze away from where Taylor is peering into a telescope.
Next to her, Jake gestures broadly, talking to some teen campers sitting on a log who are documenting their findings on slim tablets, the glow illuminating their faces.
I make my way over to their telescope, unable to resist the pull of her voice on the breeze.
Up close, her features come into sharper focus. My eyes track over some of the details that have stuck with me since I picked her up at Pearl’s. There are violet smudges under her eyes, and her cheeks are more pronounced than they were four months ago. Has she lost weight? Is she not sleeping well? Concern nibbles at me.
“What is money called in space?” Jake asks the group.
Taylor groans and covers her face with a hand. “I cringe to ask.”
One of the kids pipes up. “What’s money called in space?”
Jake grins. “Star bucks.”
Two of the girls sitting on the log crack up.
Jake points at them. “See? It’s funny.”
Taylor shakes her head.
“You think you can do better?”
Taylor props one hand on her hip, eyeballing Jake. “Why didn’t the dog star laugh at the joke?”
“Why?” I ask.
Taylor smiles at me. “It was too Sirius.”
I chuckle, and she catches a couple of laughs from the kids.
Jake frowns. “I don’t get it.”
“Sirius,” she repeats. “You know, S-I-R-I-U-S, also known as the dog star.”
“Dog star?” He scoffs. “Like that’s a real thing.”
