Page 28 of Coffee Break with the Billionaire

I’m standing at the edge of the world, holding hands with Fenella Carrington.

“Not all of them,” Wyatt concedes. “But a lot. That’s Cassiopeia.” He stretches his arm up and out. “Perseus. And that’sLynx there. You can see the Lyra constellation, but you have to stay here for a while and it gets pretty cold.”

“Lyra has a star named after her? I’ve never heard of that.” She turns to me. “Is this what you do here? Teach him how to name the stars?”

“Silas was supposed to be an astronaut,” Wyatt says before I can answer. “He gave up the idea when I came along, because my mom is an idiot and took off and left me with my grandparents. Which is stupid, because I’m not his kid. He’s an awesome uncle, though.”

“I bet he is.” Fenella smiles but I see the curiosity in her eyes. “He can still go up into space,” she adds. “Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk—lots of spaceships go up and check things out.”

“Like I can afford that.” Fenella and Wyatt look at each other. “No,” I say. “Please don’t think you can buy me a seat on a spaceship.”

“I probably could,” she whispers. “But, whatever.”

“It’s not being in space, it’s just… seeing… this.” I spread an arm out. “Stars.”

“It’s his thing,” Wyatt adds.

“It’s a good thing,” Fenella agrees. “I thought coffee was just your thing, so this is a plus. Show me something.”

I reluctantly let go of her hand to check the sights in the telescope and make adjustments until Neptune is visible, hanging low and clear in the scope. “Take a look,”I offer.

Fenella eagerly bends to peer into the eyepiece. “Oh, my god,” she cries, her voice echoing over the water and loud enough to startle something in the trees. “That’s a planet.”

“I told you that you can see Neptune tonight,” Wyatt says smugly, like he pulled it from the sky to present it to her.

She straightens to look at me. “Can you see it all the time?”

“No, it depends on the rotation of the Earth and the other planets. Usually, Venus is visible.” I move the telescope and Fenella eagerly bends to look. “That’s Venus.”

“That’s Venus,” she echoes. “I’m looking at a planet. I’m looking at aplanet.It’s beautiful.”

Wyatt nudges my arm and gives me a knowing expression. I shake my head.Hot, he mouths.

I almost laugh because whatever Fenella looks like wearing my ten-year-old coat that is warm and so unfashionable—and probably smells a bit funky from living in my trunk—is nothot.

Definitely cute, but not hot.

I thought you liked boys, I mouth back.

He points to me and then Fenella, like I have no idea what he’s getting at. I know exactly what he’s getting at, and I want no part of it.

That’s what I keep telling myself.

Fenella straightens up. “What else is up here? Here, you can look,” she offers to Wyatt.

“I see Venus all the time. Neptune is pretty cool.” I’m proud of the way he moves the telescope into the right position and makes the necessary adjustments before taking a look.

“You spend a lot of time together?” Fenella asks.

I glance over, see the way she’s looking at me with those purple eyes, and nod.

“Your mom not around?” Fenella asks as casually as if she’s asking about the weather.

“No.” Even after all this time, Wyatt's tone is still bitter but much better than when he was younger and someone mentioned his mother. The tween years were particularly difficult for him. “Definitely not around.”

“That can’t feel good.”

“No, it really doesn’t.”

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