They never bit me, Dr. Hibbard.
Most people thought I would change my mind about insects. That I would wake up one day and start screaming when I saw them, like the token blonde in a cheesy horror movie.
Instead, I graduated with a 4.0 and a job lined up at the National Butterfly Center. The patronizing little comments whispered behind my back didn’t stop me. They only fueled my fire to prove I belonged.
I pause in the hallway outside the interview room and force a deep breath while my stomach churns—the first sign of my impending anxiety spiral.
Sweeping my hands over my hair, I try to control the frizz and will my hands to stop shaking. Oxygen swirls in my lungs as I slowly inhale, vowing to leave all the events of this morning right here in the hallway on my exhale. Once I step inside, there will be no more thoughts of fender benders and angry coworkers. This is a fresh start for the day, and it’s imperative I forget everything else.
One more deep breath out, and I grab the door handle.
I pull it open with all the false confidence I can muster, and my gaze immediately lands on navy blue eyes.
In a sea of eight people, those twin flames are all I can distinguish for a moment.
My knees go weak, and I stumble over the threshold but manage to stay upright. Finn’s gaze narrows, and he tilts his head. His lips kick up arrogantly on one side, almost like he’s looking forward to what’s about to happen.
Chapter 4
Finn
A colorful spiderweb of galaxies floats across the dome of the planetarium overhead, and I’m lost in the view, swooping through star clusters light-years away.
From my seat at the main control screen, I click a few spots to bring me to Clara’s favorite view: the Butterfly Cluster on the tip of the Scorpius constellation. The planetarium delivers me fifteen hundred light-years away, and the small group of stars comes into focus with a vague butterfly shape.
Sometimes, when there are no programs scheduled in the evenings, I like to visit the planetarium by myself. The butterfly formation is hard to see, but that never stopped my sister from enjoying it.
She used to say, “When you work hard for something, you have more appreciation for the end result.”
It started one night when she was trying to convince me that my middle school math homework would be worthwhile one day. Then I got to use the line on her when she was complaining about nursing school.
But the first time I brought her into this planetarium a few years ago, she asked to see this star cluster. When I told her I could barely see the butterfly shape, she lectured me to try a little harder, promising I’d appreciate the view in the end.
Years later, I’m appreciating the hell out of this view because it reminds me of Clara, and her memory brings me a sense of peace that has been hard to find lately.
Between the parking lot situation and sitting through five interviews throughout the morning and afternoon, I’ve had a long day, and I’m forcing myself to relax here this evening before I need to get home.
The interviews ended an hour ago, and we have two great contenders. Millie’s passion and enthusiasm for her job were contagious, and the entire panel thinks she would be a fantastic department director. But the other applicant’s work experience and motivation would be a good fit for the position as well.
Sharon is going to think through a plan for choosing between the two of them, but after the shitty start to the morning, I hope Millie left feeling like she did fine, because she did.
God, the flare in her eyes when she walked into the interview and saw me sitting there was so satisfying. The man she called an asshole yesterday and crashed her car into today is one of the people deciding on her promotion.Priceless.
After she recovered from her initial shock, though, she did a good job. She was relaxed and conversational, and it seemed like the entire panel was hanging on her every word.
Me included.Unfortunately.
She avoided looking my way for almost an hour, but when it was my turn to ask a question, she was forced to pull her gaze to mine. And I loved watching her plaster on a big smile despite probably seething on the inside.
The door to the planetarium squeaks open, and Rachel pops through the gap. The wide smile on my assistant curator’s face is visible in the light from the stars overhead.
“Thought I might find you in here. Need anything else from me before I go?”
I click a few controls on the planetarium. “No. I think everything is good for today.”
The room darkens as I shut everything down and walk toward Rachel. She helps me flip the last few switches by the door, and I follow her out, squinting as the bright hallway lights hit my eyes.
“How did everything go getting ready for camp next week?” I ask as we walk through the front doors of the museum and toward the parking lot.
