She snorted, “That does not surprise me.”
He gave her a smile. “Guess that part of me is still the same. I took so many things for granted. Maybe I could have done more to repair the damage to me and my father’s relationship. Some regrets I’ll just have to live with.”
“If you had been any closer to your father, you might not have skipped your school and made it to the subway and survived.” The thought of Corey possibly being dead made her stomach tighten with fear. Her anger at him not remembering their night together was growing harder to hold onto all the time.
“Who knows, really? Life sure has changed since then.”
“What do you miss most about your old life?”
“Ice cream.”
“Ice…”
“It’s this frozen dessert made out of milk that was just delicious. There isn’t anything better than a double scoop chocolate ice cream cone on a hot summer’s day.”
“Milk? The fluid that comes from your bovine animal?”
He chuckled. “Yes, it tastes much better than you think. Maggie is trying to find something that can replicate it but she’s really not good in the kitchen.”
Nix smiled, “I had made the mistake of eating something she made for dinner. I couldn't get out of it. Liam had insisted I stay.”
“Was it bad?”
“I had ever put in my mouth. It was supposed to be something she called a chili, but it bent my spoon and when I got it in my mouth, I worried my teeth would break.”
“Not the chili!” Corey almost doubled over with laughter. She couldn’t help but admire his laugh and smile. His dimple showed and it made him way too appealing for his own good. For her own good, in any case. Glancing around, she saw she wasn’t the only female to notice him either.
“Maggie has always been a horrible cook, but she means well.”
“I pretended to get a message to come to the training center so that I wouldn’t have to eat the rest. Liam knew what I was doing but thankfully allowed me to escape.” She smiled at the memory. “I owe him for that and so many other things.”
*****
Corey turned to look at her, his gaze intense. He tried to dial it back. “You seem really close to Captain Estro. Was there more to your relationship?”
She shrugged. “Like I said before, the Estro family had always treated me like family.”
“Right, but I sense there was a special connection between you and Liam.”
Glancing away, she sighed. “I kind of had a crush on him when I was younger.”
“Did you sleep with him?” Why had he asked that? It wasn’t any of his business, but he couldn’t take it back and he really did want to know.
She flushed. “What? Of course not! It was one-sided and those feelings faded long before I took the assignment on the command ship.”
“He’s committed to Maggie.”
“I know that! I’m not after him. Anyway, it’s not like you have any room to talk.”
“What does that mean?”
“You’re still in love with Maggie. Every time she walks into a room, you act like she’s the only one there.”
“That’s ridiculous,” Corey protested automatically, but it wasn’t like he could deny he’d felt that way about Maggie. Now, though, they were still best friends. If he took extra notice of her, it was just because she was a familiar face on the Drastan ship. Nix made it sound like he was trying to win Maggie back. Could Nix be jealous? Was she interested in him?
He leaned over to whisper in her ear. “I’m not interested in Maggie in any way other than friendship. I’m free to pursue other...things.”
“Other…?”
