Page 31 of False Comeback

That was probably what Vince did. Not that I cared what Vince was like on a date.

Corey laughed. “Sometimes a greasy burger is just what you need.” He shot me a sly grin. “And sometimes the kind of person who would buy you a greasy burger on a date is just what you need too.”

I made a show of shuddering as I sipped my drink. “Not for me.”

“Have you tried it?”

“Tried what? A burger?” My lip curled. “Thankfully, no.”

Corey laughed. “No, darling. Having a dirty fuck with someone who’s a bit rough around the edges.”

In an instant, Vince’s gaunt, smirking face popped into my mind, making heat crawl up my neck.

“No,” I rasped quickly. “Of course not. Of course I haven’t.”

“You should,” Corey said decisively, picking up his drink and sitting back as he eyed me. “Might do you some good.”

“Should I be offended?” I drawled, sipping my martini and smoothly crossing my legs.

“No, no. I’m just saying it might… help you discover new things. You haven’t lived in this world all that long, darling, all things considered. And it’s very different to where you came from.”

I knew that. Even though I had visited this realm many times before, often sneaking out behind my mother’s back, it had still been a culture shock when I’d actually moved here. All the technology. The sheer number of people. The busy, frenetic pace of life. Everything was loud and fast and frantic, with no time or space to pay attention to the simple pleasures or bask in nature.

That was one of the few things I missed about Otherworld. How lush and green it had been. The smell of the palace gardens—the wonderful, sickly sweet scent of blooms cut through with the earthiness of dirt and grass.

I tried to recreate it here, but my garden was small and limited, and plants were fucking expensive.

“The people here are very different,” Corey continued. “You’d be hard-pressed to find someone who can relate to your experience of growing up as royalty in a palace.”

“I know that. I don’t expect that.” I didn’t want to talk about this anymore, so I waved a hand and added, “Anyway, I prefer being on my own.”

My chest ached a little as I said it.

“I understand.” Corey was nodding. Then he made a face and reached over to smooth his huge hand over Cora’s russet fur. She was curled up in a ball on a cushion beside him, fast asleep. “Although I don’t think I’d be able to cope if I was completely on my own. But yes, sometimes my baby is all the company I need.”

“Mm.” My brow quirked as I eyed the dog. I’d never understood the desire for a pet. Some fae had working animals back in Otherworld, and a few had companion creatures, but it was far more common here. It seemed like the majority of households decided to willingly allow a wild animal to just roam free in their homes, leaving dander over everything and, I don’t know, shitting on the floor.

Vile.

“Have you thought about getting a dog?” Corey asked brightly. “Or a different kind of pet?”

I managed to suppress my derisive snort, because I didn’t want to offend him. “No. I’m not a pet person.”

“I thought the same until I got Cora.” He looked down at her fondly, smoothing his big thumb over the bridge of her snout. “You’d be surprised by just how fulfilling it can be to care for another living creature that way, to be completely responsible for them.”

“There’s a very good chance I’ll be responsible for the well-being of an entire kingdom one day,” I said flippantly, even though my entire body wanted to clench up with dread and terror as the words left me. “So I think I’ll just wait until then.”

“Maybe you’re more of a cat person,” Corey said, undeterred.

My lip curled. “What, exactly, is a ‘cat person?’”

“Maybe you’d prefer a pet that isn’t so completely dependent on you, like a dog is. That doesn’t want to spend every waking moment with you. Cats are more solitary. They do their own thing.”

“So what’s the point of having one?” I asked blankly.

He laughed. “Because it’s still a little creature to come home to. Something that loves you and keeps you company.”

“I’m not particularly interested in coming home to wet fur balls coughed up on my hardwood floors,” I drawled, but my chest was aching just a little again.