Claire’s POV
I was not jealous. What did I care who he found attractive? Or what he chose to do in his free time? Or who he chose to spend it with? None of this was my concern. Not really. No matter how much my heart ached or how tight my chest felt.
“I’m not jealous at all,” I said, trying to sound like I didn’t care at all. I had no idea how successful this was. My cheeks burned, likely beet red, which probably undercut my sincerity. It didn’t help that Gideon was looking at me with a kind of befuddled amusement, like he thought he could see through me but was afraid to hope.
I didn’t want him looking too closely. I didn’t want him to see how I might have been feeling. It felt like a secret, and to reveal too much would be my undoing.
I tried to make myself sound more convincing, kno
