Her Collateral Bride: A Lesbian Age Gap Romance

She cared about her family and her friends, but she’d never

felt the same kind of sensation. She’d lost someone close to

her before, her father, but she didn’t feel the fresh, stabbing

pangs of grief that she felt when she thought about sending

Haley away. With her father, she’d been almost relieved when

he passed. He was a terrible man who had done terrible things

to her and the rest of her family.

“Claire?”

She jumped at her desk, her hands skittering off the

keyboard. She placed them both in her lap and turned what she

hoped was a blank expression toward Jenny, who had just

stepped into the office. Just, as in maybe she’d been there for a

while and Claire hadn’t even heard her come in. She wouldn’t

have knocked because she was Jenny and she didn’t need to

knock, but she wouldn’t have snuck in either.

“Sorry.” Claire rubbed at her neck. “I got a little too into

what I was working on.” Liar. She’d been pathetically not into

what she was doing.

Jenny stared at her with narrowed eyes like she knew that.

Jenny probably knew everything. She had a sixth sense like

that. Omnipotence. She also had a bullshit meter that was

incredibly accurate, but if she didn’t believe Claire, she didn’t

let it show.

She did cross her arms and walk forward, until she was in

front of Claire’s desk. Jenny was an imposing woman, and for

the first time, maybe ever, Claire felt a little bit like she was

about to get scolded. She didn’t like the feeling one bit, but

she stayed quiet. In her experience, it was sometimes best not

to try to get the first word but to wait for people to unburden

themselves.