Chapter 41

Claire's POV Jennifer's grin faltered for a moment before she burst into laughter. "Okay, okay, you got me. I don't actually have any dirt on your mysterious boss. I was totally bluffing." "Jennifer!" I threw a pillow at her, though I couldn't help but laugh too. "You're terrible. I was actually curious about what you might have found." "Hey, it worked, didn't it? You were ready to spill everything just to hear some gossip." She dodged the pillow with practiced ease, still giggling. "But seriously, the way your face lit up when I mentioned him tells me everything I need to know." We were settled on the couch, laughing and joking about her failed interrogation tactics, when my phone suddenly rang. The cheerful atmosphere evaporated instantly when I saw my mother's name on the screen. "Mom?" I answered quickly, already sensing something was wrong from the unusual timing of her call. "Claire, sweetheart," her voice was tight with barely controlled panic. "The hospital called. Your father'