Chapter 52

Claire’ face flushed a deep red. She mumbled awkwardly, “Oh, I thought you meant… like, cleaning or something. I just said I couldn’t do it ‘cause, you know, I’m not exactly mobile right now.” Julian didn’t respond. With his arms crossed, he leaned against the edge of the desk, wearing that unreadable look like he’d already seen through her but was in no rush to call her out on it. After a moment, he suddenly let out a laugh and said, half teasing, “Claire, you’ve got quite the imagination, huh?” Claire’s entire face felt like it was on fire. Was he implying she was crushing on him or something? Her ears felt like they were about to smoke. She had no idea how to respond—just dove for the folder in front of her, flipping it open fast. “I’ll get started now. What do I need to do?” Luckily, Julian didn’t keep pushing. He walked over to sit across from her and started assigning tasks. Then he got back to his own work too. The study settled into a quiet hum, with only the soft rustle of pap