Claire's POV
My legs remained frozen as I watched Stella stare at me, wide-eyed, her mouth slightly agape.
"Uh…" I started, scrambling for an excuse and finding none fast enough.
"Claire," she said slowly, suspicion dripping from every syllable, "why are you getting down from the boss's car?"
"He…" I stuttered, forcing a nervous laugh. "I had to go to his house to get him to sign off on some documents. Yeah."
The lie came out clumsy, but I held onto it anyway, lifting my chin like confidence alone could make it believable.
For a second, Stella just stared at me, her eyes turning into suspicious slits. Then one of her brows arched so high it nearly disappeared into her hairline.
"At his house?" she repeated.
I nodded far too quickly. "Yes. Very urgent documents. I had to get it to him immediately. He didn't work yesterday and so..."
Her eyes narrowed.
Feeling oddly proud of my quick thinking despite how ridiculous it sounded, I pasted on a smile.
Stella folded her arms.
