"Of course," Clara said. "Well, it's nice to meet you, just Catherine."

As she spoke, Clara's face relaxed, and she leveled a dazzling smile at Catherine. Her eyes shone bright, and the slight tension in the air vanished. Catherine stared at Clara, wondering if she'd imagined the strange look before.

"Well, I imagine we'll be seeing a lot more of you," she said awkwardly. "I know that Leydon and Brad are Sean's best friends, but I'm looking forward to meeting his other friends. It's a bit ...