Landon laughed along with them, the mention of Daniella making him smile fondly and more than a little wistfully.  It would never have worked out, she had been too much of a free spirit even for him but she would always be one of his fondest memories.  The nights they had shared together had been some of the best in his life… and given how much he’d played the field in college that was saying quite a bit.<br/><br/>Claire’s words made his fond memories screech to a halt, his eyes going once again to Gavin’s with a look that could only be described as incredulous.<em>What the hell has he told her.  He wouldn’t have… would he?  I have to be mistaken.  There’s no way… Fuck.</em>his thoughts scramble to catch up to the conversation after his mind rebooted completely, leaving him more than slightly stunned.<br/><br/>His mask fell into place, the one he’d learned in his years in the military when he needed to hide some emotion that could be used against him or slow him down.  It was the only defense he had, he simply hoped that Claire wouldn’t notice that he had shut down on her for a moment.  The last thing he ever wanted to do was hurt Claire.  “She was special, I’ll say that much,” he said after a moment with a slight laugh, relieved when it didn’t feel or sound too forced.<br/><br/>“I appreciate that Claire, I’m fairly sure that the ladies will be far more frightening to me than the Iraqi insurgents I’m used to dealing with,” he said with a slight wink before he fell silent and concentrated on finishing the delicious meal.  He needed to talk to Gavin alone.  Soon.<br/>