Okay. So she's a friend. [Can't force you to like her, or anything-- and it's not "just" a friend, after all.] So you have to be clear about that. That's all.

[It's not that she's not important to him. It's just a different kind of important than hers.] It might be kind of awkward, since these things always are, but Hilda's not stupid. You know.