Can I keep seeing my friend separately after she says she doesn't enjoy my partner's company?

My friend asked whether our next dinner could be just the two of us. Then she added, "I don't really enjoy evenings with Owen." I immediately started listing times my partner had been helpful to her. She said she wasn't asking me to stop loving him.

At our last dinner, he'd challenged her opinion about a film until she said she wanted to move on. He thought they were having an interesting debate. I thought so too at first, though I did notice that she stopped joining in afterwards. My friend says that happens often enough that she no longer relaxes when he's there.

I told Owen about the request, and he was hurt. He says he doesn't want to make conversation with someone who has already decided against him. Now I wish I hadn't turned a request for one dinner into a statement about whether they like each other.

Is keeping some friendship time separate a sensible answer? I want to understand my friend without acting as if enjoying his company is a condition of being close to me.