Page 21 of The Blame Game

Dom snorted. “Bro dates?”

“Perhaps going to a sporting event or an indoor driving range. Something ‘suitably masculine’ and non-romantic.” She gave him a wry smile. “With several other straight men there as a buffer, if possible.”

Dom let out a little huff and took a sip of his coffee. “Right.”

“It would be best if around the same time, at least one of the two of you was spotted with a woman who you might be romantically linked to. And Dom, we’ll need you to attend an event where you can show off your stylist’s hard work. I’d suggest combining those two things.”

Dom grumbled under his breath and Kate’s lips twitched in an aborted smile. “Well, you brought this on yourself.”

“I did,” he agreed with a sigh. “Next?”

“Option three, you go public with … some of the truth. You make a statement indicating that Sawyer is your stylist, you’re involved but it’s new, and you would appreciate privacy as you get to know one another. You won’t get it, but if you have a few actual dates that are romantic but boring, attention will begin to fade eventually. After a reasonable amount of time, if you wish to do so, you can always end it.”

“Hmm.” Dom glanced over at Shea, then looked at Kate again.

“Option four is selling a romance. You’ve been dating for a while, you’re in love, Sawyer is moving in with you, etc.” She waved her hand as if to say it was all very self-explanatory.

Shea snorted. “Well, that last one’s obviously out.”

Dom shot him another sidelong glance. “I think what Sawyer means is that we’re not dating so it would be hard to sell that. We are uh, involved, but it’s not what I’d call love.”

Shea bit his tongue to keep from saying anything he’d regret.

“Right,” Kate said, clearing her throat. “I assumed as much. And that’s fine if you’re not interested in going that route. Plus, I think there’s also the issue of you being an incredibly private person. If we push with that scenario, it’s going to raise suspicion that there’s something fishy going on and prompt more digging.”

“Exactly,” Shea said.

The last thing they wanted was people digging into either of their lives or their relationship. Such as it was.

“There is the option of you … coming out, Dom.”

He gave her a short, tight nod. “I know.”

“It wouldn’t have to involve Sawyer, even. It could be you making a statement about yourself.”

“True.” Dom’s jaw was so tense it looked like he might break a tooth.

“If that doesn’t interest you, that’s fine, Dom. However, let me list a few things in the pro column that you might not have considered. Coming out would take a great deal of pressure off you. It removes the fear of being outed happening without your control. It would be a proactive move, allowing you to get out ahead of it and do it on your own terms.”

Dom stared down at his hands, brow furrowed for several long moment before he looked up. “You’re not wrong,” he said slowly. “But I’m not—I’m not interested in that.”

“Okay. I understand that. We’ll take that idea off the table.” Kate glanced between them. “Do either of you have strong feelings about any of the other scenarios?”

Dom pushed his hair behind his ear. “I feel like option one will encourage more digging if we try to ignore it completely.”

Kate nodded. “I agree. It would be low on my list for the same reason.”

“So we’ve got options two and three, right?” Shea said.

“Yes.”

“You like option three best, don’t you?” Dom asked.

Shea blinked because he thought Dom was talking to him at first but he quickly realized the question had been aimed at Kate.

She nodded. “I do. It’s the one I think is the most plausible and least likely to become a story or cause anyone to dig deep into either of your lives,” Kate said, her tone thoughtful. “There will be a big spike of initial interest, yes. But that will fade. If you come across as a sweet but ultimately ordinary couple, there’s no story.”

“I …” Shea floundered for words. Dom couldn’t seriously be considering this, right?

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