Page 21 of Of Grief And Gratitude

I followed, rolling my eyes at their sibling quarrel. Sean opened my door but left his sister to take care of her own, drawing more curses from her lips. They refused to speak on the drive to the O’Connor property, and Sloane tried to trip Sean as we approached the front door, but he quickly righted himself before he sprawled face-first on the porch.

The O’Connor men gave us a wide berth as we walked through the house, Sean and Sloane still shoving each other and exchanging insults until we reached Seamus’ office door.

“Get in ‘ere,” Seamus called out. “The entire house can hear ya fightin’ like bitches.”

They had the good sense to look contrite when they entered, taking seats at opposite ends of the room. Seamus and Shane already sat in the center of the semi-circle, looking much more casual in their jeans and button-up shirts than at the meetings with the Nerettis. This was how I remembered them most growing up. I settled in between Shane and Sloane, waiting for Seamus to begin.

He inclined his head in my direction. “Thanks fer comin’, lass. How’re ya doin’ with all the news floatin’ about?”

“About as well as can be expected, I imagine.” I picked at a bit of lint on my sweats, painfully aware of how out of place I looked among those around me.

“I heard ya were at the Neretti boy’s place last night.” He was fishing for information under that fatherly façade.

I nodded, aiming to tell him a story as close to the truth as possible. “I didn’t have my car, and I was a little shaken, so Romeo took me back to his place. He fed me dinner, and Sloane called to check up on me, then took me home.”

“I see.” Seamus ruminated on that information for a long moment before slapping his palms against his thighs. “Just wanted to make sure I didn’t have to talk to him.”

“I appreciate it,” I said cautiously, crossing my legs. “I can take care of myself, though.”

“We don’t doubt that,” Shane clarified. “But the news stories present something of a conundrum for us.”

“I never intended for any of that to happen,” I explained. “If I’d known they were still following him; I would have met him somewhere private.”

It sucked that they could make me feel like a child still when I was nearly thirty. I hadn’t even done anything wrong. Well, if you left out getting drunk and high with Romeo and letting him finger fuck me on his massage table. Even that was debatable because nobody had explicitly said we couldn’t have sex or do the other things leading up to the act.

Fuck, I needed to shove those thoughts down.

Shane patted my arm, his large hand covering most of my forearm, and Sean shot him a look. “Nobody is blaming you for anything, Riona.”

“And I’m not taking any blame.” I wasn’t some helpless damsel who needed rescuing. It bothered me that I’d frozen when the reporters surrounded me, but I could handle the press as long as I wasn’t the focus of their investigation. Now that I’d gotten a taste of what my clients faced, I intended to use that knowledge to better my approach to Romeo’s situation.

Seamus stroked his beard thoughtfully. “It might not be the worst for the press to think ye’re an item.”

The unexpected words made me choke on my saliva. “Sorry, what?”

“Ya might be able to help reform his public image faster than if he were to do it alone.”

I held my hands up in protest. “Oh, I don’t think so. I am not dating Romeo Neretti.”

Fuck him, maybe. Date him? Never.

“You wouldn’t need to be in an actual relationship,” Shane said, bouncing his knee as he spoke. “Make a few public appearances to make the press think Romeo has reformed, so they get off his back. The faster it’s taken care of, the faster we can all get back to business as usual.”

“It doesn’t quite work like that,” I said drily. “The public might forget the video in a week, but the media will be happy to drag it up when convenient. We’re talking weeks—plural.”

Sean shrugged. “So the sooner you start, the sooner you get it fixed.”

“Plus, you wouldn’t have to see him again.” Sloane’s voice held an edge of curiosity as she made eye contact.

She suspected there might be more to last night than just dinner. I considered whether it would be easier to tell her everything. I wasn’t the best liar, but I could evade questions like a pro.

“Can I think about it?” I asked, the potential outcomes racing through my head. “I’ll have to develop a new strategy either way, and it will take me a couple of days to work things out.”

“Of course.” Seamus nodded indulgently. “In the meantime, I can send a few of my men to keep the paps away.”

“Da, that’s not necessary,” Sloane blurted. “We’re not in danger, and I can handle things for the both of us.”

Seamus stroked his beard. “It couldn’t hurt to have Sean at your place for a few days.”

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