“No, no.” She shoved the container of sugar to the side, then turned to the fridge and grabbed two bottles of water. She gestured to the sofa. “Have a seat.”

After handing him his water, she perched against the arm of the sofa. She glanced at the twin bed in the corner, whispering a silent prayer of thanks that she hadn’t left something embarrassing in clear view.

“So how do you think we should handle this?” she asked.

Jamar hunched his shoulders. “Contact Mooney and tell him the truth.”

“You know what that would mean for you, don’t you? Months of speculation and random jerks leaving snotty comments online.”

“What else is there to do, Taylor?”

She jumped up and began to pace in front of the sofa. “I know that we can come up with a plan that works for both of us. Now, the most important thing for you is that no one finds out that you want to play football again, right?”

“The most important thing for me is to play football again. Period. I would prefer to keep what we’re doing out of the public until I return to the League, but if word gets out…” Another shrug. “I guess I’ll just have to deal with it.”

Guilt twisted in Taylor’s gut at the disappointment she heard in his voice. “As someone who recently experienced a pretty awful dragging by strangers online, I can’t stomach the thought of putting you through that just because I stupidly blurted out that lie.”

“Taylor, if I had to list all the times I’ve been dragged online, it would stretch all the way up to my house in Georgetown. It comes with the territory when you’re an athlete who’s played at the professional level.”

“That doesn’t change the fact that I’m the reason for this particular dragging,” she said, feeling even worse that he was trying to downplay her role in this.

Jamar caught her by the wrist. “Can you please sit down? Your pacing is making me dizzy.”

She sat on the sofa, but then immediately popped back up again. “Wait. I have an idea. It’s a little crazy, but it can work. No, it will work.”

“What?” His apprehension was justified. At this point, Taylor wouldn’t trust herself either. But the more the idea began to coagulate in her head, the more it started to make total sense.

“Hear me out,” she began. “What if we stick with the dating story for now?”

“What?” His head jerked back. “You’re not serious?”

Okay, so she was a tad offended by the incredulity in his tone.