"Ideally, neither of you would be targets for any suspicions." It would be their priority to draw that aggression to themself, huh? "You know that's not exactly a problem for me, right? I can be that..."

What? Scapegoat? Target? Victim?

What's it matter? He's already suspicious. He already looks suspicious. He's untrustworthy, shifty, shady, eschewing eye contact and disliking direct touch. And he's an adult, too. A completely unrelated adult living with two kids. What's not to mistrust there?

"I can be that."