Hot SEAL, Cold Feet - Becca Jameson Page 0,1
of them is more deranged.” She shifted her gaze to Tuck, tipping her head down again and staring at him, challenging him to refute her explanation.
He couldn’t, of course. For one thing, he was under contract with the network. For another thing, nothing Jodi had stated was inaccurate. Oh, wait, except the part about him raking in money. If he were, he wouldn’t be standing here today trying to get a job he desperately needed doing something he was far overqualified to do.
Bill slapped his hand on his thigh and chuckled, apparently amused. “Well, I’ll be. We’ve got us a star working here.” He sobered slightly as his eyes drew closer. “Your show gonna affect your work here, son?”
“No, sir.” Tuck was bewildered by the man’s apparent lack of concern where it came to Cold Feet. “Contrary to your daughter’s belief, I’m not making a significant amount of money to appear on the show, and I need this job.” He shot her a glare this time, daring her to continue arguing.
Too bad she was so cute. Jodi Bridgman was the kind of woman who hid her beauty under baggy T-shirts and a sharp tongue. Even though she was probably breathtaking when she let her hair down and lost the chip on her shoulder, he doubted many people had ever seen that side of her.
There were a few seconds of silence, during which Tuck feared Bill might change his mind and send Tuck out the door, and then Bill’s phone buzzed in his pocket and the older man extracted it, fumbling for a moment to swipe the screen. “I need to take this,” he apologized. As he stepped away, heading toward the door Jodi had presumably come from, he looked at his daughter. “Please continue showing Tucker around the bar. He starts tonight.”
Great. Just great.
Jodi sighed, her shoulders falling. “So which is it then?”
“Which is what?” Tuck braced himself for whatever she was going to say next, knowing it was going to be good.
“Either you’re certifiable for being on that show, or you’re making a shit ton of money doing it. It has to be one or the other. Neither explains what you’re doing here in my family’s bar looking for work. We’re barely holding our heads above water here, and you look expensive.” She grazed her eyes up and down his body. The only thing she did not do was cross her arms.
What the fuck did she mean when she said he looked expensive? Tuck met her gaze. “Honestly, Ms. Bridgman, it’s none of your business how much money I make or why I want this job. If you really intend to judge me from what you’ve seen on television or read on social media, I can’t stop you. Or…you could set aside your preconceived notions and look at the facts.”
She continued to stare at him. “And what would those facts be?”
“I’m a Navy SEAL who served two tours. I was based near here in Coronado. One of my specialties was infiltrating behind the enemy lines to ensure who my target was before taking him out. You,” he pointed at her in particular, “have a serious problem that could cause you to lose this bar. You need to find out who’s dealing under the table here. I’m the man for the job. But if you’re so worried about what I do off the clock, I’ll leave now.”
Several seconds ticked by before Jodi inhaled long and slow. “I don’t want to trade one problem for another. You can’t bring cameras in here. This is my family’s bar. I won’t have it become part of some ridiculous reality TV show.”
Tuck decided it was his turn to narrow his eyes at her. “For someone who thinks Cold Feet is the dumbest show ever to air on television, you sure do know a lot about it. Were you watching the latest episode in the back before I got here, or do you enjoy the livestream from my apartment?” He snapped his fingers. “Oh, shit. That’s right. The livestreaming isn’t very interesting right now since I’m currently here.”
Suddenly, Jodi’s entire demeanor changed. She grinned, and then she started laughing. When she finally managed to pull herself back together, she asked, “Are you at least going to explain to me why a chiseled, sexy hunk of man who recently left the SEALs with brains and wit is starring as the groom on a stupid reality show?”
He jerked back a few inches. Shocked. It took him a