them under the bed?”
She turned beet red, and Tuck didn’t give her a chance to respond. He was out the door in less than a second.
He jogged down the outside steps and hurried over to his car, glancing every direction, hoping to escape notice. He should have taken Bill up on his offer to permanently trade vehicles for a while the night after he borrowed his car. Tuck didn’t figure he would have gotten away with the switch for very long, however. It probably wouldn’t have been worth it.
During the drive to McP’s he looked in the rearview mirror a thousand times. Somehow it seemed he managed to make it to his destination without a trail.
While Katia was in the shower that morning, Tuck had called his friend Nick, the one who got him into this mess with Cold Feet in the first place. Nick had suggested Tuck meet with him at the one place SEALs always met in Coronado, McP’s Pub.
As soon as Tuck stepped inside, the bartender spotted him and nodded toward the back door. “They’re on the patio waiting for you. I’ll keep your fans at bay if they come in. Give you some privacy.” He chuckled.
Tuck groaned. “Thanks, Ray. Appreciate it.” Ray had been tending bar there forever. He was one of the good guys. Tuck was certain he would indeed keep anyone who had followed Tuck from bothering him.
Tuck stepped through the side door, wondering who Ray meant when he said “they’re waiting for you.” He’d only expected to meet with Nick. Instead, three men sat on the patio. They all stood as Tuck approached.
Nick held out a hand. “Hey, Tuck. Brought some people along I thought you should meet.” As he shook Tuck’s hand, he nodded toward the dark-haired man. “That’s Clay. Retired. Team One.”
“Good to meet you,” Clay said as he shook Tuck’s hand.
The light-haired man reached in next. “Zach. Team Three. Active.”
As they took their seats, Nick poured a beer from the pitcher and handed it to Tuck. “Both these guys were involved with New Millennia Media at one point. They talked me down from the ledge when I reached the level of frustration I’m sure you’ve reached by now.” He chuckled.
Tuck glanced at the two men. “You were both on reality shows with New Millennia?”
“Yep.” Clay nodded. “Mine was called Hot House. Renovation show.”
“Mine was a decorating show. Did it for my girl. I’m not even going to tell you the lengths we went through to get what she needed to decorate with.” Zach shuddered.
Tuck smirked at Nick. “You got me into this.”
“Yeah, but I only signed you up for two weeks. You’re the one who took the bait and added three months to your contract.” He chuckled. “Still can’t believe you did that.”
“Money talks, I guess.” Tuck ran his fingers along the condensation on his glass.
“So, what are you up against?” Clay asked.
“Got three more days left before I’m done. I’m not sure I can last three more days living with Katia. That woman is unbearable.”
Nick laughed. “He’s not lying. I worked on set with her for a few weeks myself. In fact, she tried to get me to replace her groom on the show. That’s when I threw Tuck under the bus. No way was I going to pretend to be married to that woman. She drove me bonkers, and I didn’t have to sleep with her.”
Zach leaned forward, putting his elbows on the table. “You’re sleeping with her?”
“Fuck no. The apartment has cameras everywhere but the bedroom. I’ve been on the floor for eleven weeks.” He rubbed the kink in his neck just thinking about it.
All three men chuckled.
“Guys, you’re not helping. I need advice.”
“Why?” Nick asked. “You’re almost home free. Three more days and you can file for divorce and move on with your life.”
Zach grinned. “There’s a woman, isn’t there?”
Tuck cringed. “Yep. She’s the daughter of the owner of the bar where I work. Never thought I’d see this day, but I’m head over heels for her.”
Nick sighed. “And you can’t touch her because of your contract.”
“That sums it up. She’s been really understanding. I think she at least stopped watching the livestream of my constant banter with Katia. It was torturing her. But I feel like a total jerk stringing her along all this time. Probably makes her feel like she’s not as important as fifty grand. And she totally is. She’s far more important than that. I think I should pull out. Tell Maria