move into an apartment together that the network provided and allow cameras to run in the kitchen and living room twenty-four seven. This livestreaming was apparently so popular with the show’s followers that New Millennia Media had jumped on the opportunity.
“Are you going to stay married to that woman?” Jodi asked, incredulous.
Not a snowball’s chance in hell. He lifted his brows instead of voicing his thoughts. “I told you I can’t disclose details about the show. Not to anyone.”
Jodi sighed, mumbling, “Who the hell would I tell?”
Oh, just everyone on social media perhaps?
As Jodi continued giving him the grand tour of her father’s bar, Tuck learned that Jodi was thirty years old, an only child, and her mother had died of breast cancer five years ago. She lived above the bar with her father, which might have made Tuck judge her if it weren’t for the fact that until recently, he too had basically lived with his mother. The entire time he’d been with the SEALs he had spent his leave at his childhood home. He’d never thought twice about it. His father had run off when he was two years old, so he didn’t remember a time when it hadn’t been just the two of them.
He swallowed back his nostalgia as he thought about that house. He’d been forced to sell it as soon as he left the SEALs, and he’d been bumming space on a few friends’ couches until moving into the fake apartment setup with Katia.
Jodi was speaking again, and he jerked his attention toward her. She was pointing out where all the exits were. An important detail considering someone was coming and going from the bar with a stash of drugs on them. He hoped to God he was only dealing with black-market diet pills. So far, that was all the police knew about. Coincidentally, he was all too aware of their effects since most of the bridesmaids on Cold Feet seemed to be taking the damn things too. Every one of them had mood swings no one could begin to keep up with. It took him all of two days to figure out why.
He watched Jodi closely as she spoke. Now that she wasn’t mocking him or rolling her eyes at his perceived absurd life choices, she seemed far more friendly and almost normal.
He couldn’t lie to himself. She was gorgeous. Her dimples made him smile every time she did. More and more of her curls had escaped the confines of whatever clip they were held back by. They fell in waves down her back and over her shoulders. Her ass was fantastic. Following her around was no chore.
Suddenly, he realized she was no longer speaking, and he jerked his gaze up to meet hers, finding her arms crossed and a smirk on her face. “She’s cheating on you, you know.”
He flinched. “Who’s cheating on me?”
“Katia. Duh. Your wife?”
“Oh.” He shrugged. “Don’t know. Don’t care.” That was more information than he should have divulged.
Jodi leaned closer, getting in his face. “You don’t care?”
He shook his head. “Not really. No.” Actually, it would be easier if she were cheating on him. If either of them was caught cheating during the ninety days, the other would walk away with a hundred thousand dollars, not sharing it with the adulterer. If Katia got caught, this entire farce would end all the sooner, and he could go on with his life, a hundred and thirty grand richer than three months ago.
“She’s pretty,” Jodi pointed out, obviously far more interested in Tuck’s relationship with the woman than he was.
He shrugged. “I suppose. If you like the cover-model type.”
“Who doesn’t?”
He lifted his brows. “That’s so shallow. I prefer a woman with goals and brains that extend beyond drinking with friends, taking whatever pills they can get their hands on to lose weight, and interests that extend past social media.”
Katia spent nearly every waking hour on Instagram or whatever other platforms she used. She proudly called herself an influencer, which he didn’t even try to understand. To her, tweeting and posting all day was a job. And, he had to be honest, she made a living doing it. Who was he to judge?
“She’s taking these damn pills too?” Jodi frowned.
“Eh, I’m not sure she specifically does, but most of the cast on the show for sure took pills. Probably the same ones you’re having issues with here. Whatever the latest fad is among young girls who think they can swallow something and