two things. One, the only way I was going to get that damn marriage dissolved would be to call you out on national television.”
“What was the other thing?” Cameron asked.
Josh glanced at Tuck. “Saving that poor guy from a life of hell in a marriage that’s not even legit.”
Jodi nearly jumped out of her skin. She turned to her dad. “Is that true? Would his marriage to Katia be invalid?”
“Yep. Looks like it.”
“That means he doesn’t have to file for a divorce? He’s free?”
Her dad nodded, smiling.
“Thank you, God.” She turned her head to the ceiling and screamed her elation.
Chapter 23
“Talk to me,” Joanne said to Tuck an hour later in his dressing room. He was tossing the things that belonged to him, which weren’t many, in a bag, wanting to get the hell out of here and go find Jodi.
Joanne leaned her butt on the vanity and gripped the edge with her fingers. “You won’t even consider the contract I’m offering you?”
“Nope.”
“It’s a lot of money.”
“Don’t care.” He really didn’t. No amount of money in the world would lure him to do this again. He hated himself for doing this in the first place. He felt the need to grovel to get Jodi to forgive him for what appeared to be months of temporary insanity. How would she be able to trust that he wasn’t as big of a nutjob as his actions would imply? After all, he’d already been involved in this storm when he met her.
“At least take the contract with you. Look it over. Talk to your lady. Maybe she can convince you it’s worth it.”
He met her gaze, zipping up his bag. “I can guarantee that the woman I’m about to beg to give me a chance has no interest in being a part of this shitshow. Never.”
“Just…ask her.”
He shook his head. “Do not wait for my call. Find someone else. I’m done.”
“What if I guarantee you a completely different set of actors?”
“Nope.” He was growing frustrated, and he wanted to get out of here. It was late. He was tired. He was physically exhausted beyond anything he’d ever experienced. Even times when he’d been on duty surveilling an enemy in the Middle East for twenty-four hours at a time had not made him this bone weary.
She blew out a breath. “Tuck, you’ve got me by the balls here. The fans want to see you in the next season. They loved you. They ate you up.”
“Don’t care.”
“Have you truly never looked at your social media accounts? The show’s fan page? Anything?”
“Not once.”
“Well, you have about ten times more followers than Katia.” She lifted a brow. “That has to mean something to you.”
“I can see that it means something to you, but I just don’t give a damn.”
She sighed long and hard. “I wish you’d reconsider. I’ll hold the spot open for you for a few days.”
“You’ll be wasting your time.” He grabbed his bag and took a backward step away from her. “Goodbye, Joanne. I wish I could say it’s been fun. But it’s been awful. Good luck finding another sucker. Please don’t call one of my SEAL teams. The group can’t take another one of your shows. There are so many of us already, we need a support group.”
She laughed and waved off his comment as if it were a joke. It was not. He needed to warn as many of his team as he could about New Millennia Media’s preference for Navy SEALs. He didn’t want to become one of those guys who had to gather at McP’s every few months to provide comfort and advice for some other sucker.
“You’re going to pay for Josh’s annulment and get the ball rolling on that, right?” He wanted to confirm that poor guy was also getting some help.
“Yes. That’s what we agreed to. We’ll handle it.”
“Good.”
“You’ll find a hundred thousand dollars deposited in your account first thing tomorrow also.”
Tuck smiled for the first time in hours. “Thank you for that. It will go a long way toward easing my stress.”
“Is it your mother who’s in the nursing home?” she asked, her voice kind.
“Yes. End-stage Alzheimer’s. Expensive care.”
“I’m sorry to hear that. I’ll keep her in my prayers.”
“I appreciate that. Now, if you don’t mind, I have a woman to go to.”
“Does she know what a prize she’s getting?”
“Regardless, I will spend the rest of my life making sure she knows how much I appreciate her every day.”
Joanne sighed, putting a hand over her heart. Her