Feltner sighed. “Well, I’m sorry I don’t have more information. I just wanted to stop by and let you know the problem still persists. I realize I’ve given you very little.” He turned to face Tuck and handed him a card. “Please call me if you see anything remotely suspicious. Too bad I can’t stand here and check the pockets of every patron who comes in, but my hands are tied. We need to catch the guy in the act.”
Tuck nodded agreement. “He can’t get away with it forever. I just hope I spot him before he decides this location is too hot and moves his business to another bar.”
“That is a concern.” Feltner headed for the door. “I’ll let myself out. You folks have a nice evening.”
Jodi spun around and stomped from the main room, heading for the hallway. A second later, her footsteps could be heard on the stairs.
Tuck glanced around at everyone as they scattered and then looked to Bill.
“Will you talk to her, please?” Bill’s request was loaded. Tuck suspected this wasn’t about the drug dealer at all but rather her growing frustration with Tuck’s obligations.
Tuck nodded. “Of course.” He glanced at his watch.
“The place isn’t going to swarm with clients in the first ten minutes. Stan can handle the bar. I’ll man the door.”
Liz set a hand on Tuck’s arm as he reached the hallway. “We’re all friends, Tuck,” she said gently. “No one is going to breathe a word of your interaction with Jodi. Just… I don’t know. Say something to her so she can calm down a little. I think, well, I know she’s doubting your intentions.”
Tuck swallowed, hating himself and everything about this fucked-up arrangement. He glanced at Stan, who was checking inventory behind the bar and then Roxie, who was arranging chairs around the tables. Would either one of them go running to Maria and tattle that he’d spent time alone with Jodi?
Fuck. Did he even care anymore? So what if they did? He was beyond done with this situation, especially if it was causing Jodi this much pain.
He didn’t respond to Liz, but continued toward the back stairs and took them two at a time. He’d never been upstairs in their living space. He felt slightly awkward, but he also couldn’t wait to reach the top.
He took a deep breath and then, without knocking, opened the door. The space he entered was a combined living room kitchen area. It was slightly dark because the blinds were closed and Jodi hadn’t bothered to turn on a light. She stood at the kitchen sink, hands on the counter, head bowed. “Just give me a second, Dad. I’ll be right down.”
Tuck continued forward. When he reached her, he set his hands on her hips.
She flinched and jerked her head up.
He smoothed his palms around her body and hugged her against his chest. His heart was racing from the contact, but his soul was soothed. Nothing had ever felt so right. “I’m sorry,” he whispered into her hair, nuzzling his face near her ear. It was the only thing he could really say.
She blew out a breath and relaxed against his body, her hands coming up to cross over her chest and thread with his under her breasts. “Me too. You don’t need me acting like a weakling on top of everything else.”
“You’re not weak, Jodi. You’re the strongest person I know. There isn’t another woman alive who would put up with what I have silently asked of you.”
She leaned her head against his chest. “I can do it.”
“I know you can, but I hate that you have to. It’s affecting your work. It’s not worth it anymore. I’ll go talk to the producers. Throw in the towel.”
She shook her head. “No.” She released his hands and spun around in his arms to face him, tipping her head back to meet his gaze. “Don’t give up now. You have six days left.”
He frowned. “I’d rather spend them with you.”
“But you’re not going to. Like you said, this is worth a lot of money. You need it for your mom. I would never jeopardize that. Finish this thing up, and we’ll get it behind us.”
She said “we.” He reached for her face and tucked a curl behind her ear. “I don’t deserve you.” He searched her face as she pulled herself together and forced a smile.
“You’re going to have me anyway. In six days.”
“You think you can get a night off after this is over?”
She shrugged. “Probably, but not the same night you have off.”
He chuckled. “Good point. Then we’ll go on a lunch date. How’s next Monday? I plan to be at the courthouse filing for divorce the moment they open at nine. Can I pick you up after?”
She gave him a smile that made his knees weak. “I’d like that.”
He held her gaze for a long time, glancing at her lips when she licked them. Full, pink lips he was dying to taste. Why the hell he bothered to stick to the arrangements of the contract, he did not know. It would be so easy to lower his face and kiss the sense out of her. No one would ever know.
Something held him back though. Not just the contract, but the fact that he respected Jodi too much to start their relationship while he was technically married to another woman. That fact alone told him how very special Jodi was.
Even though he hadn’t taken her out on a date, not kissed her, not allowed his hands to roam over her body, he had fallen hard for her. Every time he saw her smile, it lit him up inside. He couldn’t wait to get to work each day just so he could
