Page 97 of Capture The Moment

Out of the corner of her eye, Harper saw McKayla slug him in the arm, and there wasn’t anything playful about it.

The ride back to Finn’s place was quick but silent. Once he’d pulled into his driveway, he said, “I’d invite you ladies in, but I have a feeling you have a lot to talk about.”

“You can say that again!” Harper muttered as she hopped out of the truck.

Finn came around and kissed her cheek, and then he whispered in her ear, “Go easy on her.”

To which Harper replied, “We’ll see.”

Finn just smiled, and then he and Liam made a hasty retreat.

Harper waited until they were out of Finn’s driveway before she laid into McKayla. “What in the hell were you thinking? Are you a…a stripper?”

“What? God no!”

“Well, then what were you doing dancing at a bachelor party?”

“Like I said, I was helping out a friend.”

“Who is a stripper?”

“Not exactly.”

Harper sighed, her hands gripping the steering wheel so tightly they hurt. “You better start explaining, Kay, before I really lose my patience.”

“Oh. So, this is you being calm?”

“What do you expect? I get you a job with my…my boyfriend, and then I find out from my boyfriend’s brother that my sister is a stripper on the side! How did you expect me to react? Did you expect me to say, ‘Great, I’m so glad you’re making some extra money’?”

McKayla huffed and stared out the window, refusing to meet Harper’s eyes. “Why do you always assume the worst about me?”

“Are you serious? I was trying to help you, not hurt you.”

“But you do, Harper. You do hurt me sometimes. I know I’m not perfect like you. It’s well documented. But I’m trying. I’m learning from my mistakes, and I’m trying to be a better person.”

When Harper heard the catch in McKayla’s voice, she backed down some. Lowering her voice, she said, “I’m not perfect either, Kay. Believe me. However, there must be some other way to make extra money besides…stripping.”

“It wasn’t like that, ok? I didn’t take my clothes off that night. I just danced.”

“In a red wig?”

“Yes, and yes, I was wearing a skimpy outfit, but my clothes stayed on.”

And then Harper remembered McKayla’s reaction when she’d first seen Liam at Finn’s house. “Did you recognize Liam too?”

McKayla nodded. “Yes, but I was praying that he wouldn’t recognize me. It was over a year ago, right after I lost my job at the accounting firm. My friend, Hope, told me that she made great money dancing at bachelor parties, and she asked if I wanted to give it a try.”

“So you did.”

“So I did. I didn’t know any of the guys there that night, and I certainly never expected to run into one today!”

“You must have made quite an impression on Liam for him to remember you,” Harper said.

“I guess so,” McKayla said, shrugging.

“And here I thought there was an instant attraction between you two.”

“I don’t even know the guy, but I remember him being nice to me that night. Some of the other guys tried to grab me or come on to me, but not Liam. Funny, I never even knew his name until now.”