Page 98 of Redeeming Harmony

“You sure?” Larry said.

“I am,” Nathan said. “Lady Nakia is white with long fur.”

Larry studied the fat raccoon. “This one’s a silvery white, don’t you think?”

“Maybe,” Nathan said. “But Lady Nakia is a purebred Persian.”

“What’s that mean?” Larry asked.

“It means she’s a cat,” Laila said.

Harper slapped her hand over her mouth to hold in the giggles. Nathan glanced at the raccoon in the live trap. “Persian cats are a specific breed of cats. They’re known for their flat faces.”

“You think this ain’t her then, huh? Because her face ain’t flat?”

“Yes. And because this is a raccoon, not a cat,” Nathan said.

The man grunted when Laila gave him a triumphant look. Before he could reply, the clinic door banged open, and a teenager with blue-streaked hair and an exasperated look on her face ran inside.

“Dad!” She joined them at the desk, and the raccoon sat up and wrapped her fingers around the bars of the live trap. She purred loudly to the girl, and the teenager scratched the raccoon’s forehead through the bars before glaring at her father. “You can’t just give Lady Gaga away. She’s part of the family!”

A stubborn look on his face, Larry said, “There’s a reward for a missing cat.”

“She’s a raccoon, not a cat!” the teenager screeched. “Oh my God, you are the worst. Wait until Mom finds out you tried to get rid of Lady Gaga. You’re gonna be in so much trouble.”

She opened the live trap, and the raccoon squeezed her way out and climbed up the teenager’s body, settling against her chest as the girl wrapped her arms around the raccoon’s enormous body. She marched toward the door, petting the raccoon’s head with one hand.

Larry’s face paled, and he picked up the live trap, following his daughter. “There’s no need to involve your mother in this. She don’t need to know.”

The two of them left, and the minute the door closed behind them, Fatima, Brooklyn, and Harper all burst into laughter.

“Oh my gosh,” Brooklyn said. “Did you see the size of that raccoon?”

“That was one chunky trash panda,” Fatima said.

“I can’t believe he thought we might give him a reward for a raccoon,” Laila said.

“Someone brought in a gopher earlier,” Fatima said.

Laila shook her head and walked away, muttering under her breath. Hal walked out into the foyer carrying a fluffy Pomeranian who barked excitedly when it saw the couple sitting by the door.

Nathan turned to Harper. “That’s my last client to discharge. You still okay to wait?”

“I am,” she said.

“Great. Feel free to wait in my office,” he said.

She couldn’t resist staring at his ass as he walked away. Her face turned bright red when she glanced up, and Fatima gave her a knowing grin. Her face burning, Harper hurried toward Nathan’s office.

Chapter 22

Nathan stepped into his office, closing the door behind him. Harper stood near the window that looked out onto the creek and the house, texting on her phone. Hal and Brooklyn had already left, but Laila and Fatima were still in the clinic.

Despite that, he couldn’t stop himself from sliding his arms around her waist and pulling her back against him. It hadn’t even been twelve hours since he’d seen her last, but he’d spent the entire day thinking about her.

Which is a very bad sign. You asked her for friends with benefits, remember?

He remembered. And already regretted it. He knew that focusing on the clinic and the real possibility that it may close needed to be his priority, but he kept picturing a life with Harper like he was a lovestruck prince in a Disney movie. He’d thought that a sex only thing with Harper would be the best way to relieve the stress in the rest of his life, but it had quickly turned into something more.

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