Page 105 of Finn Rhodes Forever

Beck’s chest shook with laughter. “Wow. Thank you for the sage advice.” He rolled his eyes. “Especially from the guy who’s with his childhood sweetheart. So unexpected.”

I smiled at the fire, gaze finding Liv once again.

“Hey,” he said, “do you think this strippers thing is going to get out of hand?”

“Strippers?” I repeated, laughing. “What?”

He chuckled. “Miri organized a ladies’ night at the community center and hired male strippers to drive in from Victoria. Sadie’s doing her baby shower there. I want to know if I need to be on-call that night.” He winced. “Miri can get out of hand.”

Ever since Liv dragged me to the book club and made me listen to mymomtalk about alien dicks, I’d been waiting for an opportunity to get her back. A slow, wicked grin curled up on my mouth, and across the fire, Liv narrowed her eyes at me, smiling.

I had just found it.

40

Olivia

“You look hot,”Sadie said, nodding with appreciation, wiggling her shoulders in the crowded community center.

She had insisted we sit in the front row. Music pumped through the sound system while people filed in the door and took their seats, and her eyes glittered in the dim lighting. Across her torso, a sash readHot Mama.

She sipped her drink as her eyes came to my chest. “Your boobs look good in that dress.”

My boobsdidlook good in this dress. It was a simple black t-shirt dress but the cotton was soft and clingy and the neckline dipped low. I had slipped a black velvet choker on, drawn a subtle but sharp winged liner, and added two coats of mascara.

A little flicker pulsed in my chest, wishing Finn could see me like this. Imagining how his eyes would flare, heat tugged on something low in my stomach.

I grinned. “So do you. What’s Holden doing tonight?”

“Probably prowling outside.”

We laughed.

“No, he’s at home.” She smiled and her hand rested on her bump. “I told him not to wait up but I’m sure he will. He’s very protective these days.”

“More than normal?”

She rolled her eyes with a smile.

Avery and Hannah returned to the table with another round of drinks. Max, who worked with Avery, and Div, who worked with Emmett, sat at the table beside us. Elizabeth and a group of her friends, including Avery’s mom, were at the next.

My gaze floated over the crowd. Half the town was here.

The music volume dropped and everyone rushed to take their seats. As the lights dimmed, the conversation faded out.

“Citizens of Queen’s Cove,” Emmett’s voice came over the sound system, “are you ready?”

The crowd started screaming and we all turned to Avery with confused expressions.

She shrugged. “Miri asked him if he wanted to MC and he said he’d love to.”

“They’re handsome, they’re ripped, and they work very, very hard to please,” Emmett continued. A low beat started playing in the background. “All the way from Victoria, please welcome your entertainment for tonight!”

The crowd cheered and applauded, the music turned up, and five shirtless men strode on stage, wearing fitted gray sweatpants and sneakers, and carrying chairs. The second they appeared, the crowd went wild, and Sadie and I burst out laughing. The music turned up even louder and the men started dancing, thrusting and rolling their hips in time with the music. Dot immediately threw a handful of bills on stage, clapping with enthusiasm as a man in his twenties dropped to his knees in front of her, smiling at her.

In front of us, another dancer crawled toward me and Sadie. He eyed her sash and shot her a wink.

“Hey, Mama,” he said with a grin, and she laughed.

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