Page 8 of The Selkie Santa

By now Harper’s thoughts were ping ponging around her skull so hard it was making her head hurt. She rubbed at her brows to ease the tension. Really, there was only one solution. She had to confront Noah, give him a chance to explain himself.

And if she didn’t like what she heard… well, too bad.

At least he’d be gone until December… She’d put on her big girl pants, and date the good-looking satyr who’d asked her out not once, but twice now.

Yep, she’d be totally over him by Christmas.

With that, head held high, Harper walked determinedly back to Noah’s boat.

He was still standing on the small deck when she got there, his back silhouetted against the darkening sky as she picked her way carefully across the gangplank.

“H-hi,” she called out as she hopped onto the deck.

He turned, and his smile in the light from the hanging lantern looked genuine; he seemed so happy to see her. Surely this had to be real.

“Hey Harps.”

“What’ve you been doing?”

“Just having a drink, watching the moon rise, thinking how I’ll miss this view…” Harper held her breath. “… and waitingfor you to arrive.” His eyes swept down her body. “You look beautiful.”

Any other time, her heart would have leaped at his husky tone, the warmth in his gaze.

Right now, she wanted to slap him across his handsome, bearded face. She managed to say casually, “Nothing else?”

“Just cleaning the boat up.”

“Still got a bit to do by the look of things,” she said, trying to sound normal as she cast a glance around the messy deck.

“Ah, yeah.” He ruffled his hair with a big hand. “Can’t think how one small boat can get so filled up with all my shit.”

“No visitors or anything?”

He hesitated. Harper said nothing, just stood gripping her purse, pretending an interest in the messy deck. She felt him glance at her. Sensed it dawning on him. Finally, he said, “Ah. You saw Dina, leave, right?”

Harper thought she might snap from the sudden tension in the space between them.

“Would you have told me… if I hadn’t mentioned it?”

Noah paused, his big shoulders slumped. “I—no, probably not.”

Harper just stared at him in disbelief.

“She came by unexpectedly,” he explained, not meeting her eyes. “I haven’t seen her in months.”

“Must have been a nice surprise then.”

“Not really.”

“So you normally hug people when it’s not nice to see them, do you?” She heard herself bark a hysterical little laugh. “I’ll remember that next time you give me a hug. That it means you’re not happy to see me.”

His face contorted. “Harps, please don’t be like that. There was nothing in it.”

Yeah, sure. You’re lying through your selkie teeth.

“So, why did she come by, then?” Harper ran her fingers over her purse.

Noah gave a big sigh. “I’m sorry Harps, I just— can’t tell you why, not right now.”

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