Page 9 of The Selkie Santa

Was she hearing him correctly? “Can’t or won’t?”

“I—it’s just, I promised her… I wouldn’t… tell anyone.”

“Big secret, huh?”

“Kind of. I’m just trying to process what she told me, to be honest.”

Oh gods, this was feeling for all the world like a bad dream. No, worse, a nightmare. She had never felt so horribly awkward with Noah before. Every word he uttered was like a dart aimed at her heart. Well, fucking bullseye. She felt stupid, humiliated, belittled. He was going to get back with Dina, she was sure of it now. All she could do was try to leave with her dignity intact.

“It’s fine, Noah, it’s none of my business anyway. Just pretend I never asked,” she said through stiff lips.

“It’s not that I won’t tell you eventually.”

“Whatever. Whenever.”

“Harps.” He stepped closer, his expression pleading. “Can’t we just go out to dinner, not talk about this, have a good time? Just you and me.”

Harper dug her fingernails into her purse until she was sure the material would rip. “Uh-huh,” she grunted.

He glanced at her, his brows ruffling. “We’re okay, yeah?”

“Sure.”

He looked relieved. “Maybe we should get going, then. Our reservation is for seven.”

What a typical fucking male. Brush it all under the carpet. She’d thought Noah was bigger than that. “You know what, Noah, I think I might pass on dinner.”

Noah looked at her closely. “You’re mad at me.”

Something in Harper snapped. “Mad at you? Why would I be mad at you? You’re just a friend, Noah, that’s all. In fact, Dina being here was a blessing really, because it’s made it easy to start the conversation I was planning to have with you tonight.”

“Go on.”

“Okayyyy, well, here goes.” Harper barreled on like a bull in the proverbial china shop. “I’ve been kinda worried you might think I have a thing for you and, um, for the record, I don’t. Okay?”

Noah blinked. “Right. Okay. That’s erm, a bit… blunt.”

“Yeah, well, there’s been a few rumors going around and I thought, best to nip them in the bud,” she chirped like a sparrow on crack.

“I see.”

Harper refused to acknowledge the tension in his face, the muscle ticking in his jaw. “Wow, that feelssomuch better, getting that out in the open.” She let out a huge sigh of relief, just to ram the point home. “Honestly Noah, I’ve been so worried about how to put this. Kinda awkward, you know—you don’t want to assume your friend has the hots for you.”

“Gods, no,” Noah said grimly. “I agree.”

“Great. So that’s cleared that up then.”

“Sure has.”

“And just saying, if you want to date Dina again, go right ahead. No need to worry about my feelings in that regard.”

“Harps, I don’t want to—” Harper cut him off as she twirled on her heels. “So you won’t mind if we take a rain check on dinner, then. I’m brewing a headache, and you look like you’ve got heaps to do. I’ll leave you to finish clearing up the boat. Have a great trip, won’t you.”

“Thanks,” he said, his voice as stilted as hers. “Have a good couple of months yourself. Maybe see you when I get back.”

“Maybe.”

Harper felt Noah’s gaze boring into her as she picked her way through the boxes and coiled ropes on the deck.

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