Page 3 of The Selkie Santa

“I’m kidding, sadly. Both spawned from the same selkie womb.”

“I got the beauty, he got the brawn,” Wyatt scoffed loudly.

Noah rolled his eyes.

When he dared to glance at Harper again, she was chuckling softly. Their eyes met and she said, almost too quietly for him to catch, “I think it was the other way round.”

Noah felt his neck heating. Gruffly, he said, “Okay, you good for nothing seal, we’re out of here. See you Harper,” he flung over his shoulder casually, as he dragged Wyatt with him.

“Wait,” Harper came running after them. “What about these?”

She held up a pair of very pretty, sparkly sandals. “Wyatt said he bought them for me, but I know he must have stolen them.”

“Babe, that’s not fair,” Wyatt whined. “Ifoundthem.”

“Okay, maybe you ‘found them,’as in, took them when no one was around. That’s still theft.”

Noah looked harder at the shoes; even to his untrained eye they looked expensive. “Best thing would be to take them to the harbor lost property office tomorrow. When Wyatt’s not drunk as a skunk, I’ll try and get the truth out of him.”

“They’re so beautiful.” She was gazing at the shoes in her hand wistfully.

Noah’s lips twitched. “Yes, they are.”

“I guess their owner will be missing them—won’t they?”

“Yes, they will.” Noah’s grin widened.

Harper sighed and huffed a little laugh. “Well, if I’d expected Noah Shortwater to give me an excuse to keep them, I should have known better.”

“Sorry.” He grimaced. “Boring old moral Noah.”

“I like you that way.”

Noah’s mouth nearly fell open. That was the second compliment in less than five minutes. Were his ears deceiving him? Clearly, Harper being marauded by his drunk brother late at night was going in his favor, because he hadn’t felt this vibe from her for a long while. They’d been friends before he’d got embroiled with Dina… and before Harper dated Wyatt. He’d always thought she was way out of his league, though—which was why he’d probably dated Dina instead.

But then, gods above, Harper had gone and datedWyatt… he’d been horrified, to be honest. Kicked his own stupid selkie butt more times than he could count for not admitting his feelings months ago.

Before Dina. Before Wyatt.

Since then, Harper had seemed cool, disinterested in him, except of course when she called him to haul his stupid brother’s ass out of her orbit.

But just now… it felt like the spark was there again. Memories flooded back of the Harper of old, the sweet, kind, funny Harper. He’d felt comfortable telling her all about his life, his family, and the laughs they’d have over an ale at the tavern.

Stop dreaming, mate.

Gah. He was as bad as Wyatt. And he didn’t have the excuse of a belly full of beer to account for his dumb romantic notions.

Now Harper looked a little crestfallen as she gazed at the sandals. “Guess I’ll put them into lost property first thing in the morning, then.”

“Good one,” Noah said, wishing he had the money to buy her a pair exactly the same. “And I’ll throw a bucket of cold water over this idiot and leave him on deck to sleep it off.”

“Thanks Noah.”

“For what?”

“Being there for me.”

“Always, Harper, you know that.”

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