“Ye implied it!”
Esther giggled, smiling as she looked back and forth at them, and Noah realized they were arguing. Like... like a married couple might. The thought should have alarmed him. Instead, it felt strangely comforting.
“How did it go with MacTavish?” Ava asked, turning back to her pot.
“Fine. Ye’re settled. He willnae be botherin’ ye for more money.”
Ava’s shoulders relaxed slightly. “Thank ye. I ken ye probably terrified the poor man.”
“The poor man has been overchargin’ ye for years and lettin’ yer cottage fall apart while collectin’ rent for maintenance that was never done.” Noah’s voice hardened. “So no, I daenae feel particularly sympathetic to his plight.”
Ava’s hand stilled on her spoon. “How did ye?—”
“The contract was shite. Exploitative. Designed to trap ye.” He pulled out the small package of ribbons, needing something to do with his hands. “I paid what was actually owed and nae a penny more. He wasnae happy, but he’ll survive.”
“Ye didnae have to do that.”
“Aye, I did.” Noah held out the blue ribbon to Esther. “Here, lass. For ye.”
Esther’s eyes went wide. She carefully set down her knife and took the ribbon with reverent fingers, as if it were made of spun gold rather than simple cotton. “For... for me?”
“Aye. Thought it might look bonnie in yer hair.”
“It’s beautiful!” Esther held it up to the fading light, watching it shimmer. “Thank ye, Uncle Noah!”
She wrapped her arms around his waist in an impulsive hug that caught him completely off guard. Noah froze for a moment, then carefully and gently rested one hand on her head.
“Ye’re welcome, wee one.”
When Esther stepped back, she was smiling brightly. Noah cleared his throat and extended the other ribbon, the pale green one, to Ava.
“This is for ye.”
Ava blinked at it. “Ye bought me a ribbon?”
“Aye. To match yer eyes.” The words came out more intimate than he’d intended, and he saw color rise in Ava’s cheeks.
“I... That’s generous, thank ye.”
“Ye are welcome.” He pressed it into her hand, his fingers brushing hers for just a moment. “Consider it payment for puttin’ up with me interference today.”
Ava looked down at the ribbon. “It’s lovely. Thank ye.”
The moment lingered between them, filled with something Noah preferred not to examine too much. Then Esther tugged on Ava’s skirt, breaking the spell.
“Is dinner ready? I’m hungry!”
“Almost, sweetheart. Why daenae ye and yer uncle set the table?”
They ate together as the sun set beyond the window, casting the small cottage in warm amber light.
Esther chattered subtly about her day—the children she played with, the games they created, and the story Ava told her. Noah listened, watching his niece’s lively face, amazed at her transformation.
This is the child she could have been all along,he realized.If I’d known how to reach her. If I’d understood what she needed.
Ava had done in days what he’d failed to do in two years.
After dinner, Ava took Esther upstairs to get ready for bed, her voice drifting down as she started another story—this one about a brave selkie warrior who had saved her pod from a great shark. Noah cleaned up the dishes, strangely content with the domestic task, listening to Esther’s occasional questions and Ava’s patient answers.
