Page 34 of The Christmas Fix
“Come on, Cat. Admit it. He’s pretty easy on the eyes.” Noah felt his ears warm in embarrassment. He wasn’t used to overhearing such things about himself. Conversations about him around Merry usually involved what project he’d just shot down and what initiatives he’d declined to pursue. This was new.
“Yeah? Well too bad his personality is an arid desert of human feelings,” Cat shot back.
That was more like it.
“You can admit he’s handsome and still be mortal enemies,” Paige pointed out.
“Can we please get back to work?” Cat groaned. “I’m exhausted already, and it’s barely nine.”
“No one twisted your arm to be here so early,” Paige reminded her.
Cat yawned, and Noah caught a glimpse of her stretching her arms overhead. “Back to the agenda, ladies. I need some breakfast before the next scene.”
“Next on the agenda is: who’s going to work with Drake about his wooden delivery?” Paige asked. Noah peered around the tarp to see Paige and Jayla touch their fingers to their noses.
“Not it,” Jayla proclaimed.
“Yep,” Paige agreed.
“Damn it. I hate when you guys do that,” Cat grumbled. “Fine. I’ll talk to him. Again. He’ll be fine. We just need him to be able to play off of people onscreen. Let’s give him to Mrs. Pringle and let her chase him around set for a day. He’ll be fine.”
“Ladies.” Cat’s assistant Henry appeared with a tray of coffees. They pounced on him like alley cats on a mouse.
“No spilling!” he cautioned them, brushing at the sleeve of his coat. “This is Italian wool. Oh, hey, Noah.”
All eyes turned to him and Noah felt his face flush. He’d eased a little too far forward while they were calling him attractive. He shoved his hands in his pockets and tried to look as though he hadn’t just been busted for eavesdropping.
“Uh. Hi. I just got here,” he lied.
Cat’s eyes narrowed over her fresh coffee as she shot him a withering glare. “What can we do for youNo-ah? Did you decide to revoke our permits?”
“I wanted to come down and see if there’s anything you guys need,” he said, remembering to add an easy smile. There was nothing more in this world that he wanted than to wipe the smirk off her face.
He saw Paige rise and give Cat’s boot a kick. “That’s very kind of you, Noah. I think we’re all set for the day. Did you get the shooting schedule for the week?”
He nodded, eyes still on Cat. “I did. Thanks for including me. It was helpful to know what to expect. Also, do you have anyone on your end coordinating volunteers? We’ve been getting some calls about the show, and we’d be happy to transfer them to the right contact.”
Cat made a growling sound that had him grinning and Jayla scrambling to her feet. She put her five-foot-two self between Cat and Noah.
“That’s very thoughtful of you,” Jayla said, grabbing his arm and pulling him away from Cat. “Why don’t you come with me, and I’ll introduce you to… someone.”
Noah raised his hand over his shoulder as Jayla dragged him out of the danger zone. “Bye, Cat.”
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Cat pushed through the door of Merry and Bright, ignoring the jingle of bells. Instead she zoomed in on the scent of hot, fresh caffeine. It was eight a.m. on a Saturday, and for the second day in a row, she’d been up for nearly four hours dragging debris and downed tree branches out of what was left of North Pole Park.
It was par for the course when it came to her jobs. As a general contractor, she knew how to do everything from demo to finish carpentry. As a TV star, she was used to long, monotonous hours. On a typical shoot, she worked like a dog for eight or ten days straight and then had a week or two off to sleep, eat, and get a half-dozen massages. In Merry, she’d be pulling thirteen and fourteen hour days for three weeks.
Her new holiday plans included sleeping through Christmas.
“What the hell is a butterscotch latte?” she wondered out loud.And was it as carby as it sounded?
“Cat! Hey, Cat!”
Cat grinned at the frantically waving Sara Yates. Stylish as always, the girl was wearing a long flannel tunic over textured leggings. Her hair was pulled up on top of her head in a cute ballerina bun. She bore a striking resemblance to the woman next to her with a gingerbread man in her mouth.
“Come meet my mom,” Sara said, waving her over. The gingerbread feet fell out of the woman’s mouth.
