Page 71 of The Christmas Fix
“Hey, Sara. Guys, this is Noah’s daughter Sara.” Cat made the introductions to her parents and grandmother.
“My grandma is here too,” Sara said. “I’ll go get her!” She skipped over to the table and pulled the woman in the gray dress out of her chair. It looked like she rose with great reluctance. Her hair was streaked with gray, her face was bare and lined. Her forearms seemed painfully thin.
“Grandma, this is my friend Cat and her family.” Sara made the introductions like a pro. “This is my grandma, Louisa.”
“It’s nice to meet you, Louisa,” Cat said offering her hand.
Louisa stared blankly at it for several seconds before accepting it limply. The skin of her hand was paper thin. “Hello,” she whispered, her eyes flat and dark, looking everywhere but at them.
“Sara,” Mellody said, appearing at the table. “Why don’t we let Grandma get back to her pie?” she suggested cheerfully.
Louisa gave them a ghost of a nod and left.
“Cat, this is my husband-to-be, Ricky,” Mellody announced, drawing the man in the argyle sweater to her side.
“It’s nice to meet you, Ricky,” Cat said, offering her hand.
He shook it warmly. “Great to meet you.”
Cat made the introductions around the table. “It’s really nice of you to give up your own plans with your family to spend Thanksgiving with us,” she told Mellody.
“Merry is family, and best of all, I didn’t have to cook or clean up,” Mellody grinned. “Best holiday ever.” She snuggled into Ricky’s side.
“Shall we check out the pie, babe?” Ricky asked.
“We shall.” Mellody waved her good-bye as they made their way over to the dessert table.
Cat watched them go, curious whether Louisa was Mellody or Noah’s mother. Whoever she was, it seemed that the will to live had left her long before. Cat rubbed at the goosebumps on her arms. She felt as if she’d just crossed paths with a ghost.
Cat rejoined her family’s conversation and listened to Gannon and Paige banter about work and babies. Her parents doted on each other and little Gabby. Nonni struck up a flirtatious conversation with Drake and Henry.
It felt so good, so right, being in this funny little fire hall on a holiday like today. Outside the brick walls, a town was on its way to being rebuilt, and spirits and expectations were rising. She wouldn’t let them down.
Cat grabbed her Styrofoam cup and headed over to the coffee table.
“That stuff will scrape the lining off of your intestines,” Noah warned, nodding at the thermos.
“I’ve had worse,” Cat said, filling her cup. “Not much worse, but worse.”
She turned to study him as he filled his own cup. “Thank you for this,” Cat said gesturing around the room that was full to bursting. “You gave my guys a family holiday even without their families.”
Noah shrugged. “After everything that they’ve done for us, what kind of town would Merry be if we didn’t give back?”
He looked relaxed, happy. “Well thank you anyway. This was a really sweet, unexpected gesture.”
“I had to make up a little bit for being such an ass,” Noah teased. “I mean, you did save my life and all.”
“Ah, yes. And now I’ll be saving your town,” Cat said airily. “However will you thank me for all of my goodness?”
He eyed her long and hard. “I can think of a few ways,” he ventured.
Noah Yates was flirting with her. Suggestively.
“What kind of ways?” Cat asked, testing him by stepping a half step closer. She watched his reflexive nervous glance toward his ex-wife and snickered.
“What?” Noah asked.
“You look like you’re looking to Mellody for permission to flirt with me,” Cat pointed out.
