Page 112 of The Christmas Fix
He drank like a man walking through the Sahara.
“She’s something though,” Jasper said, blissfully unconcerned by Gannon’s discomfort. “I mean, it would be hard not to fall for Cat. Even my wife has a crush on her.”
“We’re not talking about my sister and anyone having any kind of feelings for her,” Gannon cut in.
“So, what are you going to do?” Henry asked Noah.
“Do?”
“You know, the grand gesture. How are you going to tell her how you feel and that you want her to stay or you want to go with her?”
“Guys, neither of those things are options. My life is here in Merry. Sara’s here. Mellody… and Ricky are here. My job. Everything.”
“We’d work something out with you, man,” Ricky promised amiably.
“Then ask her to stay,” Drake shrugged.
“Her entire life is… well, everywhere but here. She travels all the time. She works long hours when she’s filming. And she’s only going to get busier.”
“Yeah, even if she does make the move to L.A., I don’t see her slowing down any time soon,” Gannon said.
Noah blinked. “L.A.?”
“Oh, for fuck’s sake. Why can’t you two just get your heads out of your asses and talk to each other?” Gannon groaned, exasperated.
“Ffff. Ffff.” Gabby was gleefully trying to eke out her first four-letter word.
“Nobody react,” Gannon ordered. “Just insert ‘funky’ into the conversation every other sentence, and we’ll be fine. Be cool about it.” He was sweating though.
“When in thefunkdid Cat decide she was moving to L.A.?” Noah demanded. Drake and Henry looked just as surprised. Ricky and Jasper were too busy in an apparent head-to-head egg eating contest to react.
“I don’t know man. I don’t think she’s decided yet. The offer’s on the table. The network wants her to build her school there and turn it into a show.” Gannon was backing toward the door to the living room.
“Well, now youhaveto make a grand gesture,” Drake insisted. “You can’t just let her jet off to the other side of the country when you’re in love with her.”
“I didn’t say I was—”
Gannon, Jasper, and Ricky burst out laughing. “Ah, funk. It’s so cute when they try to fight it,” Jasper said, slapping the countertop.
“It’s written all over my stupid funky face, isn’t it?” Noah sighed.
“Oh, totally.”
“Funk yeah.”
“Uh-huh.”
“Fffffff.”
Then why hadn’t Cat noticed? Or had she, and she was too busy crafting an exit strategy to react?
Noah took a gulp of his second drink. It wasn’t awful. Not like the clawing panic in the back of his throat. He was in love, and the woman who’d turned his life upside down was going to walk out of it tomorrow night and never come back. Unless…
He pulled a chair out from the breakfast table, sat. “She saved my life. Did she tell you?”
“Are we talking metaphorically here?” Ricky asked, pulling another beer out of the fridge.
Noah shook his head. “She was here in the flood. Pulled my ass out of the water when I went under.”
