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.

Cat abandoned her carb concerns for the moment and joined them.

“Cat, this is my mom, Mellody.”

Mellody wiped her hands hastily on a napkin. “It’s really nice to meet you, Cat. I’ve heard a lot about you from my daughter who rarely stops talking.”

Sara grinned, unaffected by the comment.

“It’s great to meet you, Mellody,” Cat said, holding up her dirt-stained hands. “I’d shake but…”

“That’s all right. I’m covered in icing and forbidden carbs that I’m not going to tell my personal trainer or the seamstress about,” Mellody announced.

A kindred spirit in the carb department.

Cat grinned. “Sara’s a pretty cool kid.”

Mellody had rich dark hair like Sara’s and wide brown eyes. Cat could see more of Noah in Sara’s nose and jawline. But she clearly got her pleasantness from her mother. “She is cool if I do say so myself. I hope my ex-husband isn’t giving you a rough time while you’re here.”

“Why would Dad give Cat a hard time?” Sara wanted to know.

Mellody grinned at Cat in commiseration. “Oh, you know your father, sweetie. He likes to have everything a certain way.”

“His?” Cat suggested.

“That’s our Noah,” Mellody laughed. “Don’t let his stubbornness throw you. Deep down, under his crabby exterior, he’s a wonderful man. Isn’t he, Sara?”

“Well, he’s no Drake or Henry,” Sara sighed dreamily, and Cat laughed.

Mellody’s phone rang from the depths of her purse. She dug for it. “Oh, crap. The venue. Please don’t let this be bad news. Hello? Oh, no.”