“You never come home anymore Josh.”

“Mom. ABDC is in season – you know that. I’ve gotta stay here, but I’ll be home for the holidays, promise.” JC Chasez moved skillfully around his kitchen, putting the finishing touches on his omelet and hash browns as he tried to wrap up a conversation with his mom. He loved her to death, but he hated when she got into her nagging phase. Today, she was nagging about how he never came home. Last week, it was about how he –

“Will you be bringing a girl home this time? You’re not getting any younger.”

– wasn’t seeing anyone.

“OK Mom. It’s 8am here, and my breakfast is getting cold. Can we have this conversation after I’ve eaten?” He heard her sigh on the other line as he carried his plate to the breakfast nook, the newspaper and a cup of coffee already at the table.

”OK. Fine. But don’t forget, your sister’s coming into town tomorrow.” JC smiled at the reminder, happy to have family in town. He hadn’t seen his sister in nearly a year, and he was looking forward to her visit. Even if she was just coming out there because of work, at least she was there at the same time he was.

“The guest room’s been set up since she told me two months ago. Trust me Mom, things will be fine.” He wrapped up his conversation with his mom before hanging up and setting the phone aside, sighing and shaking his head. He dug into his food and flipped through the paper, enjoying the silence of the morning. He’d been running like crazy the past few weeks, and it was nice to have a weekend to just sit down and relax.

That was, until the phone rang again.

Groaning, he looked at the Caller ID and glared at the number before answering. “You’d better have a good reason why you’re calling right after Mom. I know she called you.”

“She wanted me to call and make sure everything is good and that you have my itinerary.” His younger sister sounded amused, which didn’t help the situation at all.

“You know you’re just fueling the fire, right?” JC huffed as he pulled out his iPhone, unlocking it and flipping to the e-mail Heather had sent him a few days before. “And yes. I have it. You’ll be here tomorrow at 9:30, and I’ll be at the airport to pick you up. I have an extra car you can use while you’re here, and the guest bedroom and bathroom are all set for your girly ways.”

“Did you remember the alcohol? I’m gonna need it if they expect me to complete most of this audit in four days.” JC chuckled as he took a sip of his coffee, leaning back in his chair.

“Yes. The bar is stocked. Anything else Princess Heather?”

“Nope. You covered it all. I can give a positive report to Mom now. See you tomorrow bro!” JC rolled his eyes as he hung up and went back to his breakfast and newspaper. He knew it was quite possible he’d get no peace while Heather was around, but she was family. Family that he missed. He’d go with it and, within reason, give her anything she wanted.

As he pulled the sports section out of the paper, his phone buzzed with a text.

I get to drive the Beamer, right?

JC laughed as he typed out a sentence that pretty much equated to saying, “In your dreams.” When he said within reason, he meant it.