-08-

“Fifteen. Sixteen. Seventeen.” Lance managed to gasp out a number with every breath he took as he worked through his push-ups at Hollywood Gym.

Despite the fans in the fitness center showering him with cool air, he felt himself burning up. Sweat rolled down the curve of his back, dripped off his forehead and nose and onto the floor. The yellow tape wrapped around his hands stated to bunch up underneath his palms. His arms started to burn as he lowered himself to the floor, slower and slower the more push-ups he did. He paused to balance himself on one hand, wiping the sweat from his forehead.

He could feel his chest muscles stretching and relaxing each time he lowered himself to the floor. He pushed himself up, holding himself up in starter position, to let out a breath of air, his stomach swelling as he did so. Squeezing his eyes shut, gritting his teeth, he slowly lowered himself to the floor. Digging his fingernails into the cushy, sweaty, mat beneath him, he pushed himself up to his last push up.

A small beep hit the air and Lance dropped down onto the mat, letting out a groan. “Not bad,” Annaleigh commented as a pair of purple kickboxing boots filled his vision. He rolled onto his back to look up at her, breathing heavily. “32 in a minute. That’s better than last time. Hell, it’s more than I could do on any given day.”

Lance barely managed to lift his hand into a thumbs up. Annaleigh let out her usual tinkling laugh before moving to sit down next to him, adjusting the straps of her sports bra. “Sit up, James, y’know how bad that is for ya,” she said to him, prodding her finger into his shoulder. “Ya need ta let yer heart rate slow down safely an' naturally.”

“And I can do that lying down,” Lance replied, keeping his eyes closed. He sucked in a breath of air, his stomach swelling, chest expanding, before he let out his breath of air.

“Do you want to spar or not?” Annaleigh asked and Lance’s eyes popped open. He had been waiting to hearing those words since he started training. He wanted to jump in the ring, gain some experience and to be able to defend himself if anyone were to want to pick a fight with him.

Lance pulled himself into a sitting position, the skin around his barely here abs rippling as he did so. He pulled a face as his muscles burned from all of the crunches and sit ups he had done earlier. It was slow moving, but he could see changes with his body. He was gaining more muscle mass and his shoulders were becoming broader.

“I thought that’d get ya,” Annaleigh said with a grin, reaching out for his hand. Lance put his hand into hers and allowed her to help him to his feet. “Come on, let’s change your tape.”

Lance rolled his shoulders, swinging his arms before following her to where they had abandoned their bags. He reached inside for his water bottle, popping open the top before squirting a long stream into his mouth. He closed his eyes as the cool water slid down his throat with a swallow, cooling his chest and his stomach from the inside out.

“So, someone’s birthday is coming up this week,” Lance said as he set his water bottle down, starting to peel the yellow tape off of his hands. His warm, sweaty hands hit the cool air and he waved it in the air, trying to cool down. “The big 25.”

“I’m going to be alive for a quarter of a century,” Annaleigh commented, pulling the elastic band out of her hair. “That’s not scary at all.”

“For the world, maybe,” Lance replied and Annaleigh laughed.

“I don’t know what I want to do,” she said, answering his question with a shrug of her shoulders. She reached for her towel and started rubbing her damp hair with it. “Hang out at home, hang with friends. Mom and dad say they want to take Gabe and me out for dinner one of the days they’re in town.”

“Elizabeth, too?” Lance asked, referring to Gabriel’s mom. Lance had found out about Annaleigh’s half-brother right before she traveled to Florida to audition for the NSYNC band.

It was hard for him to keep it a secret from her, especially when their first show of the No Strings Attached Tour was held in Mississippi. He had first met Gabriel’s mom, Elizabeth, that same night. But, it was Johnny that had explained everything to him and had asked him to keep the now even bigger secret. The revelation had caused a rift between the two of them for a little while, as he had been backed into a corner into telling her the truth.

“I don’t know,” Annaleigh replied with a shake of her head. “Gabe hasn’t seen her a lot since we decided to give this music thing a shot. What with our constant travelling.”

“How’s that going, by the way?” Lance asked.

“Well, all the churches we’ve been to have reacted positively to our music, but we’re still trying to get signed,” Annaleigh replied with a heavy sigh, reaching into her bag for her roll of tape. “We’ve been talking to JC about working on demos around helping him with his music while we have the studio time.”

“That’s great,” Lance said with a smile.

He remembered when she used to be terrified to sing in front of people she didn’t know; only being comfortable singing in front of her friends, family, and the congregation back at their church in Clinton. It was almost like pulling teeth, trying to convince her to branch out with her musical talent. She had even penned some demos for NSYNC albums, one of them (Do Your Thing) even appeared on the Celebrity album being co-written with J Moss and JC.

“Yeah, but I don’ think I ever realized how hard it is to get signed,” Annaleigh replied, making a brief face. “I never asked y’all ‘bout it. It jus’ kinda fell into your lap, though.” She closed one eye, briefly making a face. “I mean…I know y’all worked hard throughout your careers! I meant—“

“It’s fine, Ace,” Lance said with a chuckle, shaking his head. “You’re one of the few that know how hard we work.” He then waved his hand in the air. “Why do you think you’re having trouble getting signed?”

“Gabe and I haven’t decided on if we’re goin’ with alternative-rock or country rock all the while keeping our Christian faith in our music,” Annaleigh replied with a shrug. “He’s got a good country voice, but I think we mix our voices better with our alternative music.”

“You’ve got a good country voice, too though,” Lance replied. All those times listening to, and singing along with, Garth Brooks and Reba McEntire, she had developed a country twang that was all her own. “I’m sure it’ll all work out. Have you asked your dad what he thought?”

“We’re doin’ a song with him, actually,” Annaleigh said, her eyes widening in excitement. “A lot of people have been askin’ for it for a while, so we’re writin’ one together. He’s going to the studio with us.”

Lance let out a low whistle. “That’d be the first song he’d be releasing in a few years, isn’t it?” he asked and she nodded her head in agreement. ”That’s amazing. I’m happy for you guys.” Annaleigh gave a smile of thanks as she reached into her bag for her gloves. “I’ve…been thinking of getting back into music, too.”

“What?” Annaleigh asked, her jaw dropping as an excited look crossed her face. “Are you serious?” Lance couldn’t help but laugh at her excitement. He nodded his head repeatedly and she shoved his shoulders, nearly knocking him off of the bench. “Well shut my mouth. When? How?”

“I’ve been thinking about it for a while,” Lance replied. “Nothing made me happier than performing. When things were hard with Jake I found myself writing again.” He felt a bubble of excitement building in his chest. She was the first person he told about his music. He hadn’t even told Darren or Joey yet.

“Well, maybe you can write ‘bout how all this has affected you,” Annaleigh suggested, twisting her hair up into a ponytail before sliding her hands into her gloves. “Coming out, I mean.”

“Yeah, maybe,” Lance agreed. He quickly re-taped his hands and fastened his gloves around them before retrieving his boots from his bag. He slapped his gloves together with a loud clap and made his way over to the ring sitting in the middle of the room.

“You sure?” Annaleigh asked, following him. “You’re lookin’ a little pale.” Lance craned his neck to look into one of the many mirrors that lined the walls. His skin was flushed pink, but he looked ok. He stopped every once in a while faking a cramp or needing whatever whenever he felt…off. He thought he was doing a good job hiding it. She gave him a charming smile. “You’re not scared ta fight a girl, are ya?”

Lance just chuckled, reflecting the teasing remark as he climbed into the ring. He swung his arms, pacing around in a small circle as Annaleigh rolled her head on her shoulders as she took a corner. “No head shots,” she called over to him, lifting her leg, grasping her ankle to stretch her hamstrings. “We’re goin’ ta do a semi contact match to get an idea of what is natural for ya; light touches. The only illegal targets are the neck, throat, groin, back, and joints. Otherwise, fair game. Bet?”

“Bet,” Lance replied with a nod of his head. He barely had gotten the word out of his mouth when she lunged towards him, jabbing her glove covered fist at his side. Lance quickly stepped out of the way, keeping his hands up by his jaw.

He fought back as well as he could with quick jabs and punches, finding himself quickly sliding into a natural and comfortable stance. He was as light on his feet as he could make himself, landing a couple of hits on Annaleigh. His heart rammed in his chest as adrenaline rushed through his body. He was protecting himself well, ducking and jumping at the right moment.

It felt amazing.

It felt natural.

It felt…right.

“And here I thought you two fought with your words.” Lance turned at the familiar voice and groaned when Annaleigh jabbed his arm with her fist.

“Always keep your guard up, Lance-A-Snot,” Annaleigh said in a sing-song voice before making her way over to the side of the ring where Joey and his daughter, Brianna were standing. “Joe-Joe!”

“I knew you were training him, Ace, but I didn’t think you were being serious,” Joey said with a bit of a laugh.

“Why don’t you try it?” Lance asked with a tired laugh. He let out a deep breath of air, his shoulders slumping. “Might lose some of that weight.”

“Noooo,” Annaleigh protested as Joey rolled his eyes, laughing all the while. “Then he won’t be the cuddly Teddy Bear.” She climbed out of the ropes before giving him a hug. “Hey Joe.”

“Auntie Anna,” Brianna said with a wide smile, standing on her tip toes, holding her arms out in the air for a hug.

“Bumble Bee.” Annaleigh put her hands into Brianna’s armpits, lifting her up into the air before giving her a tight hug. “Hi.”

“How’re you doing, Fatone?” Lance asked, removing the gloves from his hand, making his way over towards the edge of the ring.

His vision suddenly pitched and he stumbled forward, gripping the ropes as his knees buckles. His heart pounded in his chest. Lance sucked in a deep breath of air and held it for a moment, squeezing his eyes shut. He let his breath out in a rush of air and his heart gave another hard slap in his chest before he was suddenly drained of energy.

“You ok?” Joey asked, the smile still on his face, yet faded just slightly. He gently hit Lance’s arm before offering his hand towards him. Lance lifted his head, slapping his hand into Joey’s before they bumped fists.

“Yeah,” Lance replied with a nod of his head. “I’m alright. Just…winded.” He put a smile to his face, and slowly made his way out from between the ropes. He sat down on the edge of the ring, giving his goddaughter a smile. “Hey, Brianna.”

“Hi, Uncle Lance,” Brianna said, giving Lance a small wave, refusing to let go of Annaleigh as she hooked her legs around the older woman.

“Oh, I see how it is,” Lance said with a small laugh, shaking his head as he removed the gloves from his hand. “Don’t want to hang out with your godfather. That’s fine with me.” He bowed his head and pretended to cry, sniffing loudly, allowing his shoulders to shake.

“Uncle Lance, you’re not really crying,” Brianna called out.

“Yeah, you’re right,” Lance agreed, lifting his head, stopping the theatrics. He got to his feet and stepped over to the small girl, loudly kissing her on the cheek, making her giggle. “You in town for Ace’s birthday?”

“No, I’m in town for her birthday cake,” Joey replied, rubbing his stomach with a wide smile. “Chocolate right, Firecracker?”

“You know it wouldn’ be a birthday without chocolate cake, Joe-Joe,” Annaleigh replied with a wide smile. “Everybody else will be havin’ funfetti.” Joey licked his lips, the smile never leaving his face. Annaleigh laughed, moving to give him a one-armed side hug. “Thanks for comin’ down and bringin’ Brianna.” She balanced Brianna on her hip. “Is Kelly here, too?”

“She had work, but she’ll be in tomorrow,” Joey replied.

“Well then, why don’ I take Brianna off your hands for a coupla hours and have a girls’ day?” Annaleigh offered. Brianna let out a cheer, hugging Annaleigh tightly before giving Joey a pleading look, sticking out her bottom lip. “Jus to t beach. I’ll take her home first and have Gabriel watch her while I take a quick shower.”

“Beach, beach, beach,” Brianna chanted.

“Just don’t fill her up with junk food from the pier again,” Joey said with a nod of his head. Brianna let out another cheer before wiggling in Annaleigh’s arms before she was set down on the ground. She then rushed over to Joey’s side, giving him a hug.

“Would I do that?” Annaleigh asked, widening her eyes in innocence. She clicked her tongue. “Shoot, you’d jus’ be upset you didn’ get any.”

“Damn straight,” Joey replied as Brianna skipped over to Lance. Lance gave the small girl a tight hug before gently pushing her towards Annaleigh.

“This’ll actually work out, I need to get some details of your birthday gift down,” Lance said, watching as Annaleigh’s eyes lit up. Christmas or her birthday, she always seemed to revert back to a kid in a way with how much she got excited for it. He then looked over at Joey. “Let’s roll.”

After quickly packing up their things, the group of four broke off into two small groups; Annaleigh and Brianna heading towards the beach, and Lance and Joey heading into town. On the way, Joey kept going on and on about Lance’s sparring with Annaleigh, but he was barely paying attention.

He was slowly breathing in and out of his mouth, tightening and loosening his grip on the steering wheel, trying to will some more energy into his arms. Just holding them up to the steering wheel was taxing.

“So where are we going?” Joey asked as Lance as he maneuvered his car through the city streets.

“An art store called Bello,” Lance replied. “I’m getting Ace a new guitar, and I want to put a design on it. I heard this place could scan or paint it on.” He gave a shrug of his shoulders as he came up to a red light, pressing his foot hard on the brake pedal.

“I’m glad you’re doing well, Lance,” Joey said, gently hitting his friend on the arm. “We were all worried, you know? Haven’t heard from you in a bit, apart from what Ace told us, anyway.”

“Yeah, sorry about that,” Lance muttered in reply. “Just been busy.”

“It’s understandable,” Joey replied with a shrug of his shoulders. “I haven’t heard from JC or Justin in a while. Hope to change that Anna’s party, but that’s ok.”

Lance nodded in agreement. Justin, JC, Chris, and Joey were like his brothers. He fully supported them in whatever they wanted to do, and he knew that they would support him. They lost touch for a little bit, sending an e-mail or a text here or there, but whenever they had enough time to actually get together; it was as if no time had passed.

And he missed that. He let out a sigh through his nose. And he would continue to miss that if….He shook his head, trying to shake the thought out of his brain. He wasn’t going to think about it. Not now.

“I heard of this place from one of my friends in town,” Lance explained to Joey as they pulled up in front of the small store. “He got a lot of his art for his house from here.” Joey made a humming sound in the back of his throat as he climbed out of the car.

Lance stretched his arms as he made his way into the art shop with Joey following behind him, tugging  on the brim of his hat. His muscles were starting to tighten up and get sore from his work out. He was sure he was going to feel Annaleigh’s punches on his body for the next couple of hours. He ran his knuckles over his arms, the pain of massaging his muscles hurting in the best way. A chime rang as they stepped over the welcome mat. A blast of cool air hit Lance in the face and he involuntarily let out a sigh.

Joey let out a low whistle as they passed frame after frame of paintings. “This stuff is cool,” he said, stepping over to a painting. “Hey, check this out, Lance.”

Lance made a U-turn in his path towards the back counter to look at what it was that Joey was standing in front of. “Whoa,” he whispered, stepping up beside his friend. An outline of a king’s crown was painted in black on the canvas. The background was painted a hunter green color with blue paint dripping down it. The word royal was written over and over again in a slanted, yet regal-like handwriting. “I haven’t ever seen anything like it.”

“Thanks,” a voice called from the back of the store, causing the two of them to jump. “I made that one.”

Lance exchanged glances with Joey and turned to see a man standing at the end of the aisle they were standing in. He had a red apron surrounding his body, covered in splotches of paint. “Can I help you with something?” he asked.

“My friend—“ Lance stopped when Joey loudly cleared his throat. “Sorry. Our friend, Annaleigh’s, birthday is coming up and we were hoping you could help us out.”

“Come on back,” the man said, waving his hand in the air, motioning for them to follow him. “I hope we can help you out, today.” He moved to stand behind a glass case filled with pictures taken of strangers at various photo sessions. He folded his hands on the counter and gave the two of them a smile. “So, what can I do for you?”

The man had dark somewhat curly hair, piled up on the top of his head, longer near the front and shorter at the sides. Stubble lined his jaw and covered his upper lip. His dark brown eyes shifted back and forth between the two of them as he waited for an answer.

“You said this was a birthday gift, right?” the man asked. “Do you already have an idea of what you want?” Lance parted his lips just slightly, the sound of air sliding past his lips, but he didn’t say anything. He didn’t think he could. The man was handsome.

“Well, our friend is a musician,” Joey explained, clapping his hands together. “She plays the bass and we thought we could surprise her with a new design on her guitar.”

“We already have an idea on the design, so we were wondering if you’d be able to put a picture onto the guitar for us,” Lance continued, his eyebrows slowly lowering. “Do you know if that’s possible?” He leaned forward slightly to peer at the nametag the man was wearing. “Michael?”

Michael peered back at Lance, his lips twitching upwards into a smile of amusement before he brushed his hair back with his hand. “I know a lot of things,” he commented with a sigh through his nose. “I know how to get a free hot dog from Pink’s, I know when’s the best time to head to the beach before all the crowds come in, and I know how to get a print onto a guitar.”

“A simple ‘yes’ would’ve sufficed,” Lance replied after a moment of silence, making a face.

“Is there anything specific you want on it?” Michael asked, reaching underneath the counter. He retrieved a sheet of paper and a pencil, slapping the latter down onto the counter with a loud clack. He massaged his fingers before popping them and then gripped the pencil between his two fingers, tapping the tip on the piece of paper.

“Uhh, the outline of Mississippi with the words ‘Little Miss’ arching through it in quotations,” Lance explained, “going along with the curve of the guitar. Then the words Sweet Pea on the end, also going along with the curve of the guitar, and in that empty space, a pair of cowboy boots—“

“Like this?” Michael asked, turning the paper around to show Lance. Lance blinked rapidly before staring down at the picture of a hand drawn guitar with everything he had requested on it, angled diagonally across the paper to fit. “Any colors you have in mind or just want it all outlined in white?”

“Uhhh,” Lance drawled out, trying to find his words. He was not expecting a picture to be drawn up so quickly let alone to that caliber. Even the font for the letters was done better than the standard writing he could think of.

“Do you want a background or…?” Michael trailed off, waving his hand in a circle in the air. He then gave Lance an amused look. “I can see you’ve thought this through.”

“Funny,” Lance commented, making a face at him. Michael just shrugged his shoulders, his lips pulling back to form a small grin.

“What’s this girl’s favorite color?” Michael asked, hiking an eyebrow.

“How’d you know it was for a girl?” Lance asked.

“Well, for one thing,” Michael replied with a sigh, tapping the tip of the pen against the counter top, “I don’t know a lot of guys that would willingly have anyone call them ‘Sweet Pea’ or ‘Little Miss’, gay or straight.” Lance shifted his weight from foot to foot, adjusting the collar of his shirt. “Cowboy boots are becoming a fashion statement with the girls around here. With the things you want on here, she has to be a Southern Belle and for another, I know you don’t play the guitar, Lance.”

“How do you…” Lance trailed off, clearing his throat, letting his question die on his lips. Who didn’t know of him at this point? Either he was known because of *NSYNC or because of the news as of late. Either way, he knew he’d have people knowing his name for the rest of his life. Michael gave him a second amused look, his eyebrows twitching just slightly. “Green.”

Michael glanced at him for a moment, looking like he was going to say something else, but kept his mouth shut. He let out a short laugh through his nose, his lips twitching up into a brief smile as he reached underneath the counter. He slapped a pack of colored pencils down onto the counter before removing the green. “Don’t blame her.”

“Uhhh.” Lance didn’t know what to say, but an ache had started to form in his stomach as his heart quickly leapt in his chest. He curled and uncurled his fingers, tapping them on the sides of his pants leg.

“You’re not one to talk much after a compliment, are you?” Michael asked with a laugh, starting to shade a swatch of green on the paper. He glanced up at Lance a couple of times before reaching for the yellow and blue.

Lance felt himself blush, his body suddenly overtaken by a rush of heat. Truth be told, he wasn’t used to being complicated by a guy. Not since he had broken up with Jake. Or rather not ever since Jake had broken up with him. Not only that, but he wasn’t sure what he was being complimented on.

“I made you nervous or I embarrassed you,” Michael observed, bowing his head, letting out a small laugh. “I apologize.”

“No, uh, don’t worry about it,” Lance quickly replied, his voice higher pitched than when he usually talked. He felt his lips curl up into a smile. Michael’s smile got a bit wider.

“So, for this girl’s birthday, jewelry can’t go wrong,” Michael commented. “I’m going to shamelessly plug my sister, Lauren, for this. She’s been designing some jewelry lately and I’ve been trying to get some of her first few things sold.” He put his hands up defensively. “And if you don’t like it, she can help you pick something out.”

Lance chuckled. “Actually, I’m going to let my friend, Darren, cover that,” he replied. He rolled his eyes, shaking his head. “The two have been interested in each other for years and haven’t done a thing about it. I mean, I’ve tried to get them together, but they’re too stubborn.”

“That’s an understatement,” Lance heard Joey mutter under his breath.

“Ehhh, I’ve learned not to rush these things,” Michael said, shading in the blue and yellow into the green, making the green a darker color, but also bringing out a brightness to the color as well. His eyes flickered up towards Lance a couple of times, narrowing just slightly as he continued to color in the perfect shade of green. “If it happens, it happens. If they still like each other this much after…” He trailed off. “How long have they known each other?”

“Since they were kids, basically,” Lance replied.

“Oh, yeah, they’re soul mates for sure,” Michael said with so much conviction that Lance couldn’t help but laugh. He lifted his head and brushed his hair to the side. “You and her, too. I’m assuming you’ve known her for the same amount of time.” Lance nodded his head. “I thought so.”

“You know all that just by looking at me?” Lance asked.

“And listening to what you you’re saying,” Michael replied with a shrug of his shoulders. “Being an artist, it’s important to listen to what people say. So, when do you need this done?”

“By the end of the week,” Lance replied, tapping his fingers on the edge of the glass case. Michael hummed to himself as he wrote done the date on the slip of paper. “I can bring in her guitar in an hour or two.”

“Ok,” Michael replied, straightening, scratching the side of his nose. “I have some smaller projects to do this week, but I can move that up and get it done first.” He tilted his head back and forth as he thought. “I can have it done by Thursday.”

“Really?” Lance asked, feeling his eyes widen.

“Sure,” Michael replied with a half smile. “Because it’s your best friend’s birthday and if she’s as much of a Southern Belle as this design entails, she will kill you if you don’t have anything for her.” Lance laughed along with him, knowing that it was true. She wasn’t dubbed “Firecracker” by Joey for nothing.

Annaleigh could charm practically anybody, but if you made her mad enough, it made you wish you never opened your mouth. And she had a way of insulting you without realizing that you had in fact been made fun of. But, it was how she had been taught, she never started fights, but she knew how to finish them.

“Thanks so much,” Lance said, offering him his hand. “Lance Bass.”

“Michael Turchin,” Michael replied, sliding his hand into Lance’s shaking his hand in a firm grip.

“And I’m Joey,” Joey spoke up, lifting his hand in the air. “In case either of you cared.” Lance reached out his hand, slapping the brim of Joey’s cap, knocking his cap upwards off his head. Joey adjusted his hat, grinning from ear to ear before he turned on his heels making his way out of the art shop.

“Thanks again,” Lance said as he started backing away from the counter. “I’ll see you on Saturday.”

“See you then,” Michael replied.

Lance turned to follow his friend out of the art shop. “Would you wait up?” Joey chuckled as he pulled open the passenger seat door, climbing into Lance’s car. Lance let out a teasing huff of annoyance as he made his way around to the driver’s seat

“I was just giving you some space,” Joey explained as Lance climbed into the car, slamming the door shut behind him. “See if you could make a love connection or something.”

“Ha!” Lance let out a loud laugh. “Yeah, nice one, Joe.”

“What?” Joey asked, widening his eyes in innocence. “You should ask him to go to Ace’s birthday party, deliver the gift himself.”

“Why would I do that?” Lance asked.

“You heard him, he’s working in the shop by himself for a couple of days,” Joey replied and then let out a deep laugh, “and he was obviously into you.”

“No, he wasn’t,” Lance replied with a shake of his head. “He was…” Annoying? Different? Interesting? All of the above? “I-I mean, what reason would I need him to be at Ace’s party for?”

“Tell him that there’ll be cake,” Joey replied with a shrug.

“Joey.”

“Chocolate cake.”

“Joey.”

“Who makes their own birthday cake anyway?” Joey asked, a thoughtful look crossing his face as he rubbed his chin. Lance let out a heavy sigh, slumping in his seat. Once Joey started on a subject, it was hard to get him off of it. “I mean, Firecracker’s a great cook, so I know the cake will be good but—“

“JOEY!” Lance shouted, interrupting his friend. Joey blinked, startled at the loud outburst. He drummed his fingers on the steering wheel, glancing into the store’ s window, watching as Michael made his way into the back of the store. “Shoot, if it means that much to ya, I’ll think ‘bout invitin’ him.” He pointed a warning finger in Joey’s face. “But, ya don’ invite a stranger to a party for cake.”

Joey gave him a curious look.

“…You invite him for cake an’ ice cream,” Lance muttered before he started up the car. Joey tilted his head back, letting out a loud cackle. “I ain’t sayin’ I’m gonna do that either.”

“Sure,” Joey replied. “Whatever you say.”