Prologue

“I don’t think it’s anything more than a minor sprain,” Cadence said as she twisted Justin’s hand back and forth. She then bent it backwards and Justin winced slightly. “And you say this happened from playing basketball?” She looked at him skeptically and Justin grinned in reply, blue eyes shining.

“It was basketball,” he clarified. “Ask Chris, he was the one that pushed me.”

“I did not!” Chris called from the breakfast table, shoveling the rest of his pancakes into his mouth. “You fell! You’re so thin a gust of wind could knock you over.”

“Did anyone say breaking wind?” Joey asked as he walked through the kitchen to put up his plates. As he went, he let out a loud fart that caused the others to groan, waving their hands in front of his their faces.

Cadence gave Joey a look, slapping him on the arm as he passed her. “Joey,” she said to him.

“Hey, I told you those protein shakes make me gassy,” Joey defended himself with a shrug. “You should have listened to me the first time.”

“I should have listened to my first thought to of running you into the ground,” Cadence shot back. She laughed as Joey ruffled her hair and dumped his dishes in the sink with a clamoring noise. She turned back to Justin as he shook his arm to get her attention.

“Hello? Patient with a hurt arm, here,” Justin shot back.

“And I told you that you’re going to be fine.” Cadence quickly bandaged his arm and backed away from him. “You’re just mad that we’re having pancakes for breakfast instead of cereal and are trying to get back at me for it.”

Justin pouted, proving her right. “Cereal should be part of the food groups.”

“Technically it is,” Lance pointed out, sitting at the table with Chris. “It’s part of the wheat and grains. What you’re thinking about is the Food Pyramid.”

“That too!” Justin cried indignantly.

Cadence patted him on the arm. “Take it up with the government, JT.” She turned around to replace the First Aid kit underneath the kitchen sink and jumped when she spotted JC standing behind her, quietly eating from a plate. She brought a hand up to her chest, trying to slow down her speeding heart. “Jesus, Jace, you scared the fuck out of me.”

JC’s blue eyes shone as he brought another bite up to his lips and stuck it in his mouth. “I’ve been standing here for the last ten minutes, Cade,” he pointed out.

“Yeah, well, you need to stop being such a goddamn, ninja,” she said.

“He was just checking you out,” Joey said.

JC snorted loudly. “Yeah right,” he said and Cadence turned to face him, raising an eyebrow. “No offense,” he added, blushing lightly at the insult he threw her way.

“None taken,” She replied and pointed to him. “But do it again and you won’t be so lucky.”

Now JC laughed, before taking another bite, finishing his plate. “Duly noted, Cade.” He reached around Joey and put his dish and fork in the sink as well then looked at his watch, eyes widening. “Hey, guys, we have to go. Meeting with Lou and Johnny in about ten minutes.”

“Field trip!” Chris declared with a full mouth, poking the air with his fork. “Hey, maybe they’re finally getting rid of Lance. You can only forget the lyrics to your own songs so many times. And he’s a bad dancer. That’s a deadly combination for a firing if there ever was one.”

Lance rolled his eyes before shooting back with, “Maybe they’re getting rid of you. I mean, you steal the security carts at venues and take them on crazy joyrides, you can never go a day without talking back to one of them without a snarky comment, and you’re a man-child.”

“Yeah, my money’s still on Lance,” Chris said.

Cadence laughed again, pushing her hair away from her hazel eyes. “I’d hope not. He’s the only one that keeps me sane around you guys. And he’s the only sane one out of you.” She flashed Lance a grateful smile which he returned with a charming one. At JC’s offended throat clearing behind her she continued with, “Jace, you’re as bad as the others when they get to you. Lance at least knows when to stop.”

“True,” Lance agreed.

“And the fact of the matter is all five of you together are just as crazy as you are successful.” Cadence looked at her watch. “Now you only have five minutes to get to the meeting, you’re going to be late and I’m not getting into a car with Chris ever again.”

“Oh, you know you love it,” Chris shot back.

“That’s okay, a driver is coming to pick us up,” Joey reassured her.

“Then he’s been sitting in the driveway for almost a half hour.” With that, JC, Justin, Lance, Chris, and Joey all raced out the door as quickly as they could. Cadence chuckled and walked to the foyer to pick up the bag she left as she arrived that morning to help Justin with yet another injury that seemed to pop up, and the bruise on Lance’s shin he didn’t remember he had gotten—he was that much of a klutz.

Working with Nsync was nothing short of an adventure. She just hoped her adventure wasn’t going to crash and burn anytime soon.

That’s the way things always seemed to go with her.