"This is great." Jamie grinned at Nick. "Thank you so much for aking me out. It's been a while."
"Well, one reason I took you out," Nick began, "was because your birthday is in how many days? A week or so? not that long!"
Jamie laughed. "That is why I like you so much. you are always thinking of the nicest things!"
Nick looked at her empty plate. "Are you done?" he wondered.
she looked down. "Yeah. I'm not sure if I want dessert, though. i'm kinda . . . full."
"Well, that's good, because if we got dessert, we'd be late for the movie, now wouldn't we?" Nick asked.
Jamie's eyebrows raised. "You didn't say we were going to the movies." she looked at her watch.
"Yea, well, it was a surprise." Nick shrugged.
"Um, I hate to burst your bubble, but if I go to the movies, I won't make it home on time," Jamie began. "And if i'm late, my dad-"
"Will kill you," Nick finished.
"Yeah," Jamie sighed. "Could I take a rain check?" she asked him.
As he got the waiters attention, Nick put on his jacket, and said, "Sure. But at least we still have time to do one more thing."
"What's that?"
"It's a surprise."
"Will I like it?" Jamie asked, laughing.
Nick looked her in the eye. "It's to die for."
***
"Candy drives me so insane sometimes!" Joey burst out. " 'But my baby won't like this, and my baby won't like that' " he mimicked. "I couldn't care less about that damn cat."
"Give it a rest, Joey," JC told him.
"Shut up, Josh. Do you have any idea what it's like, living with a fluffy white thing, who eats out of dishes that cost more than your car?" he asked him.
JC laughed. "No, and i'm glad that I don't. I'd kill Katina if I did."
"Yea, well, consider yourself lucky," Joey grumbled.
"Hey, Jace," Justin called JC's attention. "How is Katina?"
"She's gotten annoyed lately, because she's been spending a lot of time with the twins. She thinks that I don't help enough. I help a lot." He looked at his friends. "I do."
"Calm down, Josh," Chris said. "You sound like you're trying to convince us. We don't care."
Lance shrugged, when JC looked at him for support. "I spend time with Jamie," he told them. "But not as much time as I'd like to. Right now, she's on a date with Nick. Of course, there's not a lot she really wants to do with her dad. 32 is considered 'Over the hill', you know."
"Yeah, that makes me feel great," Chris said. "You forget I am 8 years older? 40?"
"Yea, you're practically dead, grandpa," Justin smirked. "And look at you. Still single, too."
"Hey! Lance is, too."
"Lance is divorced. And raising a 16 year-old on his own, too," Lance spoke up.
"Yea, sucks for you," Chris remarked. "You aren't the only one who ever got married." He got a downcast look on his face. "It's not like I wanted it to end, you know."
"Chris, we're sorry, ok?" Justin told him. "But geez, it's been 4 years! You need to get past it."
"It'll be easier to spend time with you if you did, that's for sure," Joey commented.
"Aww, screw you, Joey," Chris remarked.
"Nope," Joey said, as a grin light up his face. "That's Candy's job!"
JC looked at him. "Oh, please, spare us the details."