Josie paced nervously in her room. This was it. Tonight was the night. In less than five minutes, Monica would be here, with Alice in tow. It was their only chance.

Her only chance.

Breakfast had been a miserable affair. Buddy had been solicitous, telling her how he was going back to school and how he was going to make something of himself, while Evan had glowered behind his newspaper, contributing only when Buddy prompted him for accolades.

It was obvious Evan was stepping back for Buddy.

Granted, family love was super important and all that, so Evan was actually even more attractive through his self-sacrifice...but still. It didn't make her stomach stop churning with dismay.

No, not dismay. That was too weak. Outrage. Disgust. Ire.

The doorbell rang, and Josie steeled herself. Okay, she was ready. Prepared.

Buddy was downstairs watching television, while Evan was locked in his study working. Buddy was closest to the door.

The doorbell rang again. Answer it, Buddy.

She heard feet stride across the wooden floor and the door yanked open. "Hi Monica."

Oh, bliss. Evan had answered the door. Didn't Buddy know she was doing this for him?

She heard Monica introducing Evan to Alice, and decided it was time to go downstairs to redirect. She paused for a moment to check her reflection. Dirty jeans, a baggy tee shirt, a crooked pony tail and no makeup. Okay, she'd added a little makeup under her eyes to accent the circles from lack of sleep. A first, no doubt. She looked positively frightful. Granted, she ran the risk of sending Evan running for the hills, but she had no choice. She could always run after him, if necessary.

She padded downstairs in her bare feet, perfectly adorned with chipped nail polish. Her hair was a little itchy from not being washed, but it was worth it to ensure its dull, limp state. She shuffled around the corner, hunching her shoulders, and looking sullen and unattractive. Buddy had wandered into the hall and was chatting with the gals. He actually looked halfway decent, wearing one of Evan's sports shirts and a clean pair of slacks. Granted, it had probably been to impress her, but the timing was perfect with Alice there.

Monica was the first to notice her, and Josie saw her eyebrows rise. She gave Josie a subtle nod of approval, and Josie grinned. Yes, this was going to be perfect.

Then she caught the look on Evan's face. He was laughing. At her. Laughing. Because she looked like a troll or because he knew what she was up to? Neither one was good.

She took a deep breath then looked at Buddy. He was gazing at her as if she were an angel down from heaven. What? That wasn't right. She tried to make her expression even more annoyed and slouched even more. "Hi Alice. You look really nice tonight."

And she did. Without her lab jacket on, Alice actually had a figure and she apparently knew how to wear makeup. Pleasant surprise.

Alice nodded. "So do you."

Josie nearly laughed at the pained look on Alice's face at having to force out the lie. She must really look awful. "Well, come on in." She eyed the boys. "We're going to cook on the grill and hang out in the backyard. You guys want to join us?"

Evan looked surprised, but Buddy nearly knocked her over in his haste to grab her arm and tug her toward the kitchen. "We'd love to join you," he announced. "Come on, Evan. Let's dine with the ladies."

Ladies? She was quite sure Buddy had never referred to a woman as anything that complimentary in his whole life. Had the man had a lobotomy? She peered closely at him as he nattered compliments in her ear, but she couldn't see any sign of a scar indicating major brain surgery. Huh.

By the time they made it to the kitchen, she managed to peel her arm out of his grasp, turning around to see Alice wrap herself around Evan's arm.

What? That's not the way it was supposed to work! She glanced at Monica, who shrugged her shoulders.

This was a mess. A complete mess. Especially since Evan wasn't making any noticeable effort to get Alice off him.

Buddy leaned over, his breath hot in her ear. Yuck. "Hey, Josie, need some help with dinner?"

She grabbed matches and shoved them in the hand that was aiming for her butt. "Go light the grill."

Buddy grinned. "Yes, Ma'am. I can be a good homemaker. You'll see."

"Go." She shooed him out the door, nearly snarling at his leering smiles. She was turning into a total beast. Ugly on the outside, ugly on the inside. Even Zeus would hate her by the time this evening was over.

"So..." Alice sidled over to her. "Buddy seems to have cleaned up a bit."

Hallelujah. "Yes, he has. Looks pretty good, huh?"

"You getting back together with him?"

"No," Josie said quickly. "He's available."

Alice nodded. "Good. Even though he seems to be changing, I wouldn't trust him. You stay far away from him."

She really hoped that warning came from jealousy and not because Alice really believed that Buddy was bad news. She dumped a stack of plates in Alice's hands. "Can you go outside and set the table? Buddy can help you set it up."

"Sure." Alice paused by Evan. "Can you help?"

Evan nodded and followed Alice outside, leaving Josie staring after them with a very rotten feeling in her belly. "This isn't working."

Monica sighed. "I didn't think it would."

"She likes Evan."

"Who wouldn't?" Monica took in Josie's glare. "I mean, you know, he's pretty nice-looking and personable guy too...but of course, he's only interested in you."

Josie snuck over to the window and peered outside. Alice actually had her hand on Evan's shoulder and was laughing like a hyena at something he'd just said. Her hand was on his shoulder! And Evan wasn't pushing it way. "I wish men could be banned from this planet."

Monica peered out the window. "Maybe he's just trying to force himself to pay attention to Alice because he's so broken up over you."

"You think?" She watched Alice wipe an imaginary piece of lint off Evan's chin and wanted to jump through the window and throw Alice off the deck and into the pool.

"Of course. He's just trying to be strong and muddle through." Monica fell silent as Evan touched Alice's waist.

It was a fleeting touch, but it was still a touch. Evan touching another woman. In front of her. This was definitely not a good sign.

"What're you guys looking at?" A heavy hand settled on her lower back, and Josie twisted away instinctually from Buddy's touch. "Oh, Evan and Alice. Wouldn't that be a kick if they got together? The woman hates me. Imagine holidays? She'd probably poison my dinner."

"No, I think she likes you," Monica managed to choke out. "She told me that she thinks you still like Josie, so she was going to try to make you jealous."

Too much. No way could she hear that without laughing. Josie buried her face in the freezer, pretending to look for something, anything, while she eavesdropped.

"You think?" Buddy sounded surprised.

"Mmm. She likes bad boys," Monica said.

"I'm reformed. For Josie."

Josie rolled her eyes and poked at a bag of frozen corn.

"I thought you and Josie weren't getting along," Monica said.

Understatement of the year.

"Yeah," Buddy said. "But true love never dies. She did invite me to join you guys tonight. That's a good sign."

Only if he was completely deranged and unable to understand reality.

Monica cleared her throat. "I think maybe she invited you because she thinks you and Alice will make a good couple."

Buddy was quiet for a long moment.

Come on, Buddy! Take the bait!

"I think you're wrong."

Argh! She punched a bag of peas.

"Besides, even if that was true, I wouldn't interfere."

"With what?"

Bless Monica for her stubborn inquisition. A true best friend.

"With Evan and Alice. Look at them. He likes her. I'd never interfere."

There was no way this could be happening. Foiled twice by the same blasted code between brothers?

"But she doesn't like him," Monica tried. "She's just flirting with him to make you jealous."

"Doesn't matter. If Evan likes her, she's off limits. And from here, it looks pretty mutual."

Mutual? What in tarnation was going on outside? That was it. She could pretend no longer. Grabbing a bag of green beans, Josie yanked her head out of the freezer, slammed the door shut and marched over to the window.

Evan and Alice were sitting on the grass, playing ball with Max. They were sitting a trifle too close, and Alice had her hand on Evan's thigh. That thigh belonged to her!

She whirled away from the window to find Buddy watching her intently. Ah, at last. He'd seen her pain and realized she was in love with his brother. Finally, out in the open.

"Josie."

"Yes?"

"You don't need to worry."

"Worry?" Was he going to let her and Evan be together?

"Even if Alice is trying to make me jealous, it won't work. My emotions aren't that fickle."

She was utterly speechless. What in the world was she supposed to say? She glanced at Monica, who shrugged her shoulders and held out her hands in a gesture of helplessness.

"Buddy. I don't love you."

He smiled. "I won't pressure you. I know it'll take time to rebuild the trust. But I'm here to stay. I'm getting my life in order. You'll see."

What else could she say? "If I started belching on a regular basis, would that quell your love for me?"

His smile stretched into a grin. "No way. Don't worry, Josie. You can't drive me away no matter how hard you try."

The backdoor slammed and Evan walked in with Alice. "Ally and I are going to take Max for a walk. We'll be back in time for dinner."

Ally? He was calling her Ally? Her name was Alice. And she'd fired Josie. Where were his loyalties? Just because he had some moral idea about a brotherly code that Buddy apparently shared didn't mean he had to go and shack up with another woman. He should pine in misery forever for her, unable to ever be with another woman again because no woman would live up to her.

If she was going to be miserable and alone for the rest of her life, then so should he. The man simply had no business going on with his life.

"Josie? You okay?" Monica touched her shoulder. "You look a little pale."

"Pale? I look pale?" How could she look pale? Maybe because she'd been driving herself into a state of utter misery?

Which was completely unacceptable.

What happened to her positive affirmations? Her delusions of a perfect life. Be positive. Be positive. Be positive.

Nope.

Her mind was utterly blank of anything positive.

"Tell me something good," she ordered Monica. Anything to get her back from the precipice of utter despair, where she was teetering dangerously.

"You got your money back."

Oh, good one. "I did, didn't I?" Time to take charge of her life. "Now that I have a job again, and I have my money back, I can afford rent. Can I bum the couch off you for a month until school starts? I'll sign up for the dorms and move in there in September."

Monica lifted her eyebrows. "You're giving up?"

"Can I really live here fending off Buddy while Evan and Alice play snuggle-bunny in the room next door?"

"Probably not an optimal living situation, huh?" Monica shook her head. "I really think this Evan/Alice thing is just his way of trying to protect himself. It's not going anywhere."

"He's calling her Ally."

"Maybe she told him that was her name. How does he know?"

Josie pursed her lips. "Jealousy is a horrible feeling."

"Which is what Evan's feeling now. That's probably why he took off with Alice, so he wouldn't have to look at you and Buddy together. Ever think of that?"

"No, I haven't. But it doesn't matter, does it? Even if he's totally broken up over me, he's going to dump me in Buddy's bed the first moment he has the chance. I can't do it. I simply can't. I'm moving out tomorrow."

* * *

Evan woke up with a start, his heart racing, with the certain dread that something was wrong. Very wrong. He glanced at the clock. Barely six o'clock on the weekend. Max snoozing at his feet. The house was quiet.

But it was a bad quiet.

Evan kicked off the covers and yanked open his door, just in time to hear the front door slam shut. Without pausing to think about what it meant, he bolted down the stairs and hauled open the door just in time to see Josie toss a heavy duffel into the trunk of her car. "What are you doing?"

She glanced up. "Don't you ever put clothes on?"

If he'd realized her inspection of him would awaken certain parts of his body instantly, he certainly would have taken a moment to pull something on over his boxers. But no need to admit he was still attracted to her. "Where are you going?"

"To Monica's."

"Why?" He walked over to the car, trying not to flinch as the gravel dug into his bare feet. "How many bags do you have in there? Six?"

She slammed the trunk shut. "Yes."

Dread clenched his gut. "Why?"

"I'm moving out."

No! He grabbed her arm as she tried to slide past him. "I said you could stay here."

"You called her Ally."

He blinked. "What?"

"Ally. You called her Ally."

"So?" What in the world was Josie talking about? "That's her name."

"No, her name is Alice. You called her Ally." She tried to pull away, but he tightened his grip on her arm.

"You're moving out because I called her Ally?"

"Yes. I mean, No. I don't know. Let go of me."

"Not until you explain what's going on." She couldn't leave. That was wrong. She belonged in his house. With him. He meant Buddy. With Buddy.

"I owe you nothing." She nearly growled the words, and he felt the familiar respect for her rising inside him. "I can't live here anymore. I can't bear to fend off Buddy anymore, and..." Her voice faltered. "And I can't stand to watch you with other women."

"What?" She was jealous? Of him? With Ally? Even with Buddy back, she still loved him? "You...still...love me?"

Josie glared at him. "Not for long." She yanked her arm out of his grasp. "I'll be back in a month for my furniture."

"Don't go."

"Why?" She stopped and met his gaze. "Tell me why you want me to stay."

"Because..."

She held up a hand. "And if you say it's for Buddy, I'll drive over you on my way out."

He shut his mouth. It wasn't for Buddy. He wanted her to stay for him. But he had no right to say it.

For a long moment she waited.

And he said nothing.

Then she got in her car and left.

And he let her go. He had to let her go. He had no other choice.