"Everyone, Sit!" Josie released Max into her mom's living room and shouted at her sisters, her mom, and Monica. And two of her brothers, who had skipped work to barge in on the women's family meeting that Josie had called. "I'm having a crisis!"

"Lemonade and iced tea," her mom called out as she put two pitchers on the coffee table. "Danishes and coffee cake will be up soon."

"Mom, will you sit? You have to hear this."

Her mom patted her cheek. "Don't worry, honey, I can hear just fine from the kitchen."

Max climbed onto the couch and stretched across four laps, and received lots of patting in return. Josie's parents' house wasn't the kind of place where dogs weren't allowed on the furniture. How could it be? With nine kids growing up, then countless grandkids and spouses, the most anyone could hope for was to see the furniture under all the junk.

Which was perfect. She loved this house. Not Evan's pristine house. Granted, he'd been quite amicable about letting Max take over and shed hair and toss slobber around, but still. That didn't mean the house was as warm and cozy as her parents'.

She suddenly realized the room was silent and everyone was staring at her. "Oh, right. You want to hear what's up."

Her mom popped in with a tray of steaming pastries. "Get 'em while they're hot. More will be ready in ten minutes."

Josie waited while everyone helped themselves, then one of her sisters-in-law had to rush to the backyard to deal with a screaming child that the teenager-in-charge hadn't been able to quiet. Then a very pregnant Rose had to go to the bathroom. "You might as well just start," Monica said. "You'll never get everyone here at the same time."

"Fine." But if she waited until everyone was there, then she'd never have to talk. No, she could do this. This is what family was for. Helping. "It's Evan."

"Are you pregnant?" her mom shouted from the kitchen.

"No!" She stomped her foot, but then took a deep breath. "Let me talk for a couple minutes without interruption, okay?"

An assenting murmur passed through the room, accentuated by a five-year-old howl from the backyard that lessened her audience by one. She'd have to get this out quickly, or she'd never finish.

"Buddy's back." Mouths started to open, so she rushed onward. "He wants to marry me, but he spent all my money. Has a job. Says he has reformed himself because he loves me."

"Don't even think of dropping Evan for that loser," her mom announced, pointing a dripping spatula in her direction. "I had the nicest conversation with that boy last night..."

"What? You did? About what?"

"No, no, no. Finish the story," Monica said. "Do the conversation thing later."

What in the world had her mom and Evan discussed? Evan hadn't mentioned it last night.

"Talk," Monica ordered.

"Fine." Josie paced in front of the fireplace...well, the brick opening in the wall that used to be a fireplace, but which now served as a toy chest. "Anyway, I think I might be...getting overly fond of Evan."

"Of course you are," her mom said. "You're marrying him."

"No!" Josie flexed her hands and forced herself to stay calm. "The engagement thing was a lie to get you off my back about getting married again. Then it sort of exploded. But the thing is..." She stopped. How did she admit this?

"You wish it wasn't a lie," her sister Rose finished.

Josie shrugged, her gut tight. "Maybe."

"Wait a sec," her brother said. "You're living with the man and he hasn't made a commitment to you?"

"It wasn't like we were involved. He moved me in to keep me available for when Buddy came back." No need to point out her use of the past tense regarding whether they'd been involved. "So, there's my conflict. I think he likes me, but he's adamant that since Buddy loves me, he can't steal me. But I like Evan." There. She'd said it. She liked him.

The room was quiet, and even her mom was standing in the doorway drying her hands off on her apron.

"Why is Evan being so altruistic?" Rose asked.

"Because he feels he owes Buddy. It's a long story, but believe me, I don't think I'm going to talk him out of it."

"Already tried, huh?"

"Maybe a few times."

"So, what do you mean, 'were' involved?"

Josie scowled at her brother. "Nothing."

"You sleeping with him?"

Okay, this was so not the forum to be discussing her sex life. Not with her family there. "That's not the point, Oscar. I need to know what to do about Evan?"

"It is the point." Her brother was on his feet now. "He's getting action with my sister and you have no ring on your finger?" He jerked his head at the other brother in attendance, Robbie. "Let's go. I know where his office is."

"Wait! You can't!" She tried to grab her brother's arm. "Come on, you guys. This isn't the olden days. I'm just as responsible as he is."

"Yeah, and we'll deal with you later." Oscar easily twisted out of her grasp and her brothers slammed out the front door.

Great. Just great. That was the sure way to win Evan over. Threaten his life? She looked at her sisters, and they were all grinning. "What's so funny?"

"Face it, Josie. Evan deserves it. You're way too easy on your men. He needs to realize you aren't some piece of leftover pumpkin pie to leave out on the counter until he's ready for a bite," Rose said. "I thought you weren't going to let men walk all over you. Wasn't that your plan?"

"Yeah...but...I..." Damn. Her sister was right. "I'm totally pathetic, aren't I?" And here she thought she'd been some tough chick. "I don't deserve to be a woman."

The room filled with supportive female cooing, and Josie found herself herded onto the couch under a barrage of hugs and pats.

"Stop it!" A loud clang startled them, and they looked to the door. Her mom stood there with two pots, which were still reverberating from being smashed together. "What's your problem? All of you, not just Josie."

Josie snuggled between her sisters. "What are you talking about?"

"Josie doesn't deserve hugs for letting a man walk all over her. She needs to be smacked in the head with this pot." She held up a particularly heavy-looking pot for emphasis.

"Gee, thanks, Mom." Looked like her mom had finally figured out the truth about Evan. Maybe the delusional Mom was better. "I thought you believed women should put their men first. Don't have a career and all that."

"Is that what you think? Then I've obviously failed as a mother." Her mom tossed the pots on the floor with a loud clang. "Now, you listen up, young lady. I think women should stay home with the kids, yes. Who needs the grief of a boss and a career when the best thing about life is your family and kids? Let the man deal with it."

When phrased that way, it didn't sound entirely illogical. Unless she liked her job, of course.

Her mom shook a floury fist. "But, that doesn't mean you give up self-respect or relinquish control. Every woman in this room is equal to her husband, and secretly, we're the ones in control. That's the way it should be. Love a man, but keep him in line and be the one in control." Her mom rolled her eyes. "This situation with Evan is ridiculous. How can you be an enabler after all I've taught you about being strong?"

"That's why I'd sworn off men! Because I obviously suck at being in relationships! Why do you think I'm here? I told you I was having a crisis! I did it again. Fell in love with a jerk."

"You love him?" her mom asked.

"I...don't know."

Her mom nodded. "He's not a jerk."

"Yes, he is."

Her mom glanced to the door, then back at the roomful of women. "Do you guys want to hear the real story about how I snagged your dad? He likes the version about how he swooped down and rescued me, but it's not really true."

What did this have to do with her problems? Not that it mattered. Anything to stop thinking about her misery. "Shoot."

"Well," her mom grabbed a chair from the kitchen and sat down. "Your dad was about to graduate from high school. He was dating this really beautiful girl who was also a senior."

Huh. Hadn't heard this version before.

"I'd always had a crush on him. We were partners in biology, and I'd fallen in love with him. We were perfect for each other, except that he was dating this other girl."

Josie grinned. "Go on."

"Well, my best friend's sister's boyfriend's cousin saw your dad in Wal-Mart looking at engagement rings for this girl. He was going to marry her! Can you imagine?"

"Unconscionable," Josie said, her sisters and sisters-in-law adding their sentiments.

"So, I knew if he married her, it would be a terrible mistake for him. He'd wind up divorced and miss out on the opportunity to marry his one true love."

"That being you?"

"Of course." Her mom grinned. "So I enlisted the help of a few friends, did a little sleuthing, got your dad to see the girl in what looked like a compromising situation with another boy, then I comforted him, and the rest, as they say, is history. We were engaged by graduation, married by Labor Day, and I was pregnant by Christmas. And it's been perfect for thirty-nine years."

Josie was shocked. Her puritan mother, involved in a scam. "So this girl did nothing wrong?"

"She was about to marry my man. That's wrong in my book." Her sisters asked more questions, but her mom shook them off and looked at Josie. "So, my dear, do you see my point?"

Her point? "Um...I don't think so."

Her mom sighed. "My point is that if you love a man, you have to take control of the situation. They don't always realize who they love or what's best for them."

"But if you force them into something, then you'll both end up miserable," Josie pointed out.

"Very true. However, you can't force them into anything they really don't want. Sometimes they need a few good kicks in the bottom before they realize the truth."

"So, you think I should set Buddy up in a compromising situation so Evan realizes Buddy doesn't love me?"

"Not exactly. I just meant you need to take control of the situation and help Evan realize what he really wants."

"No." Josie folded her arms across her chest.

"I agree with Josie. If Evan won't come to her of his own accord, he doesn't deserve her," Monica announced.

Gotta love true friends.

"Interesting that the only two women in the room who feel that way are the only two who aren't married. All the ones with successful relationships agree you need to fight this one out."

Josie lifted her chin. "We're single because we want to be."

"Yes, but that doesn't mean you know what you're doing," Rose said. "Fight for it, Josie."

"No." Fighting for Evan would be an acknowledgement that she wanted him, which would make it particularly painful when he removed her heart from her chest and laid it out on the track for the running of the Kentucky Derby.

"It's not right to walk away from the man you love just because it gets difficult," her sister-in-law Laurie said. "Sometimes love is tough."

"That's where the phrase tough love comes from," her sister, Marie, said. "Can you imagine if I'd left when Robbie lost his job? Horrible. Why just the other day..."

Josie elbowed Monica and they silently agreed to leave the married women to their tough love discussion, sneaking out the door unnoticed.

As soon as they got outside, Josie screamed. Just once, in a very dignified manner. Ah. Much better.

"Do you think Evan cares about you?" Monica sat down on the curb, near a bunch of eight-year-olds learning how to skateboard in the middle of the street.

Josie joined her friend. "I don't know."

"You care about him?"

"In some ways." She would deny the "love" thing for as long as possible.

Monica rubbed her jaw. "If he did love you, it would be too bad not to give it a chance."

"Nope. Not going to do it." She hugged her knees to her chest and rested her chin on them. Why couldn't she be eight again and have her biggest challenge be not cracking her head open on the pavement?

"What if you took an altruistic approach?"

Josie eyed her friend. "What do you mean?"

"Well, like be a good Samaritan."

"For the man who stole ninety grand from me and the brother who accuses me of being a liar and uses my body in very nice ways." Mmm...very nice indeed.

"Exactly. If you reconcile them, it can be your gift to them."

"Why would I want to give them any gifts? Isn't the fact they've both been lucky enough to know me more than they deserve?"

"But of course. Unless Evan is the man you're supposed to marry. Then doesn't he deserve more?"

Josie wrinkled her nose. "I'm not feeling indulgent toward him."

"I thought you were an Amazon."

"No. An Amazon wanna-be. There's a difference."

"So, here's your chance. Be a warrior. Take control of the situation. Reconcile Buddy and Evan. Then that goes out of the picture for you and Evan, and you guys can go forward without that baggage."

For a moment, a flicker of excitement flashed in her. Then she frowned. "But I'd have to kill my family too. I don't think he's worth that."

"Why in the world would you have to do that?"

"Because, I think Evan might like me for my family instead of for myself."

"Oh, for heaven's sake." Monica stood up in disgust. "If you're going to be that full of pity and self-esteem issues, you're beyond help. Give me a break! When you're ready to drag yourself out of that pit of despair you're in, you give me a call."

Monica then placed her foot on Josie's bum and shoved her off the curb into the street.

"Hey!"

"Consider yourself kicked in the butt. I'm outta here."

And then Monica left.

For the first time in fifteen years, Monica had walked out on her.

Wow.

She must be really pathetic.

Okay, Josie, think. If she packed her bags and left the Dorsett brothers unresolved, could she forget about them and go on?

No.

Evan loved his brother. How could she hate him for that? Well, it actually wasn't that hard, but that was just because she was being a selfish pig.

So...what if she did resolve to get them together? Not because she wanted Evan (yeah, right—who was she trying to fool?), but because she needed to get something right with a man.

Hmm...could she buy that?

She would reconcile Evan and Buddy for their own good. For her own power. To show she was powerful and didn't have to be a whiny, pathetic fool around men. Not in the hopes that Evan would fall in love with her.

"Josie?" Her mom sat down beside her. "You okay?"

"Fine."

"What are you going to do?"

"Nothing." She cringed as an eight-year-old crashed, and then hopped up with a grin. That's how she was supposed to be. Crashing to the pavement, then rebounding without a scratch. Why did it get so hard to do that the older she got?

"You got burned by Tom and Buddy."

"Really? Hadn't noticed." If she went skateboarding without a helmet, maybe she'd get a concussion and could hang out in a coma for a few months while the world worked itself out around her. That was an idea.

"Don't be so afraid of it happening again that you don't try."

"I think I'll take up skateboarding."

"If you walk away now, you'll always wonder whether Evan was the one, whether it would have worked out if you'd tried. If you hadn't been afraid."

"Fear is for wimps. Maybe I'll start skydiving." Without a helmet, of course. Gotta find a way to get that concussion.

"If you try and fail, then at least you'll know and be able to move on."

Yeah, right. She'd be comparing every man to Evan for the rest of her life. "Why didn't you tell me to fight for Tom?"

"Because he wasn't good enough for you."

"He was filthy rich."

"Oh, come on, Josie. Do you really think money makes a man good?"

Well, no...

"He never loved you, and started shtupping his colleague while he was still married to you. You deserve better. It would have been a waste of time to fight for him."

Still, she felt like she should have done something. She'd let him get out of the marriage without a whimper. "Did I tell you I'm going to learn sword fighting?"

"Even if you become an expert sword fighter, it won't change the fact that you gave up on Evan without trying."

She hated when her mom was right.

"If you love him, admit it and do something about it. This isn't about Evan loving another woman, or even not loving you. It's about his dedication to his family, which is admirable and not necessarily in conflict with his loving you."

What planet had her mom been on? "I beg to differ."

"No. Don't ever beg. Be proud. Take control. And leave with dignity if you have to."

Josie glanced at her mom. That sounded suspiciously like a description of a warrior woman.

Her mom grinned. "Go for it, Josie. You might be surprised."

"I guess I could try to reconcile them."

"Yep."

"And then see what happens?"

"Sure."

Josie peered at her mom. "I need one favor, though."

"What's that?"

"You have to make the family blackball him."

Her mom didn't even act surprised at the request. "Your brothers figured out he was...ahem...pleasuring himself with you without a ring. I don't think you'll have to worry about that."

Pleasuring himself?

Okay. She was officially completely mortified. She'd never be able to look her mom in the eye again. She didn't need to be eight years old again. At twenty-seven, she still found her mom just as embarrassing. Time to go. Now.