A/N: Thanks for your reviews!

Chapter 41 – The Heart Wants What It Wants – Part 2

On Monday morning, Sharon looked up at Johanna with hopeful eyes when she stepped into the office. "Any word?" she asked her.

"No," Johanna answered softly. "No one called or came around."

"I guess he's going to be bullheaded."

"He always is…I believe that's a trait he inherited from his mother…and speaking of his mother, if she knows that we're no longer whatever it is that we were, I'm sure she's dancing with glee."

"Let her; then when you get back together, she can have that nice after taste in her mouth that celebrating too early always leaves."

Johanna picked up her mail from the corner of the desk and flipped through it. "I really thought that maybe he'd come around yesterday; it had been a week…and even though I told him not to come back, he knew I wasn't going to stick with that. He even said that he knew I'd open the door if he came back in a few hours…and he's right, I would've…and if I didn't, he could always just use his key."

"You didn't ask for that back?"

"Not yet."

"Still debating it?"

She nodded. "Yeah, I'm not sure I'm ready to go there yet."

Sharon gave her a small smile. "Understandable. You have a client coming in at nine and that witness you wanted to speak to will be here at 10:30. You have a court appearance at one, and the owner of the company you wanted to talk to left a message saying you could call him at this number between 3:00 and 3:30."

Johanna accepted the piece of paper with the number and information written on it. "Thank you; do you have those papers ready to file at the courthouse?"

She nodded. "I'll take care of that while you're in court. I want to get the usual Monday morning work under way first."

"No problem," Johanna told her. "I know the drill. Did you get that list off my desk of appointments I need you to make?"

"Yeah, I have it right here. I'm going to do that first."

"Alright," she breathed. "I guess we better get to work."

Sharon didn't mention the fact that they were starting a little earlier than usual; she knew why they were. Johanna needed work as a distraction and staying in the office meant she wouldn't run into Jim anytime soon. "Do you want me to get you a cup of coffee?" she offered.

Johanna thought about it for a moment and then nodded. "Yeah; if you don't mind."

"I don't mind at all," her friend replied. "Go get settled in; I'll take care of it."

Jim sat his cup of coffee down on his desk as he listened to Sally read him the schedule for the day. It was going to be a light day and he was grateful. He hadn't slept much the night before and in all honesty he'd rather be anywhere but there at the moment.

"Bringing your own coffee now?" Sally commented once she had finished reading.

"What of it?" he asked; glancing at the cup he had gotten at a coffee shop near by.

"You usually get your coffee in the break room."

"Well maybe I didn't feel like it today."

"I see you're in a fine mood," Sally stated as she put a hand on her hip. "Don't go thinking you're going to take it out on me because you screwed things up with Jo."

"Who said anything about her?"

"No one has to say anything; everyone knows."

"Do your work, Sally; and we won't have any problems today."

"Somehow I doubt that."

"What's going on?" Jeff asked from the doorway. "Is Jim being a bear, Sally?"

"As usual," she replied; "And we all know why."

"Out, Sally," Jim said pointing a finger to the door.

Jeff smiled as he walked further into the room. "I wonder how many files she'll throw at you today?"

"More than one I imagine…I'm getting used to it. It sort of amuses me now."

"It won't when her aim gets better. How was your weekend? I haven't heard from you."

"Fine," he replied. "How about yours?"

"I took Maggie to a show Saturday night after we ate at her mother's. What did you do?"

"Nothing special. I helped Andrew work on his car on Saturday; made my mother happy and showed up for Sunday dinner."

Jeff nodded; he had been hoping to hear the words 'made up with Johanna' but apparently that wasn't going to happen. "How about we go out for drinks tonight since we didn't go Friday?"

"Alright."

"Try to cheer up by then, would you?"

Jim scoffed. "This is probably as good as it gets, Jeff."

His friend smiled sympathetically. "She's in her office…you could go tell her good morning."

"I'd rather not think about Johanna right now if you don't mind. I've thought about her enough the past week."

"Alright," Jeff said; "I'll let you be. See you later."

When Jeff left, Jim got up and moved to the doorway of his office and caught Sally's eye as she sat at her desk. "I don't want to be disturbed," he told her. "Only work related issues get past my door, got it?"

"Got it," she replied; shifting in her chair as she put a piece of paper in the typewriter to begin her work.

Jim was glad to see that she was taking him seriously and he closed the door of his office, shutting out the rest of the world.

Later that morning, Johanna ran into Maggie as she stepped into the hallway to make the trek to the break room.

"Ready for a refill?" Maggie asked as she fell into step with her.

"Yeah; I feel like I need it and I've only had two people in my office so far today."

"I know the feeling; this will be my second refill."

Johanna grinned at her. "Rough morning or late night?"

"Both," Maggie laughed. "I tell Jeff, you can not stay with me on Sunday nights; I drag too much on Monday morning as it is. But every Sunday night lately, he's there. I wouldn't mind if he didn't make so much noise in the mornings. I thought having him keep some stuff at my place would ensure me some extra sleep; because before I was being shook awake at 4:30 in the morning with him in my ear saying 'Babe, I'm leaving'. And me mumbling, 'just go, I'll catch on'."

She laughed. "So either way you're losing sleep."

"Yeah; you ought to here the racket he makes in the closet. I get my clothes out the night before; everything I need in the morning is laid out and ready. Jeff has to root in the closet, he has to slam the dresser drawer and shutting the bathroom door quietly isn't an idea that's registered yet but we're going to work on it."

"Maybe he's trying to wake you on purpose," Johanna suggested lightly. "He probably wants you to cook breakfast."

"I'm starting to believe that theory. This morning after he went through his 5:00 a.m. rituals which takes exactly forty-five minutes, no more and no less, he's got it down to a science; he then comes and stands by the bed and pokes me, saying 'Mags, I'm hungry'.

"What did you say?"

"I told him there was a box of Fruit Loops in the cupboard and that he should go get acquainted with them."

"I bet he liked that," she laughed.

"It wasn't what he wanted to hear…and I ended up getting up and making his damn omelet. I need to sleep until at least 6:30 on Monday mornings or I'm not happy all day."

"The things you have to go through," Johanna remarked sympathetically.

"Isn't that the truth," her friend replied as they stepped inside the break room; both of them stiffening as they noticed Jim in the room, a mug of coffee in his hands. They both shook off their reaction quickly and moved toward the coffee maker.

"Maggie," Jim greeted.

"Jim," she replied; a layer of ice coating her tone.

Silence lingered as they both waited to see if Jim would greet Johanna and when he didn't, Maggie hurried to start another conversation to soothe any sting her friend was feeling. "Did you get a dress for the gala yet?" she asked her.

"No, not yet," Johanna answered as she made her coffee. "Have you?"

"No. We should go this weekend and get them. What about Sharon, does she have hers?"

"No, she doesn't have hers yet either. We should go shopping this weekend."

Maggie nodded. "Let's go Saturday; we'll make a girls day out of it. Shopping, lunch, and whatever else appeals to us."

"That sounds great; we need one of those."

Jim rolled his eyes. The last thing Johanna needed was more influence from the peanut gallery. He figured he should probably leave the room but he remained rooted in place as they discussed possible colors.

"I'd like to find a sky blue," Maggie remarked.

"That would be the perfect color for your eyes," Johanna replied; "And if it has the right neckline, you could wear that beautiful white gold necklace you have, the one with the aquamarine pendent."

"I have been looking for an excuse to wear that," her friend stated. "It was my grandmother's. It's too dressy for every day wear. What color do you want?"

"I'm not sure."

Red, Jim thought to himself; he'd love to see her in a red gown. It would suit her…it would match the fire she had within. It was her favorite color and he'd love nothing more than to see her in it...red silk that would cling to her skin and feel smooth and cool to his fingertips.

"I wore lavender last year," she stated; breaking his though process; "And the year before that I wore pink. I'd like to get out of that palette this time."

It definitely should be red then, Jim mused. Red would be a bright and far cry from the pastel colors she had worn in previous years. It just had to be red; she would blaze in it, lighting his world on fire…not that she didn't already do that…but there was just something so damn appealing about wanting to see her in a red party dress.

Maggie was nodding in agreement with whatever it was that Johanna had said that he had missed. "We'll find you something. I think you should wear your hair up this year; you're one of those girls that have been blessed with a graceful looking neck. You should show it off."

Jim grunted in disapproval. Her neck was indeed graceful…and he loved giving attention to a certain spot on it, but her hair should be down. He liked it down…especially when she took the curling iron to it and made those loose curls that he wanted to drag his fingers through. It should definitely be down.

He hadn't realized that he had drawn their attention until his gaze met Johanna's and then quickly shifted to Maggie's glare. "Do you have an opinion on the matter, Jim?" she asked.

He shook his head; feeling a little put out with Johanna for starting this whole thing in the first place when things between them had been perfectly fine. Summoning up that anger allowed him to keep his attention focused on Maggie. "I don't care what either one of you do with your hair or anything else."

The comment seemed to hint at something deeper and Johanna felt the sting. Maggie had tightly clamped her lips shut, as if she was hoping to keep a tirade from crossing her lips but she looked to be failing. Daniel stepped into the room at that moment, making her swallow her words.

"Jim," Daniel greeted and then he turned toward the women. "Ladies."

"Daniel," they replied kindly while Jim remained silent.

"Johanna," Daniel said as he moved toward her. "I was wondering if you had plans for lunch today?"

"No, I don't," she answered.

He smiled. "Good; I was hoping that maybe you'd like to join me for lunch."

Johanna nodded. "I'd love to."

Fury rippled through Jim as he clutched his coffee mug. She hadn't really just done that, had she?

"What time would work best for you?" Daniel asked.

"I have to be in court at one," she replied.

"How about noon, then? When we finish, I'll drive you to the courthouse, I have a hearing at 1:15, I don't mind being there a little early."

"That would be great," Johanna told him.

Daniel smiled. "I'll see you in a little while then."

"I'll be ready."

As Daniel turned to leave the room, he threw Jim a grin which only increased his fury.

"I better be getting back to work," Johanna told Maggie as she picked up her cup.

"Yeah, me too," Maggie replied. "I'll call you tonight so we can finish what we were talking about and you can tell me about your lunch date."

"Alright, I'll talk to you later," she responded as she moved to the exit with barely a glance at Jim.

Maggie moved across the room, her cup held in one hand as she reached out and patted Jim's chest. "Remember, you don't care what she does," she said with a smile, enjoying the look of distaste on his features.

"I don't," he ground out, despite knowing it was a lie.

She gave a soft laugh as she shook her head at him. "You might want to convince your face of that."

Jim glared at her as she sauntered away. He hated Mondays…especially this one.

That evening, Jim sat at a table in the corner of a bar, a drink within reach and a glare on his face as he eyed his best friend. Jeff was sitting across from him, singing along to the song on the jukebox.

"Ain't no sunshine when she's gone; only darkness every day, ain't no sunshine when she's gone..."

"Jeff," he said sharply.

"What?"

"Don't make me hurt you."

Jeff grinned and ceased his singing. "I guess that one does hit a little close to home for you, doesn't it, buddy? God knows there hasn't been any sunshine in your life since Johanna drew that line in the sand. You've been dark and gloomy every day...hmm...that is a pretty fitting song to be playing while you're in ear shot if you think about it."

"Shut up," Jim said as he picked up his glass and took a sip of his scotch.

"Do you want to talk about it?" his friend asked.

"We already talked about it. I told you what happened."

"I know, but that was a week ago...what about what's going on presently?"

Jim scoffed. "Nothing's going on presently; she's not talking to me. If I go into the break room while she's there, she ignores me or leaves."

"Have you made any effort to change that?"

"When would I have a chance to do that!" he exclaimed. "I just told you that she's avoiding me and ignoring me. How the hell am I supposed to do something about it?"

Jeff shrugged. "You could do what you always do; just walk into her office and strike up a conversation. She's going to speak to you eventually."

"Yeah, long enough to tell me to get the hell out of her office."

"Consider that the ice breaker," his friend replied.

"Some ice breaker."

"It's better than radio silence," Jeff said as he picked up his drink for a sip.

"Do you know what she did today?" Jim asked after taking a sip of his scotch.

Jeff had a feeling he already knew but he played along. "What?"

"She went to lunch with Daniel."

His friend shrugged. "That's not so bad; Daniel's a nice guy."

A look of betrayal stole across Jim's features. "He is not! He's a jerk. He asked her right in front of me…and she accepted while I was standing there, although she was acting like I wasn't! 'I'd love to'," he mimicked recalling her response. "You should've seen her, standing there smiling like she had just won some prize."

Jeff shook with laughter. "Well she probably won the prize of watching your reaction from the corner of her eye."

He scoffed. "And then that bastard as his nerve to grin at me as he leaves the room. I wanted to reach out and grab him by the neck and squeeze until his head popped off."

"You used to like Daniel," Jeff laughed.

"I did not."

"Yeah, you did…until that first time he took Johanna to lunch a few months ago."

"Which just goes to prove what a jerk he is. He just keeps sweeping in, trying to take what's mine."

"She's not yours anymore. If we were playing Monopoly, you'd be holding that card that says 'do not pass go, do not collect 200 dollars. That's the part of the game when you're in jail…and I'd say you're definitely Jo's prisoner at the moment and she's punishing you."

"She's the one being punished," he retorted as he rubbed his fingers against his glass.

"How do you figure?"

"She's the one that has to look at Daniel's ugly face, not me."

"I have a feeling that Daniel is just the beginning," Jeff remarked. "She's going to have plenty of men to choose from."

"Oh girl, I'd be in trouble if you left me now…" the jukebox blared; making Jim grimace.

"See what happens when you scorn a woman; even the universe turns against you," Jeff told him.

"You're not funny; and so much for her supposed feelings for me. It's only been a week and she's already had lunch with someone else."

"I'm sure she'd rather have been eating with you…but you know how that goes."

Jim was pensive for several moments. "What am I going to do?" he asked.

"What you should've done in the first place; tell her you love her."

"Jeff."

The other man shrugged. "That's what she wants, Jim."

"Yeah, well I don't think I can just walk up to her and blurt that out. I think she'd probably have a hard time believing it at the moment."

Jeff was silent as the statement settled. "So you do want to tell her that you love her?"

"You know I do…when the time is right," Jim said quietly.

"Then why didn't you just give her what she wanted when she asked for it; because the time is now."

"I told you."

"I mean besides all of that nonsense."

"I don't want to ruin it and lose her."

"You already ruined it and lost her, dumb ass!" Jeff exclaimed. "The thing you were hoping to avoid already happened. Look around, you're sitting in a bar room with me instead of being somewhere with her."

Jim glared at him once more. "I don't have to sit here with you, there are plenty of other bars in this city."

"Is that the answer to the problem?"

Jim shrugged. "It's the only one I have at the moment."

"What are you going to do, Jim; get drunk and go knock on her door and hope she takes mercy on you?"

He shook his head. "I'm not stupid enough to go knocking on her door."

Jeff snorted. "Don't underestimate yourself about that."

Jim didn't reply to the remark but his ears did pick up the sound of the jukebox changing records.

"Hey, did you happen to see the most beautiful girl in the world? And if you did, was she crying?" the song proclaimed.

Jim squeezed his eyes shut. "Son of a bitch," he muttered.

His friend laughed. "Another fitting song for your plight."

"Just what I needed," he retorted.

Jeff continued to chuckle as the song played on. "You know you have problems when your life is summed up in a country song."

"I don't need a song to tell me about my problems," Jim remarked. "I'm well aware of them."

"I should hope so...because this one is a huge problem."

"I can always count on you to state the obvious, Jeff."

His friend gave him a small smile. "So what do you want to do?"

Jim rubbed his thumb against the rim of his glass. "I want her back..."

"Then go get her."

"You know it's not that easy," he replied.

"Yeah, I guess that's true...but you have to do something. Letting things go on this way only makes it look like you're accepting it...you know as a permanent thing and that you don't care. That's not the message you want to send."

"I know, but I don't know what to do...she's so damn stubborn."

Jeff nodded. "Sassy is a stubborn lady, that's for sure."

The men were quiet as they pondered the situation and possible solutions. An old Supremes song filled the air around them "...baby, baby, where did our love go? Oh don't you want me, don't you want me no more..."

Jim gripped his glass in frustration. "I swear to God, the next person that drops a quarter into that jukebox is getting punched."

Jeff laughed quietly. "Those break up songs just want to make you punch someone in the throat, huh?"

"They make me want to punch someone, that's for sure."

"It's just the universe toying with you again for letting this happen."

"I let it happen!" he exclaimed. "She's the one who started it!"

Jeff leaned back in his chair. "Yes, but from my understanding, she started it because you were trying to get in her pants."

Jim shook his head. "That's not true."

"It's not?"

"No...she wasn't wearing pants. She was wearing a skirt."

His friend laughed. "I apologize, let me rephrase; she started it because you were trying to get her out of her skirt."

"I don't know what went wrong; I mean she seemed willing to go there in Atlantic City and then...well, you know."

"Sassy's one of those girls that wants to hear 'I love you' before she gives up the goods. So if you want what she's got...you have to give her what she wants."

"Again, how am I supposed to get us worked up to that point when she's cut off all contact?"

Jeff shrugged. "Force contact. Show up in her office, talk to her...but keep it light at first."

Jim released a disgruntled breath. "I am going to have to talk to her tomorrow; we have a case coming up that we have to work on together."

"There, that's a golden opportunity. Start with the business and then warm her back up to the bigger topic. At least you'll have your foot back in the door."

He nodded. "I was thinking maybe I could take her out to discuss the case…and whatever else comes up. Do you think that could work?"

"It's worth a shot...it's better than nothing."

"True."

"Just do us all a favor and don't give up after the first attempt if it doesn't work," his friend stated. "It might take awhile to get her on speaking terms."

"I know."

Silence fell again, the opening chords of Best of My Love echoing through the bar, making him grip his glass even tighter. Jeff laughed. "Another break up song for the collection; I have the feeling someone else in here is mourning a loss."

Jim scoffed. "This one is more than a break up song."

Jeff's brow rose. "Oh?"

He swallowed the contents of his glass. "It's our song," he said gruffly; "And whoever picked it needs to be punched."

"I didn't know you and Jo had a song."

"Well we do and this is it...and..." he trailed off, letting the words "And I can't bear to hear it now," die on his tongue. He'd never be able to hear that song again if things didn't work out with Johanna. She should be there with him now...dancing to their song...having their traditional kiss to that song. It was their song, it might be a break up song to everyone else...but it was their love song. It was them...every line would forever remind him of Johanna. He had to get her back; he just had to. He didn't know what he'd do if he couldn't change her mind about being over...because he didn't feel like it would ever be over to him.

On Tuesday morning, Jim made the trek to Johanna's office, a work related excuse at the ready and the hope that it would help smooth things over. As he stepped into the office, he noticed that the inner door was closed and that Sharon was quietly working at her desk until she glanced up and saw him.

"What are you doing here?" Sharon asked.

"I need to speak with your boss; is she in?"

"She's here; she was on the phone with a client."

"Has she finished?" Jim asked.

"I don't know."

"Do you think you could find out?" he inquired tersely as he met her glare.

"I suppose," she answered as she rose from her chair and rounded her desk.

"Don't hurt yourself," he muttered.

"I heard that," Sharon stated before opening the door to the inner office and slipping inside; closing it behind her with a soft click. He could just imagine how she was announcing his presence.

Jim shifted on his feet as he waited, watching the clock tick off a full two minutes before the door opened and Sharon reappeared; once again closing it behind her as she stood guard in front of it.

"She'd like to know what business you have with us today."

His brow rose. "I don't have any business with you Sharon; as for Johanna; I want to discuss this Donovan case that we're supposed to work together."

The secretary nodded; a small smirk on her lips. "I'll tell her."

He waited another minute and a half before the door opened again. "She'll see you now," Sharon announced as she picked up a file from the desk and moved to follow him inside.

"I want to speak to her alone," Jim remarked as they stepped inside Johanna's sanctuary.

Her secretary glared at him. "I'm not staying," she retorted. "My boss asked for this file and once I put it on her desk; I'll leave."

Some people had a guard dog, Jim thought; Johanna had Sharon. He waited as the secretary made a show of delivering the file; and watched as Johanna gave her a small smile and thanked her before returning her gaze to the work on her desk. Once Sharon was gone and the door had closed; Jim moved to stand in front of Johanna's desk; hoping to draw her gaze to his face.

"What is it that you want to discuss?" Johanna asked as she flipped the page in a file and scanned it.

"Is this a bad time?" he asked. "I can come back if you're busy."

"No; now is fine. What do you want?"

"Don't you think we should discuss this case that we need to start working on?"

She glanced up at him. "I have a copy of the file."

"I know but I thought..." he trailed off as he looked into her green eyes; trying to read their depths as he always had but she was carefully composed; the mask she usually only wore in the courtroom firmly in place. That didn't keep her from looking beautiful though; he mused. She was wearing her hair in loose curls that day and his fingers itched to bury themselves in that dark silky mass...and as always there was the temptation to kiss those red lips of hers. He wanted to pull her into his arms and feel her warmth against him. He wanted to hear her laugh; see her smile; tease her about how prim and proper she looked in that pink blouse.

"You thought what?" she asked; breaking his reverie.

"I thought maybe we could discuss the case over dinner tonight," Jim replied; while also harboring the thought that while he had her attention at dinner, maybe they could get back to normal and make this awkwardness go away.

"I'm babysitting my nephew tonight," Johanna answered; her tone neutral and seemingly disinterested.

"I could help you babysit," he offered.

"I don't think so. I'm babysitting at my brother's house and I don't think he'd appreciate me having people in his home."

So he had been demoted to just 'people' now? He brushed off the sting of that thought and pressed forward. "How are you getting home from his place? I could pick you up."

"Frankie's driving me home."

"Alright, how about lunch tomorrow?"

"I already have plans."

"With who?"

"None of your business."

"So really it's no one then, right?" he retorted.

Her gaze flicked to his. "If you must know; Kyle asked me to have lunch with him tomorrow."

"Kyle?" he scoffed. "That's a good one."

"There's nothing wrong with Kyle."

"If that's what gets you through the day, sweetheart."

"Don't call me that."

"I'll call you what I want. I thought your new lunch date was Daniel."

"Variety is the spice of life," she retorted, her tone light but her gaze biting.

"Fine; what about having lunch with me today?" he asked.

"I can't; I already have plans."

"With who?" he asked through clenched teeth.

"None of your business."

"Johanna."

"Seth," she answered. "He just asked me about an hour ago…you're just a little too slow today."

Frustration rushed through him as he watched her jotting notes on a legal pad as if his presence barely registered in her brain. She was deliberately being difficult. "Fine; then who are you having dinner with tomorrow night?"

Her cool gaze flicked to his face. "I don't think that's any of your business either."

Jim scoffed. "What; you have a hot date lined up? Lunch dates aren't doing it for you so you're moving to the big leagues?"

She held his gaze; her mask of detachment never slipping. "Maybe I do have a hot one lined up for dinner; but that's my business."

His hand curled into a fist at his side as red hot anger flooded his veins. "Who is it? Another loser your sister thought up for you?"

Johanna smirked. "It's none of your business and besides, I don't need my sister to find a man for me. I'm more than capable of attracting one all on my own...and maybe this time around I'll be a little wiser about who I choose."

"You're being ridiculous," he snapped. "You don't have a date tomorrow night."

"You can believe what you want but it's not open to discussion. My personal life isn't any of your business."

"Maybe it is when it keeps you from acting like a professional."

She smiled but it lacked warmth. "Oh I intend on being professional, Counselor; but being professional doesn't mean I have to share a meal with you. I'm going to do my share of the work just like I always do when we have to work together but I don't need you hovering over me while I do it. You decide which parts you want lowly little me to handle and I'll do it on my own time and without your presence. When it's closer to the court date; you can call Sharon and have her pencil you into my schedule so we can discuss things during work hours. Does that suit your sense of professionalism, Mr. Beckett?"

She was so damn infuriating; Jim thought as he struggled not to lose his temper. He took a breath and exhaled it; pushing aside thoughts of shaking her or kissing her and tried to find the right words instead.

"Jo; I'm sorry things got out of hand last week..."

"Spare me," she interrupted as she held up a hand. "I don't want to hear it. You made yourself clear and it's done now."

"I don't want us to be like this," he replied. "We always worked well together and..."

"There is no us; there's just you and just me and as for work; we'll still work well together. We'll do just as you said and act professionally and conduct our business during work hours."

That didn't sound good at all; he thought. "Can't we just put this behind us?"

She smirked as she shook her head. "It is behind us...the way things were isn't how things are going to be now. Now if you have nothing else to discuss that's work related; I really need to get back to what I was doing."

"Fine," Jim stated; his jaw tight with frustration.

Johanna smiled. "Have a nice day."

He couldn't help but glare at her as she so casually dismissed him. "You too, Miss. McKenzie," he stated tersely as he turned and stormed out of her office.

Once Jim had gone; Sharon hurried into Johanna's office and found her best friend with her head in her hands.

"You did great!" Sharon exclaimed; her voice causing Johanna to pull her hands away from her face and look at her.

"How do you know how I did?"

"When I put the file on your desk, I turned on the intercom," her secretary answered.

"Sharon!"

"I couldn't miss this, Jo," she replied without an ounce of remorse; "And I'm so glad I didn't; you were great. He came in here thinking it was going to be so easy to just waltz back into your life with a meal and few paltry words of apology but you shut him down. He was so pissed; especially when you told him to have a nice day. It was fantastic."

"I'm glad you thought so," Johanna replied; her eyes misting as she thought of him.

Sharon saw the moisture gathering in her friend's eyes and she perched at the edge of the desk. "I know it isn't easy," she told her; "But you don't want to go back to the way things were, do you?"

"No," Johanna replied. "I want more and I meant it."

"Then this is what you have to do; you can't just be a pushover for him just because you love him. You'll never get anywhere with him that way."

"I know," she answered as she blinked back the tears. "I insinuated that I have a hot date tomorrow."

"I know," Sharon grinned. "That was genius."

"But I don't have one," Johanna remarked; "Just a business dinner."

Her friend shrugged. "So? He doesn't know that."

"Yeah but he'll find out and I'll look like a fool."

"No, you won't," Sharon insisted. "He won't find out until after he's done set around and stewed over it for awhile. He'll be the one who feels like a fool."

"I hate this," Johanna muttered.

"I know you do; but things are going just the way you need them to. It's going to work out just fine; you'll see."

"How do you figure?" the lawyer asked.

Sharon smiled. "Did you hear how jealous he was at the thought that you might have a date?"

"I thought he was more irritated than jealous."

"Oh no, honey; that was all jealousy. We've got him right where we want him. We can work with jealousy."

Johanna's brow rose. "Just how much work am I going to have to do with this plan; because I'm not going to keep going out with other men every day, no matter the reason."

"Don't worry about that right now," Sharon replied. "You just keep giving him the cold shoulder and making it look like you're moving on; you have to make it seem like you're serious about seeing other people and he'll come running soon."

"What if he doesn't?" Johanna asked.

"Then I guess we'll have to kill him."

Johanna gave a soft laugh. "Or I'll have to move to a different firm because I don't think I can stay here if it's really over between us," she stated; her smile fading and the tears burning her eyes again.

"Don't go sending out your resume," Sharon replied. "It's going to be okay."

She gave her friend a weary smile; she hoped she was right because she hated the way things were right now. She was hurt and angry with him but it was so hard to keep him at a distance. She missed him...she missed them but Sharon was right; she couldn't just give in to him if she was serious about wanting things to change. She just had to ride it out...and that would be easier if she just focused on how mad she was at him whenever they had to share the same air space. She'd save the hurt for at home. Publicly, she'd just have to live up to her nickname...and she had no doubt that she could do that. She had just proved it, after all.

"Who pissed you off?" Jeff Campbell asked as his best friend stormed into his office and dropped into a chair across from his desk.

"She is the most stubborn damn woman I've ever met!" Jim exclaimed. "I thought my mother was bad but she has nothing on Johanna McKenzie!"

Jeff grinned; this was going to be good. "Does that mean she refused to talk to you?"

"I almost wish she had," he replied. "She was so damn disagreeable about everything. Every suggestion I made for us to get together to discuss this case, she turned down with one excuse or another."

"Can you blame her?"

Jim shot him a look. "I know she's upset with me but how am I supposed to try and make things better if she won't speak to me outside of this building or about anything that isn't work related?"

"Maybe if she thought you were going to say what she wants to hear; she'd be a little more receptive to the idea."

"Why do I talk to you?"

Jeff grinned. "Because I'm about all you have at the moment. The women that matter are all mad at you; and those of us men who are attached to those women are trying to not rock the boat by being too supportive of your cause...with the exception of me of course. I can stand a little boat rocking in the name of friendship."

"That's good," Jim replied; "Because you need to find out who the hell she's going out with tomorrow night."

"Sassy's got a date?"

"That's what she claims," he remarked as he got up from his chair and paced the room. "I want to know who it is."

"How do you want me to do that? It's not like I can ask her; she'll know I'm looking for information for you."

"Work your sources!"

Jeff laughed. "So what you're saying is that you want me to drag it out of Maggie."

"In any manner you see fit to use."

"Okay," his friend replied. "I'll see what I can do but I'm not promising anything. She'll be on guard with information she has about Johanna."

"I understand...but try," Jim stated as he continued to pace the room. "She sure didn't waste any time."

"Look at you being all jealous," Jeff laughed.

"I'm not jealous!" he retorted. "She's just infuriating."

"She probably feels the same way about you."

"I'm not the one snapping up lunch and dinner invitations with other people."

"Well if you don't want her going out with other men; you have to stake your claim."

"I thought I had," Jim remarked. "We go everywhere together."

"Not anymore," Jeff replied. "The word is out; you screwed up and now Jo's fair game. She's a beautiful woman, Jim..."

"I know she's beautiful, damn it!" he interrupted.

Jeff couldn't help but laugh. "What I was trying to say before I was so rudely interrupted; was that Jo is a beautiful woman who is also very warm and intelligent and a lot of other things. She isn't going to be lonely for long now that you're out of the picture."

"I'm not out of the picture," he retorted.

"I don't know...it seems like you are right now. You really did it this time, Jim."

He nodded. "I know. Maybe I haven't given her enough time to cool off...although she seemed pretty damn frosty when I was in her office."

"Well maybe you need to find some way to warm her back up," his friend suggested.

"With Sharon standing guard over her?"

"Get her away from Sharon...and maybe take into consideration my previous suggestions about begging and gift giving."

"How did my life get so complicated?" Jim asked.

"Because you thought Sassy was going to keep giving you free samples without getting anything in return."

"It wasn't like that."

"Then what was it?" Jeff asked.

"It was...us...and it seemed to work."

"Well it doesn't anymore. She wants more; she wants you."

"She had me!"

"Apparently she doesn't think so or you wouldn't be in this mess."

"Women," he muttered. "You give them an inch and they want to take a mile."

"Well Jo probably thinks that she let you kiss her and you thought that entitled you to a free trip to her bed with no strings attached which is probably the same equivalent as that mile she wants to take."

"I didn't think that at all!"

Jeff's brow rose. "Didn't you?"

"No," he insisted; "But I can't stand here and act like I don't want her...how can I not want her?"

Jeff shrugged. "That does seem to be the big question here, Jim. How can you not want her?"

"I never said I didn't."

"You never said you did either; which again is why you're in this mess."

Jim ceased his pacing and stared out the window. He knew all about the mess he was in; the question was how did he get out of it while making them both happy?

The day had dragged, Johanna thought to herself as she stood on Frankie's porch waiting for him to open the door. Her mind had been bogged down with thoughts of Jim as usual but she forced them away, eager to concentrate on her nephew instead. "I'm sorry I'm running a little behind," she said as Frankie finally appeared before her. "I had a client call just as I was getting ready to leave."

"It's fine," he replied; as he stepped back and allowed her inside. "Valerie's just now putting her jewelry on."

"Then I guess I'm not too late," she said with a small smile as she hung her purse on a peg by the door.

"My Anna?" a little voice called out from the living room before Frankie could respond to her comment.

"It's your Anna," Frankie replied as they walked into the room.

Before she could even blink, the small dark haired boy was wrapped around her leg; looking up at her with bright blue eyes and wide smile. "My Anna!" he said happily; bringing a smile to her lips as she bent and picked him up.

"There's my little man," she said as she hugged him to her; his little arms wrapping around her neck.

"He's been waiting for you," Frankie remarked as his wife appeared in the room; finally ready for their outing. "We should be back by ten," he told her.

"That's fine," Johanna replied as her sister-in-law lifted the toddler from her arms to hug him goodbye.

"Are you doing okay, Jo?" Valerie asked her as she studied her.

"Why wouldn't I be?" she asked. "I have a date with my little man tonight; what more could I ask for?"

"I might not know the details but I know something's going on," her sister-in-law replied. "Naomi's being tight lipped about it…but I know a girl with man trouble from a mile away."

She sighed. "It's a long story and you don't have time for it tonight."

"Do you want Frankie to take care of him?" Valerie asked; "Because he will, won't you, Frankie?"

"Depends; who is it and what did he do?"

"I should think it's obvious," his wife replied. "Someone's broken your sister's heart…and I'm sure we can guess who it was."

Frankie eyed his sister. "Is it Jim?"

"Yeah."

"What did he do?"

"Made a fool out of me," she replied. "I thought we had something…but I guess I was wrong."

"Why do you say that?"

She blinked the moisture that threatened to fill her eyes. "I asked for a commitment and he said no."

Frankie nodded. "Alright, since I'm going out anyway I can stop and kill him on the way home. Where is he?"

She gave him a wobbly smile. "It isn't worth your effort, but I appreciate the offer."

There was an unusual touch of sympathy in his eyes. "If you change your mind, let me know."

"I will…thank you."

Valerie pulled her into a hug. "We love you."

"I love you all too," she murmured.

"He hasn't ate his dinner yet, Jo," Valerie told her, changing the subject. "He told me he wanted Anna to feed him."

She laughed as her nephew launched himself back into her arms. "I'll feed him."

"We eat?" Greg said as he looked at his aunt.

She nodded. "We'll go eat; tell mommy and daddy bye."

The little boy waved them off and after she locked the door; she took Greg into the kitchen and strapped him into his high chair while she made dinner. As they ate, she listened to his chatter; his vocabulary seeming increased since the last time she had seen him just a week before. She smiled at him; running a hand over his dark hair, it was hard to believe that he was already over a year and a half old. "You know what, little man?" she asked; "You're the only loyal man in my life."

He smiled; reaching out a sticky hand and patting her cheek. "My Anna."

"That's right, sweetie; I'm all yours," she said with a soft, somewhat sad laugh. "You don't have to worry about any competition."

His cute little grin remained in place; his hand patting her cheek once again. "Love you," he said; warming her heart and bringing tears to her eyes.

"It's good to know someone does," she murmured before pressing a kiss to his forehead. "I love you too."

"We go play?" he asked.

Johanna nodded. "As soon as we get you cleaned up; we'll go play."

The night wore on and she focused her thoughts solely on her nephew as she played with him and gave him his bath. All too soon he was ready for bed and as she held him on her lap, he looked up at her and said, "'Tory, Anna?"

"A story?" she repeated. "Sure."

Instead of reaching for a story book, she began her own. "Once upon a time there was a Princess named...well never mind what her name was. There was a Princess and all she wanted was to find a Prince who would make her dreams come true. She met a Prince named Jim; and he was handsome and kind and for a long time, he and the Princess had wonderful times together. They went to balls together and picnics and they laughed and talked all the time. The Princess thought Prince Jim was very sweet and loving. The Princess thought that Prince Jim might be that special person she was looking for and so she told him that she wanted them to become a royal couple," she stated as she looked down at her nephew to see if he was still listening; upon finding that he was; she continued on.

"That was when Prince Jim turned into a toad."

"Oad?" the little boy said; the word not coming out quite right.

Johanna nodded. "That's right; he turned into a toad. A toad is an ugly frog," she explained. "Do you know what frogs say?"

"Ibitt," he said.

"That's right; frogs say ribbit. You're such a smart boy; much smarter than Prince Jim."

"Tory," Greg replied; causing her to smile.

"When the Princess made her decree that she and the Prince become a royal couple; the Prince refused her. Suddenly he wasn't very nice any more and the Princess was crushed. You see the Princess had done a foolish thing. She had fallen in the love with Prince Jim and now her heart was broken."

"Broke?" Greg said sleepily.

She nodded. "That's right; Prince Jim broke her heart into a million pieces and then he hopped away like the toad he was. The Princess was very sad and she cried all night long. Eventually she shared her problem with her friends, the Duchess and the Countess. Together they decided that the Prince must be punished for his wrong doing. You see it's against the royal laws of the kingdom to toy with the Princess. Despite their best efforts, they have yet to find the right spell to cast upon the toad to make him into a proper Prince again. The Princess misses him...and silly girl that she is; she still loves him," she said quietly as she glanced down at the little boy who was now asleep in her arms. She brushed a kiss against his hair and kept him cuddled against her for a while longer as she wondered if happily ever after would ever be in the cards for her and the toad.

Jim drummed his fingers on his thigh impatiently as he waited on Jeff to answer the phone. Finally the line clicked and Jeff's voice floated across the line. "Hello."

"Did you find out?" Jim asked.

"Find out what?"

"Who Johanna's having dinner with!" he exclaimed.

"Oh, not yet."

"Why not?"

"Because information is being guarded," Jeff murmured. "I told you it wouldn't be easy."

Jim scoffed. "And you always claim that you have Maggie wrapped around your finger."

"Hey, this is a delicate operation. I can't let her know I'm working for the enemy. I keep nudging her but she's not giving up the goods yet."

"Try harder!"

"What do you want me to do, shine a spotlight on her and beat her with a hose?"

"Only as a last resort," Jim replied.

Jeff laughed. "I'll think of a better plan but I'm starting to get the idea that Jo's date is going to be kept under wraps until it's under way or over."

He blew out a breath. "That's not ideal."

"Nothing about this situation is ideal."

"Just try harder."

"You should take your own advice," his friend replied.

"Goodbye, Jeff."

"We're done?" he asked.

"Yes; you have work to do."

Jeff laughed. "I'll see what I can do."

Jim hung up the phone and picked up his remote; flipping channels aggressively as he stewed over who Johanna's date might be.

The next evening, Jim sat in his apartment, slowly losing his mind as he tried to narrow down the candidates for Johanna's mystery dinner date. Jeff had fallen down on the job and hadn't been able to get the information which only served to put him more on edge. Sorting through the possibilities wasn't easy. It seemed like it could be almost anyone with the exception of their married, engaged or other wise taken colleagues. Stanley Carmichael was also out of the question. She wouldn't touch that with a ten foot poll, he was certain of that. But that still left her with a generous pool of candidates. He glowered at his television; he would've thought that his colleagues would've waited awhile longer to declare open season…but apparently he had been wrong. It was also possible that her date could be someone that wasn't from the office.

A knock sounded at the door and his heart leapt without permission. He chastened himself as he got up from the sofa. It wasn't Johanna. Johanna was on a date. A date with someone who wasn't him. The reminder made his stomach feel sour as he opened the door and found a grinning Jeff Campbell.

"I've got it," Jeff announced proudly as he entered the room.

"If it's contagious, don't give it to me," Jim replied as he shut the door.

"Nothing like that," his friend replied. "I know who Jo's having dinner with tonight."

"It's about damn time," he remarked.

"Hey," Jeff retorted; "Doing your dirty work isn't easy; it takes time."

"I'm sorry."

"That's better; and you keep practicing that phrase."

"Tell me who it was!" Jim demanded.

Jeff laughed. "It's Antonio Caruthers."

Rage swept through him. "That son of a bitch," Jim exclaimed. "I knew he was lying when he said he didn't have any romantic interest in her! He wasn't fooling me for a damn minute! She's probably giggling herself to death as we speak; I'm sure he's laying on his Don Juan charm nice and thick for her. I thought he had a girlfriend! What happened to her?"

"He doesn't have a girlfriend anymore," Jeff stated and before he could continue, Jim exploded some more.

"What did he do, dump her as soon as he got wind that Johanna might be available? I knew he was just waiting for his chance. I let him get away with it the last time, but this time, all bets are off. I'm going to be waiting on him tomorrow and when I get my hands on him, I'm going to punch him in his pretty boy face and see how attracted she is to him then!"

"Calm down, Jim; it's not what…"

"Where are they?" he demanded to know as he interrupted.

"I don't know where they are."

"Don't lie to me, tell me where they are because I'm going there; and I'm going to punch him because I don't want to wait until tomorrow and then I'm picking Johanna up and putting her in the trunk of my car and taking her off somewhere where I can screw her head back on right and make her normal again!"

"I don't think kidnapping her is a good idea," Jeff told him. "It's kind of illegal you know…remember, we learned that in law school."

"She won't press charges," he replied. "She'll enjoy it by the time we come back."

"You sure about that?"

Jim nodded. "I am. We'll just stay locked in up there at the cabin; she'll only hold out with silence for a few hours and then she'll talk and things will be fine and she won't think of going out with other men again."

Jeff eyed him. "Should I be worried that you've obviously be thinking about this enough that you have a detailed plan?"

"There's nothing to be worried about; I'll poke holes in the trunk, she'll be fine. She'll get three meals a day and a nice house to spend time in."

"Can't she ride in the passenger seat like she usually does?"

"Only if she's coming along quietly; otherwise it's the trunk…and you know, Johanna…she'll be mad…so she's going to have to go in trunk."

"I'm going to have start driving her home from work to make sure you don't grab her, aren't I?" Jeff asked; only half joking.

"I wish you would, I hate it when she walks and she knows it."

He nodded. "Fine; I'll throw her in the car with Maggie. It's not a problem. I really don't know where she's eating tonight but there's no reason for you to go hit Antonio and kidnap Jo."

"There's plenty of reason to hit Antonio!"

"Relax, Jim," Jeff laughed. "It's just business."

"I just bet."

"No; it really is business," he insisted. "He has a case that he wants Sassy to help him with."

"Why single out Johanna?"

"Because she's a woman."

"That's what I thought," Jim remarked.

"It's not like that. Listen; he has this case and one of his witnesses is a woman who isn't very comfortable talking to him. She's afraid and Caruthers wants Jo to be the one this lady talks to because this is an important case."

"She's not the only female attorney in the firm."

"I know that," Jeff said patiently; "But Johanna is the best choice here. She's kind and compassionate; people feel comfortable talking to her."

"Okay," Jim said; "I'll buy that but why did they have to go to dinner?"

"Because that was the only time he had."

"Uh huh," Jim said; his hand clenching as he thought of what might be said or done once work was dealt with.

His friend chuckled. "They're not alone, Jim. I heard him telling Phil that he was taking his fiancée with him."

He stared at him for a minute. "You told me he didn't have a girlfriend anymore!"

"He doesn't, he has a fiancée."

"I hate you."

His best friend laughed. "I was going to tell you but you interrupted with your assault and kidnapping plan."

Jim exhaled a relieved breath. "It wasn't a date?"

"No; Johanna was just yanking your chain, buddy," Jeff said with a grin; "And she did a damn good job at it."

He nodded. "I hope she's having a good laugh."

"I'm sure she is; it probably eases her own pain a little."

He shot his friend a glare. "Did she know he was bringing his fiancée?"

"I don't know."

Jim paced the room for a moment. "I hope she enjoyed her little joke tonight; because tomorrow she'll learn she didn't make a fool out of me."

"Jim; don't go in there like that. Let it go, man; just let it go. The more you rile her, the longer it's going to take to work things out."

"I'm not letting this go."

Jeff sighed. "Don't do this; it's just more trouble you don't need."

"I can play her game if she wants to play," he retorted.

"I hope that after you sleep on it tonight that you realize walking down that road would be a mistake."

"Thanks for getting me the information, Jeff. I appreciate it."

"If I had known you were going to concoct some dumb scheme to get even, I wouldn't have."

"Sometimes I wonder whose side you're on," Jim replied.

"I'm on both sides," he admitted. "I want you and Sassy to get your crap together and be happy…with each other, in a loving relationship, that you know you both want."

"She'll come around," Jim remarked. "Once she's fed up with this game of hers, she'll settle down and things will be fine."

Jeff groaned as he headed for the door. "Why do I have a feeling that I'm going to have to beat sense into you before this over?"

"It won't come to that," Jim replied. "I know what I'm doing."

"If you say so," Jeff responded; but to himself he was thinking that Jim didn't know what he was doing at all.

The next morning when Jim saw Sharon walk past his office, he hurried towards Johanna's office and upon seeing the inner door open; he casually strolled inside and took a seat across from her desk. He was still miffed about her little dinner date joke and it was time that she learned that he knew all about it, he figured.

Johanna glanced up at him with an arched brow. "What are you doing here?"

"I was taking a break and thought I'd come visit."

"And you thought it would be wise to visit me, because?"

He smiled at her. "The usual reasons."

"The usual reasons no longer apply," she retorted.

"Now, Jo; don't be that way."

"Are you drunk?" she asked.

He smirked. "No, but every so often I wish I was."

"Do you have business to discuss?"

"Not really."

"Then you should probably leave."

"Why? Are you afraid that if I stay, you'll stop being mad at me?"

Johanna scoffed. "Trust me; I'm in no danger of that."

He made no move to leave so she lowered her gaze and refocused on her work, figuring he'd take the hint and go.

"So how was your date?" Jim asked after several minutes.

She glanced up at him; forcing a small smile to her lips. "It was wonderful."

He nodded. "That's good, I'm glad to hear that. Were you surprised when the fiancée showed up?"

She frowned; her ruse obviously at an end. "Checking up on me, Jim?" she asked as she quickly composed herself.

"Not at all."

"Then how do you know about my dinner meeting; and by the way; I knew Isabel was coming, it wasn't a surprise."

"You know how this office is; things get around," Jim answered.

"I might believe that if it weren't for the fact that Antonio has left the country and isn't here to tell people."

"Must've been some date if he had to leave the country afterwards," he quipped.

Johanna glared at him. "You're such an ass."

"At least I'm not lying about having a date."

"What I have isn't any of your business," she retorted. "So quit being nosy."

"I wasn't being nosy," Jim insisted.

"Then what do you call it?"

"Being concerned for your welfare," he stated. "I do worry about you; you know."

She eyed him. "Are you sure it wasn't worry and concern for yourself?"

"I don't catch your meaning."

"I think you do," she replied.

"You know how I feel about you."

She smiled sadly as she shook her head. "Do I? I don't recall being told."

"You're the stubbornness damn woman I've ever met," he replied.

"Thank you," she stated. "Feel free to be offended enough to leave."

Irritation flicked through him. "I do have a business question to ask you," he told her.

"Ask it and get out."

"Why is it that you can have a business dinner with Antonio and not me?"

"I was being professional," she quipped. "Remember we discussed professionalism."

Jim eyed her. "I don't think it's very professional to dine with one colleague when you've turned down another, honey."

"Well, darling, that's how it goes," she replied flippantly.

He smiled. "Are you saying that you discriminate? Because that's against our ethics here."

She nodded. "When it comes to you; I plan to be very discriminating."

God he wanted to kiss her; he thought as he held her gaze but he pushed aside that urge. "I think that's against your nature."

"Maybe you don't know my nature as well as you think you do."

He leaned forward. "I think I know you pretty well, Jo. Just like I know you don't want to go to dinner with me because it might chip away at that anger you have."

"No; I just know exactly how it'll be."

"You have my word that I'll keep it strictly business."

Johanna sighed. "Your word isn't worth much to me right now, Jim; and besides, we both know it's a lie."

"Why do you say that?"

"Because out of the two of us; I'm the only one whose capable of going to dinner with a colleague of the opposite sex and keep it strictly business."

He shifted in his seat. "Alright, Johanna; just what the hell do you mean by that?"

She smiled. "Why don't you go ask Melanie; I'm sure she'd be happy to remind you of your business meetings with her."

Jim's eyes narrowed. "Maybe you shouldn't believe everything you hear."

"Maybe you should quit acting like I was born yesterday. I'm not stupid."

"I never said you were; but I'm thinking you might've been paid a visit by the green eyed monster. Are you jealous?"

Her brow rose. "Are you? Because I think you must've gone through a lot of trouble to find out who I ate dinner with last night."

He scoffed. "Think what you want."

"You too," she responded.

"You know, two can play this game," Jim remarked tartly.

"What game is that?"

"The one you've been playing all week."

"It's not a game, honey. It's called knowing where one stands and moving on."

He sneered at her. "Oh it's a game alright, and if that's how you want it, that's fine with me."

"Is that some kind of threat, Jim?"

"Not at all; it's just my way of saying that I can play along. So you keep enjoying all of your little lunch dates, Jo. I hope they make you happy."

"Maybe they do," she replied; her gaze icy as she held his stare. "I have been having a nice time; so far the men I've dined with have been very kind and interesting."

"Sweetheart, if interesting is what you want, interesting is what you'll get."

"Am I supposed to tremble with fear?" Johanna asked.

"That'll be up to you."

She shook her head. "Whatever, Jim."

Sharon appeared in the doorway before he could form a response. "Everything okay?" she asked Johanna.

"I think we might have to call the exterminator; I seem to have a pest in my office that won't leave," she said with a nod towards Jim.

"No need for the exterminator," Sharon replied. "I'll get the fly swatter and hit him myself."

"Don't get excited, Sharon," Jim said as he rose from the chair. "I'm leaving."

"You better remove yourself," the secretary stated; "Because I will do it for you if you don't."

He smiled and then looked to Johanna. "I'll see you later."

She said nothing in reply; a part of her hoping that she wouldn't see him later. Seeing him hurt too much…standing her ground wasn't always easy when she was aching for him inside; and yet he didn't seem to want to give her any other choice.

"Looks like the gangs all here," Sharon commented as she and Johanna entered the break room later that morning.

"Looks like it," Johanna agreed; seeing that Maggie and Jeff were present, as well as Sally, Phil and Zach…and Jim…and next to Jim was Melanie. She felt a twitch in her eye and blinked it away. Just because she was standing there didn't mean anything.

"We were wondering if you were going to join the party," Jeff commented; breaking into her thoughts.

"We would've been here sooner if we had been invited," Sharon commented as they moved to the coffee pot.

"We're going to assume our invitation was lost in the mail," Johanna added.

Jeff grinned. "Now, Sassy, you know you and your little buddy are always invited."

Johanna glanced at Sharon. "I guess that makes me the Skipper and you're Gilligan."

"Just for the record," Sharon remarked with a glance to Jeff. "We prefer being Lucy and Ethel or Mary and Rhoda."

"Noted," Jeff replied with a salute as Sharon moved across the room to kiss her fiancé's cheek.

Another colleague, Adam Kingston entered the room and moved in Johanna's direction. "Good morning," he greeted her.

"Good morning, Adam; how are you?"

"I'm fine; I came in because I wanted to ask you something."

"Oh?" she asked.

"Yes; I was wondering if you'd like to have lunch with me today, Jo?"

She smiled warmly. "That sounds nice; what time?"

"Whenever is best for you. I have a light schedule today."

Jim quietly seethed as Johanna mentally reviewed her schedule. "Would 12:30 be alright? I have a client coming in at 11:30 and I should be finished by then."

"That's fine," Adam said with a nod. "If you get done early; you can call my office."

Two could play at this game, Jim reminded himself as he turned toward the woman next to him. "Do you have plans for lunch today, Melanie?" he asked; a flicker of glee rushing through his veins as he noticed Johanna's fingers tighten on her cup. He thought he heard an anguished groan from Jeff but he ignored it…just like he ignored the stares of Sharon, Maggie and Sally…and the looks of impending doom on the faces of Phil and Zach.

Melanie smiled brightly; her eyes full of malicious glee as her hand wrapped around Jim's arm. "I don't have any plans…I've been quite distressed about the prospect of eating alone today."

Jim returned her smile. "We can't have you being distressed. You should have lunch with me."

Melanie's hand moved against his arm in a caress; a flirty gleam in her eyes. "I'd love to have lunch with you, Jim. We'll have a good time, I'm sure."

"I'm sure we will," he grinned.

Johanna rolled her eyes and fought the urge to throw up.

"I'm certain we'll be having more fun than Adam will be," Melanie laughed; her vindictive gaze shifting to Johanna.

Johanna smiled; schooling her features to remain unbothered by the remark. "If you're looking for Melanie's kind of fun, Adam; then I'm afraid you will be disappointed."

Adam smiled at her, catching her meaning. "That's fine with me; I've had Melanie's fun before and there wasn't anything about it worth repeating."

Sharon snorted as she tried to stifle a laugh while Melanie's eyes widened into an angry glare.

"I feel the same about you, Adam. I'm sure you and Johanna will get along well. I just hope we're not all eating at the same place. I'd rather not have my appetite ruined by the sight of the two of you."

"Feeling's mutual," Johanna remarked.

"I was thinking of going to that little diner down the street," Adam stated. "Is that alright with you, Jo?"

"That's fine."

Jim's eye met Adam's. "Don't order French fries," he told him. "She'll eat hers and half of yours; so if you're hungry, go for something she doesn't like."

The remark stung and Johanna had to force herself not to react to it. "You better watch that, Johanna," Melanie remarked. "You'll get fat."

She smirked at her. "I'm not worried; and for that matter, your hips are wider than mine, Melanie; maybe you should take your own advice."

"Are you saying I'm hippy?" Melanie asked in outrage.

"Your words not mine. I do hope you and Jim have a lovely time together. If you need a place to go, I recommend the café on the next block. They have excellent grilled chicken…and I know how fond of chicken Jim is."

"Check mate," Sally murmured as Maggie grinned. Sharon was doing her best not to applaud as Jeff grimaced.

Jim took the blow in stride; holding Johanna's gaze as he addressed Adam. "Adam, make sure Johanna gets what she wants…she's been known to have fits when she doesn't have her way."

"Oh God," Jeff muttered as he pulled a roll of Rolaids from his pocket and ate one as Johanna's eyes glistened with hurt and anger.

"She does seem like the type who always has to have her way," Melanie added.

"Oh she is," Jim agreed. "No doubt about it."

"You're one to talk," Johanna remarked tartly. "You always have to have your way too…that's why Melanie shouldn't feel too cozy; she might want something that you can't handle."

Their friends were frozen in place; their eyes moving back and forth as if they were watching a tennis match. Jim's eyes narrowed at her. "I assure you that I can handle you, Johanna."

Her brow a rose; a sardonic grin that would've made her father proud crossed her lips. "Apparently; you can't."

Adam cleared his throat, drawing her attention to him. "Jo, maybe lunch isn't such a good idea."

"Why not?"

"Because I don't think I want to be involved in this."

"Don't let him bother you," Johanna replied. "There's no reason to change our plans."

Adam gave her a small sympathetic smile. "Maybe some other time."

Her jaw tightened. "Coward."

"See what I mean," Jim laughed; pleased with how things were turning out for him.

"Sorry, Jo," Adam stated before turning and leaving the room.

Melanie snickered. "Boy, Jo; you just can't seem to hold on to any man, can you?"

Johanna eyed her sharply. "Only my friends have leave to call me Jo, Melanie. You aren't my friend; you address me as Johanna."

"Well, well," the other woman crowed; "Aren't you something? I love how you put on airs of being a Queen, Johanna."

Johanna smiled. "If you don't like my kingdom, get out of it."

Melanie shifted her gaze away from her and focused on Jim. "Jim; I think we deserve more than just a lunch break's worth of fun. Why don't we go out tonight and really do it right?"

"I would," he replied; "But I have plans with my brother this evening. We're going to see the fight at Madison Square Garden."

"Oh I do love a good fight," she replied with a flutter of her lashes. "That sounds like such fun."

"It's too bad I don't have an extra ticket; I'd take you along," Jim told her.

Johanna felt the blows to her heart but she tried to quell the ache; knowing that he wanted to hurt her in any way possible; he'd hinted at it just that morning. As if she wasn't already hurt.

"Maybe next time," Melanie replied; pressing a kiss to his cheek. "Call my office when you're ready to go to lunch. I can hardly wait."

"I'll see you in a little while," Jim replied as he watched her go. His gaze then traveled back to Johanna. He moved toward her, noticing that she was blinking rapidly to keep her emotions at bay. He stepped in front of her, his hands gripping the counter to keep her body bracketed between it and him as he looked into her face. "Looks like I just beat you at your own game, Sweetheart. Would you like to play again or are you ready to get back to normal?"

She swore to herself that he wouldn't see her cry; that he wouldn't see the hurt that he had inflicted; but a tear betrayed her and slipped from her eye as she tried to blink it away. She hated herself for allowing it to fall and she closed her eyes; her teeth biting the inside of her cheek as she fought the urge to lower her head. She was a McKenzie; McKenzies didn't lower their heads.

"Well?" he prodded.

"Jim," Jeff said tersely.

He knew his best friend was trying to warn him; trying to stop him from going too far; but he was high on the feeling of chasing off her date and getting even all in one swoop.

"What's it going to be," he needled.

Johanna swallowed hard and forced her eyes to open. His gaze was smug and the victorious smirk on his lips was another blow to her battered heart. Suddenly it all felt hopeless. He didn't want a serious relationship, he only wanted good times and no strings attached. That was his right if it made him happy. She brushed her fingers across her damp cheek. Maybe she was just a game to him, and if so she had lost. "Let me go," she murmured. "I need to get back to my office."

"You didn't answer my question."

She held his gaze. "I hope you and Melanie have a nice time together. Maybe she's right, maybe she is your type after all. Now let me go."

Jim dropped his arms to his sides, allowing her to slip away from him. He watched her exit the room, her head held high…and he felt a brief moment of remorse. Sharon glared at him as she hurried from the room but he paid her no mind.

"You know what," Sally spoke up; "Jo might've had lunch with other men but none of them were your arch rival…but I hope that changes. I hope she does it back to you, because you deserve it."

"I agree," Maggie replied. "You don't want to make a commitment to her but you don't want her to find someone who might either. You purposely ran off Adam and you let Melanie take little pot shots at her and clearly enjoyed yourself while she did so. Did that make you feel good, Jim? Did it make you feel like a man? I don't think you care about her as much as you claim; the only thing you love is yourself and your so called freedom to sow your wild oats. Well one day you're going to get tired of that and it's going to be too late for you. Maybe you ought to think about that."

"I don't recall asking for your opinion," Jim remarked.

"I don't wait to be asked," she told him as she headed for the door.

Sally moved to follow her but paused when Jim spoke once again. "You can keep your opinions to yourself too, Sally; or you're fired."

"Go suck an egg," she told him as she sauntered to the door, unfazed with his threat. "If you want to fire me, you better come up with a more legitimate reason."

"Go do your work," he bellowed.

Sally left the break room and he turned toward the men who remained. Phil shook his head at him. "I guess you feel like you're even now…but I think you might've hit more than you should have in the process."

"I can go to lunch with someone if I want," Jim replied.

"I'm not saying you can't," Phil said as he shifted on his feet. "You're a free man, and Jo's a free woman and can eat with who she wants…but you did run Adam off."

"I did her a favor."

"I'm thinking of doing her a favor and punching you," Jeff stated.

"Oh come on," Jim retorted; "I'm not doing anything she isn't."

"She isn't being malicious about it; and she's only doing it to show you that she can move on if you don't want her and you know that. Call this thing off with Melanie and go talk to Jo. Now that she doesn't have a date for lunch, you know she's going to have time."

"No," he replied with a shake of his head. "I'm not going to talk to her and I'm not calling off my date. She can stew over it for awhile."

"I can't listen to anymore of this," Zach replied as he moved to the door. "I'm going to go ask her to have lunch with me and Claudia."

"I'm getting out of here too," Phil remarked. "You've stuck your foot in your mouth a lot of times before, Jim; but I'm surprised you aren't choking on your toes right now."

He scowled as Phil left, leaving him behind with Jeff. "I'm serious, Jim; I'm thinking of punching you."

"When you do, I'm going to punch you back."

"Only if you're still conscious."

"I'm not doing anything wrong," Jim said tartly.

"You're not doing anything right either," Jeff replied. "Don't do this."

"I'm through discussing it; I know what I'm doing."

"Fine," his friend replied; "Screw it up some more so you'll never have a chance of getting her back when she cools off. Go ahead. I've got the woman I love; it's your problem that you don't have yours."

With that said, Jeff turned and left the room, leaving Jim alone. He wasn't sorry, he told himself. She was the one who started it; he gave her a chance to end it, she had chosen to make her escape to her office instead. He blew out a breath in the silence that hung in the air; he sure did know how to clear a room.

"Can you borrow Phil's car tonight?" Johanna asked Sharon when she returned from lunch that afternoon.

"I'm sure I can," her friend replied. "Why; what's going on?"

"I have to deliver something to Jim's apartment while he's out with his brother tonight."

Sharon's brow rose. "What are we delivering? I hope it's something terrible…it would serve him right."

She shook her head. "Nothing like that. I'm giving him back the things he's given me. He can give it to Melanie since he's so fond of her and wishes he could take her along tonight on his outing."

"He's only doing that because he's pissed at you for going to lunch with other men."

She scoffed. "Well isn't that too bad for him. I'll eat with whoever the hell I want."

"Atta girl!" Sharon exclaimed with a grin. "You show him; you just keep driving it home that you've got plenty of men interested in taking what he wants."

"Will you borrow the car?"

"Absolutely, what time should I pick you up?"

"The fight he's going to starts at seven."

"Maybe we should get there early and watch him leave so we know for sure that he's gone."

"Good idea; let's get there by six or a little after."

Sharon nodded. "We'll be there."

With her mind made up and her plan in motion, Johanna moved into the inner office and sat down at her desk. She had plenty of bravado…and plenty of heartache.

"There he is," Johanna said as she and Sharon remained hunched down in the front seat of Phil's car while they watched the front of Jim's building. They watched as he got into his car and pulled out, ducking down further as he drove their way. "Is he gone?" she whispered.

Sharon rose up in the seat and peered out the back window. "Yeah; he's gone. Should we wait a few minutes to make sure he doesn't come back for something?"

She nodded. "Yeah, that's probably best."

They waited ten minutes and then Johanna grabbed the box from the back seat and they casually made their way into the building. "Are you sure you want to do this?" Sharon asked as they rode the elevator to his floor.

"I'm sure," she replied; although her heart wasn't all together sure she wanted to part with the items in the box…but they weren't getting anywhere…and maybe they never would.

The elevator stopped and the doors opened. She hesitated for a moment and then stiffened her spine and stepped into the hallway with Sharon. Once they made their way to his door; she handed Sharon the box while she dug his key from her pocket and unlocked the door. "Do you want me to wait here?" her friend asked.

"You can if you want; I'm only going to sit the box on the couch and leave the key on the stand. I'll be done in less than a minute."

"Okay."

Johanna pushed the door open and slipped inside the apartment, not even bothering to turn on a light as she carefully made her way to the couch. She sat down the box and then stared at the key in her hand; instead of leaving it on the stand as planned, she laid it on top of the box and then quickly walked away. She pulled the door shut behind her and made sure it locked and then she gave Sharon a wobbly smile and they headed back to the elevator.

"He'll come around soon," the secretary murmured.

"You keep saying that, Sharon…and yet he doesn't...and I don't think he's going to."

"He's working up to it; you just keep doing what you're doing."

"I don't have much choice…he's either got to make a move…or I have to pick one of those guys and learn to be content."

"I hate when you say things like that, Jo."

"Well it's true," she replied as she pushed the button for the elevator. "I want to get married one day; I want to be a mother…and I'm not going to have those things without a man. If I can't have the one I want, then I have to find one I can settle for."

"Don't give up so easily," her friend stated as they got on the elevator.

"Who said I was? I'm just keeping it in mind that…it might not be meant to be, that's all."

As the doors slid shut, Sharon pulled her into a hug. "It'll be okay."

Johanna nodded. "Of course it will…either way it'll be fine. I'm not going to cry anymore," she said as her voice cracked. "I'm fine either way…I'm not crying."

"Of course not," Sharon replied. "You've just got something in your eye."

"That's all it is," she agreed as she released her friend. "There's a breeze outside, something probably irritated my eyes."

"That's exactly what happened," Sharon said, sympathy lacing her voice as Johanna swiped her fingertips beneath her eyes. "It'll feel better when it isn't irritated anymore."

"I know," she murmured. "I just hope it isn't a long wait."

Jim unlocked his door later that evening and his brother followed him inside; his conversation still centered upon the fight they had seen until he spotted the box on Jim's couch.

"Hey, what's in the box?" Andrew asked.

"What box?"

"On your couch; how did you miss it?"

Jim glanced to his sofa and sure enough there was a box there like his brother had claimed. He figured he missed it because his mind wasn't good at staying focused these days. He moved toward it, wondering how it had gotten there and then he saw the key laying on top of it. His heart faltered; Johanna had a key…and if that was her key, then she was giving it back…and he was almost afraid to know what was in the box.

"What is it, Jim?" Andrew asked.

"Probably nothing good," he muttered as he pulled the tape off the lid and opened the flaps. There were two velvet jewelry boxes and he picked up one and opened it, finding Johanna's butterfly bracelet inside. The next revealed the emerald earrings he had given her for Christmas. There was also an envelope and when he opened it, he found the concert tickets for the Eagles that he had given her for her birthday. At the bottom of the box was his leather jacket. He felt like he had been punched in the stomach.

"Uh oh," his brother muttered as he surveyed the items. "Looks like someone is madder than you thought, big brother."

"Yeah; I got the message."

"Looks like there's a note tucked in here," Andrew stated as he caught sight of the scrap of paper that was sticking out by the jacket. He grabbed it and handed it to his brother.

Jim unfolded the note and stared at Johanna's elegant handwriting. "I thought you might want these things back; you can give them to your next friend."

"Ouch," Andrew remarked.

He crumpled up the note and tossed it to the floor; anger and hurt rushing through him. How could she do this? How could she just toss these things away like they meant nothing? That bracelet had been the first gift he had given her…he had picked those earrings because they reminded him of her eyes. He gave her his jacket because it belonged with her…a piece of him wrapped around her when she was cold. The tickets for her favorite band…so they could hear them sing their song. How could she ever think that he could give these things to someone else?

"What are you going to do?" his brother asked.

"I'm giving it all back to her," he said through clenched teeth.

"I don't think she wants it."

"I don't give a damn if she wants it or not; she's taking it all back."

"I don't think that's going to be as easy as you think."

"Wanna bet?" he retorted. "I have a key to her apartment; I'll just do what she did to me. I'll take it in when she isn't home."

Andrew could see the hurt in his brother's face and he squeezed his shoulder in support. "Why don't you just go talk to her; see if you can work things out?"

"I don't feel like talking right now…I feel like yelling."

"Yelling isn't going to get her back. Why don't you just go tell her that you want to try again? I bet she isn't any happier than you are right now."

"I don't know about that," Jim remarked gruffly as he threw the jewelry and the tickets back in the box. "She's out having lunch with a different man every day…she accepts the invitations right in front of me. She doesn't look like she's suffering."

Andrew picked up the crumpled note. "I think this says otherwise…did she see you with someone else? Did you go out with someone to get even?"

"So what if I did?"

"It hurt her…and she's already been hurting."

"Well how does she think it makes me feel to see her running off with everyone who asks her?"

"She knows how it makes you feel, that's why she's doing it…and you went and did it back to her, didn't you?"

"Yes."

"Who with?"

"The person she hates the most," he muttered.

"Dumb ass," Andrew remarked as he slapped his brother upside the head. "This is why you have a box of her stuff sitting on your couch, and this note tucked inside."

Jim jerked the note from his brother's hand and ripped it up, tossing the pieces on the coffee table, wishing that he hadn't confided in his brother. "I've got a note for her too."

"Don't write it now, you're mad. Let me write it, it'll solve all your problems."

Jim scoffed. "Sure it will."

"Give me a chance," his brother said as he began searching for a pen and a notepad. He spotted one on the stand and he snatched it up. "What do you call her?"

"What?"

"What do you call her? Baby, Honey, future wife? What?"

"I call her by her name, you idiot."

"I don't doubt that you use her name, smart ass; but this calls for a gentler touch…and I'm sure you have a pet name for her."

"I'm not letting you call her that."

"I'm not, you are…this is your letter. Now come on, tell me what it is."

"Sweetheart," he muttered.

Andrew knew it wouldn't be wise to tease his brother about that so he set to work on his note. "Don't you think she'll know that isn't my handwriting?" Jim asked.

"You'll copy it over when I'm done."

Jim stared at the box unhappily until Andrew pulled the paper from the tablet and folded it. "There, that's a note that will win back a woman."

"Let's see about that," he said as he grabbed the note and opened it to see what his brother had written. "Sweetheart, I love you madly; I'm so sorry I was a complete and total idiot. I know I don't deserve you, but I want to try. Please forgive me and give me another chance. You won't be sorry, I promise. I want to devote myself to you and no one else. Call me, I'll come over; we can work this out just the way you want."

"That's the stupidest thing I've ever read in my life," Jim declared. "You wrote yourself better notes for getting out of school."

"That is the perfect note," Andrew argued. "It says everything she wants to hear."

"I'm not giving her this," he said as he ripped it up. "It's stupid."

"Fine; be an ass and lose your girl. Now that's she's free, I might call her up myself and see if I can take her to dinner."

Jim glared at him. "I'll kill you."

His brother smiled. "See, you do love her."

"I know I love her!"

"Then tell her!

"She's not going to believe me now!"

"Whose fault is that, moron?"

"Shut up."

"Truth hurts."

"Don't you need to be jetting off somewhere?" Jim asked. "Don't you have some ski resort in Switzerland to go look at?"

"In May?" Andrew laughed. "No. In May I look at beach resorts."

"Then go find one…stay there."

"Hey, don't get pissed at me because you screwed up and lost her."

He frowned. "Don't remind me."

"I have to or you won't do anything to fix it."

"She's taking that stuff back," Jim declared. "She can't get rid of me that easily."

"I don't think she wants to be rid of you, Jim…from what you've told me, I think she feels like you want to be rid of her if she doesn't play by your rules. This whole thing got started because she wants to keep you…but you don't seem to want to keep her, not in the way that really matters that is."

He frowned, his life had gone horribly wrong, and he just seemed to keep making it worse. He really needed to get out of that habit…because the box on his couch told him that she might be giving up on him.

The next morning, Jim made the trek down the hallway to get his first cup of coffee from the break room. His mind was weighed down with the thoughts that had been nagging him all night. Maybe he had been malicious the day before in his treatment of Johanna. He'd been angry with her over that dinner date debacle and for everything else as well. Rubbing Melanie in her face probably hadn't been the best idea; but then again, he had the right to go out with someone else if he wanted to. It wasn't who he preferred to be with but at least he'd had some company for lunch.

Melanie wasn't all that bad. She wasn't Johanna but she was okay. Their lunch had been fine…enjoyable even…but Johanna had stayed on his mind the entire time; the image of that tear sliding down her cheek was seared into his brain. He had taken some cheap shots at her, all in the name of running off Adam and hurting her. At the time it had felt good…this morning it didn't.

He'd have to apologize for it. She probably didn't want to hear it, especially considering that special delivery she had made to his place the night before. He had the box in the trunk of his car, waiting for an ideal time to give it back. As he neared the break room, he picked up the sound of Johanna's voice and he paused to listen.

"Do you have plans tonight?" he heard Daniel asking and it made his hand curl into a fist as he crept closer.

"No," Johanna answered. "Do you need something?"

Jim suppressed a scoff; he could just imagine what Daniel needed.

"I thought maybe we could have dinner tonight," their colleague stated. "That is if you'd like to."

Johanna was quiet for a long moment and Jim held his breath. "Say no," he silently pleaded. "Tell him no."

Inside the room, Johanna worried her bottom lip and then gave a nod despite the flutter of nerves in her stomach. "That sounds nice, Daniel. What time?"

Jim had to force himself not to punch the wall as he remained rooted in spot.

"I could pick you up at seven, if that's alright," Daniel told her.

"That's fine," she replied. "I'm looking forward to it."

Jim's ears perked up; he knew that tone of voice. She wasn't as convinced of what she was saying she wanted Daniel to believe. Oh he was sure the other man believed her…but not him. He knew her…he knew that subtle note in her voice.

"I have to get going," Daniel was saying. "I have to be in court soon; can we discuss the details over lunch?"

"Yeah, sure," Johanna answered. "I'm available after twelve until two."

"I'll call your office," Daniel said as he left the room.

He spotted Jim as he stepped into the hallway and he moved toward him. "What are you doing lurking in the hallway?" he asked.

"Never mind what I'm doing," Jim replied; keeping his tone quiet so that Johanna wouldn't hear him. "Stay away from her."

"That's not your call," Daniel stated. "Only she can tell me to stay away."

"I'm telling you," he said firmly. "You're just taking advantage of her. You know we're having problems and that she's vulnerable."

Daniel looked at him in disbelief. "I'm not taking advantage of her!" he exclaimed quietly. "I like Johanna; I wouldn't do that. I don't make any demands on her; she's free to turn down my invitations. She knows what she's doing and we have a nice time together. You two split up, she's allowed to move on just like you are."

Jim eyed him seriously. "I'm not moving and we're not over, so leave her alone."

"When she tells me to leave her alone, I will. Until then, your loss is my gain. See you later, Jim."

Fury filled him and he marched into the room, his apology forgotten. "Call it off," he demanded as Johanna's gaze met his as she added sugar to her coffee.

Puzzlement flicked across her face. "Call what off?"

"You know what; your date with Daniel tonight."

She gave a short laugh. "News travels around here quicker than I thought."

"I was standing in the hallway, I heard everything," Jim told her.

"You were spying on me!" she asked in outrage.

"No! I just happened to be there! Call it off, Jo."

"Why?"

"Because I'm asking you to," he replied as he moved to stand in front of her.

"You don't have a right to ask me to call off my date," she replied; her tone softening. "I didn't ask you to call off your date with Melanie, now did I?"

"You wanted to," Jim stated knowingly; "Didn't you? Don't lie to save face, Jo; admit it."

She nodded; "Yeah, I wanted to ask you not to do it…but I didn't. I had no right to."

"Don't go out with him tonight, Johanna."

She met his gaze; her hand curling tightly around her mug so that she wouldn't reach out and touch him. "Give me a reason to call it off, Jim," she said softly.

"Because I asked you to."

Johanna shook her head; "That's not a good enough reason. Give me a real one."

Frustration thrummed in his veins. "Like what, Johanna? A pledge? A marriage proposal? What?"

"No," she whispered; "None of those things. I was just thinking of a reason other than your idea that you can tell me what to do."

"I don't want you to go out with him; don't you understand that?"

"Yes; I understand it…I just don't understand why you can't give me a reason for anything lately."

He blew out an aggravated breath and raked a hand through his hair. "Why can't you just be satisfied?"

"It's not because I want to hurt you…it's because I wanted there to be more for us but you don't want to give an inch and neither do I…so here we are. Now if you want to give me a good reason for calling off my date tonight, I will, Jim…but I need a reason and it can't be just because you said so."

Jim was quiet for a long moment; "You're really going to go out with him tonight?"

"Yes…I have no reason not to."

He nodded; "Fine; I hope you have a real good time."

"I hope you have a good time with whoever you chose to retaliate with," she replied; her tone quiet and without the bite it probably should've held.

"I don't know why you have to do this," he murmured.

"That much is obvious, Jim," she said as she moved around him to leave the room.

"Where are you going?"

"Back to my office to do my job…you should do the same…and if a good reason should come to mind for me to call off my date; then you call and tell me and I will."

A sharp retort escaped his lips before he could censor it. "Don't wait by the phone."

A look of sadness crossed her features as she gave a slight nod. "Somehow I knew that would be the answer," she replied before leaving the room.

It was only after she was gone that he realized that he hadn't apologized like he had intended to…but in that moment he wasn't sure he was sorry. All he knew was that tonight while she was out on her little date, he'd be dropping off the package she had delivered to him.

Jim unlocked Johanna's door that evening and stepped inside without any qualms. He flipped on the light and stood in the living room for a moment; debating where to put the box while he burned with anger that she had really gone to dinner with Daniel. He wondered what else she was planning on doing with Daniel too…and with that thought in mind he stalked off towards her bedroom. If she decided to cast aside her rules about one night stands, she and Daniel both were going to know that he'd already been in her bedroom that night…that he wasn't going to be so easily erased from her life.

He turned on the lamp on the nightstand and set the box on the bed and opened it. He opened the box that held her bracelet and sat it on her pillow. He then opened the box with the earrings and sat them on the other pillow. He laid his leather jacket in the spot she always laid in and he threw the envelope with the tickets on top of it. He took his spare key from his pocket and laid it on the nightstand.

Jim grabbed the box and tossed it down in front of her closet door; his eyes landing on the stuffed cat he had won her at the carnival. He was surprised that it hadn't been included in the box. At least she had made one concession when it came to ridding her life of him. Her nightgown was lying at the foot of the bed and he reached for it before he could stop himself. The silky pink material was smooth and cool against his fingertips and recognition swam through him. This was the same nightgown she had worn in North Carolina that night things had gotten out of hand. He clutched it tightly and then brought it to his nose, inhaling the familiar scent of strawberry soap. God he missed the smell of strawberries…and her perfume…and the soft natural scent that was unique to her. He missed the feel of her in his arms; the musical note of her laughter…losing himself in those gorgeous green eyes. He missed talking to her…he missed everything about her.

He sat down on the foot of the bed, her nightgown still clutched tightly in his hands. Suddenly it started to become clear to him. He wanted her back and yet instead of putting serious effort into brining the situation back under control, he kept acting like an ass and making things worse. Why? He scoffed at himself; he knew why. He had to stop behaving the way he had been. If he wanted Johanna to cease with her behavior, he had to stop with his. He had to make an effort instead of trying to keep the score even. Hurting her wasn't getting him anywhere…he'd already hurt her; adding to it was cruel.

She was out with Daniel because he hadn't taken her up on the offer she had extended. All he had to do was give her a reason…but he hadn't been thinking logically. He could've asked her not to go so that they could try and work things out. He could've offered an olive branch. He had refused and now it would be even harder.

Jim sighed; he had to start getting serious about getting things turned around and put back to normal or she was really going to move on and he wouldn't be able to stand it. He was probably going to have to discuss some strategy with Jeff…he might even have to ask his father for advice. If he could just get them back on track; things would work themselves out. He brought her nightgown to his nose once more and breathed deeply. It would be okay…he'd get her back…he just had to start thinking with the right brain cells.

With that thought in mind, he carefully laid her nightgown back in the spot it had been in and rose from the bed. He clicked off the lamp and left her room. He made the trek back to the living room, his eyes darting to the bookcase to see if the picture of them was still there. It was, but it was face down. Jim frowned and moved toward it, sitting it back up in its place. He then noticed that the seashells were missing and it was another punch to his gut. What had she done with their seashells? He moved through the apartment, looking for their new location and when he couldn't find them, he went into the kitchen and checked the trash. They weren't there…so what had she done with them? His gaze fell on the pen and legal pad on the table and he recalled that he hadn't written her a note.

"Don't do it again," he wrote; knowing that she'd catch his meaning; and then he added "And where the hell are our seashells?"

Jim pulled the piece of paper from the tablet and carried back to the bedroom. He laid on the pillow next to her bracelet and then figured that he better take his leave; he didn't want to be there when she got back. He moved back through the apartment and turned off the lights before exiting quietly and making sure her door locked behind him. Now he'd go home and wait and see if she showed up at his door with that damn box again.

As Daniel pulled up in front of her building, Johanna rooted through her purse and located her keys. She was glad to be home, despite the fact that she'd had a nice time. Daniel shut off the car and she glanced at him as her hand fell to the door handle. "You don't have to walk me to the door," she told him.

"I'll just walk you inside to the elevator," Daniel replied as he got out of the car and hurried around to open her door for her. She smiled at the gesture and said nothing as his hand fell to the small of her back as he walked with her. He opened the door of the building for her and followed her inside, moving across the small lobby to the elevator.

Johanna gave him a smile. "I had a nice time tonight," she told him.

Daniel gave her a small smile, his brown eyes showcasing a hint of disbelief. "Did you really?"

Confusion furrowed her brow. "Yes, of course I did; didn't you?"

His head bobbed in a slight nod. "Yeah…but there was a shadow between us all night."

"A shadow?"

"Jim," he stated. "His shadow was between us…and you know it."

"I thought we had a nice time," she remarked; her gaze dropping to her feet as she suddenly felt self conscious. She thought she had done very well, all things considered…but apparently she was wrong…again.

"I'm not saying it was bad…I just think you do better at lunch dates. Maybe they're less pressure. Maybe it was too soon for you to go on a dinner date."

She closed her eyes for a brief second and tried to brush off the feeling of being told she wasn't quite good enough for the second time in the same month. "I assure you that I was fine," she told him. "I sometimes have a tendency to be shy. I'm sorry that I was apparently bad company for you this evening; that wasn't my intent. I'll pay you for my half of dinner."

"I don't want your money, Johanna," Daniel replied. "I was just saying that it was…obvious that you weren't ready for this. It doesn't have anything to do with shyness. It has to do with Jim."

Johanna sighed. "I think I'm just going to swear off men. I can't seem to please any of you."

Daniel smiled. "It's not that…it's that you love Jim."

"You know, I was always under the belief that when a date was over that the man just said goodnight and didn't spend those last few moments critiquing the evening."

"I didn't mean to hurt your feelings."

She gave a small smile and shrugged. "It's alright, they're used to it."

Daniel shifted on his feet. "I'm just saying that I know you love him…and I know you want whatever it is that happened to work out. I hope it does…but if it doesn't, I'm also going to hope that his loss will be my gain. I'm not holding it against you for being off in some respects tonight. I get it and I understand."

"In that case, you could've just said nothing about it and then not asked me out again. I would've figured it out," Johanna replied.

He reached for her hand and held it. "I'm making a mess of this. I just don't want you to feel like you have to pretend like you had a good time."

"I did," she insisted; "Until now…because it's coming through loud and clear that you didn't. I'm sorry…I don't know what else to say."

"Jo," Daniel said as he squeezed her hand as she tried to pull it away. "I'm not saying I'm never going to ask you out again; because I am. I do want to see you again."

"You've got a funny way of showing it," she replied as she drifted back to the front of the lobby to check her mail. She grabbed the envelopes from her mail box and then checked Mrs. Blackston's as well. She moved back to the elevator, ready to say goodnight and be done with it, but Daniel didn't seem like he was done.

"Despite what you think, I know I'll be asking you to lunch next week."

"Don't feel obligated," Johanna told him; thinking to herself that it was an invitation that she was now likely to decline.

"I don't feel obligated. I just think we should stick to lunch."

"Okay," she said, forcing a smile to her lips, hoping that would be the end of it.

Daniel leaned toward her and she hurriedly turned her face; his lips landing against her cheek. "See," he murmured. "You're not ready. I wasn't really going to kiss you; I was just proving that you wouldn't allow it…because of that shadow."

"Maybe I just don't kiss on the first date."

"I bet you kissed Jim on the first date."

"Jim and I knew each other for a year before he kissed me, not that it's anyone's business," she remarked as she pushed the button for the elevator.

"He loves you," Daniel remarked, brushing his hand against her arm.

"You know, for someone accusing me of being hung up all night, you're the one doing all the talking about him."

"That's because you won't admit it."

Johanna couldn't take it anymore. "Fine, Daniel, I admit it, I thought about him tonight. I think about him every day; hell I probably think about him every hour, but we want different things and this is how it is now. I said I was sorry that I apparently wasn't what you wanted tonight. What more do you want from me?"

"Nothing," he replied; brushing a knuckle against her jaw line. "I'm sorry if I hurt your feelings. I'll make it up to you."

"No, it's fine, don't worry about it," she said as she moved into the elevator and hit the button for her floor. "Thanks for dinner. I'll see you at work on Monday."

"Goodnight," Daniel replied as the doors slid shut.

Johanna leaned back against the wall of the elevator; another disaster to add to her collection. She really should just give up on men, she thought to herself as she pulled the clip from her hair to let it down. The elevator stopped on her floor and she moved down the hallway to Mrs. Blackston's door. She knocked and then waited for the old woman to crack open the door.

"Johanna, hello dear," Mrs. Blackston said as she answered the door.

She smiled. "Here's your mail."

"Thank you, dear. Did you go out tonight? You look very nice."

"Yes, I did; thank you."

"Did you have a nice time?"

Johanna blew out a breath. "No; I guess I didn't."

Mrs. Blackston smiled in sympathy. "Some nights just aren't worth the effort, are they?"

"No; they sure aren't…but tomorrow's another day."

"That's what Scarlet O'Hara always claimed," the old woman replied.

"I sure do hope she's right," Johanna said with a soft laugh as she drifted toward her door. "Goodnight, Mrs. Blackston."

"Sweet dreams, dear."

Johanna unlocked her door and moved inside. She relocked it and kicked her shoes off; tossing her mail, purse and keys onto the stand to be dealt with later. She drifted to the kitchen to get a drink. She sighed as she grabbed a soda from the fridge. Daniel had been a fine dinner companion…but he wasn't Jim. The meal had been nice…but she'd been to that restaurant before…with Jim. She had turned down the offer of a movie and suggested drinks instead. Maybe that had been her down fall in hiding that there was another man on her mind. She did the best she could to put him from her mind…but he was everywhere she looked.

Daniel had picked a nice little club that had a live band. The margarita was good; the second one even better. Daniel was good at conversation and he didn't mind dancing. They had gotten along nicely, at least she had thought so…but he wasn't Jim. He didn't make her feel any of the things that Jim did…and she had a feeling that no one ever could.

Johanna took a long sip of her Coke. She hoped Jim would come around soon…she didn't particularly like going out with other men when she knew her heart belonged to him…but the fact remained that he may never come around. Another sigh crossed her lips; there was no sense in dwelling, she decided as she carried her drink to the living room. She'd change her clothes for the night and watch some TV.

When she turned on the lamp in her bedroom, her gaze fell upon her bed and her breath caught. All the things she had returned to Jim were lying there, along with a note.

"Don't do it again. And where the hell are our seashells?'

"Their seashells?" she thought to herself; she hadn't been aware that they were theirs…she thought they were hers…and they were in the trunk in her hall closet with the rest of her mementos; it had been too painful to look at them lately. What did it mean that he had noticed them missing from the shelf in the living room? What did it mean that he considered them 'theirs'. Was she on the right track? She got the point that she shouldn't try to return the gifts again…and she wouldn't…not right now anyway. She'd wait and see how this hand played out.

She laid the note on the nightstand and caught sight of his key laying there. Why hadn't he at least kept that? If he was going to leave a key; she would've thought that it would be hers. If he was going to leave the gifts and the key…if it meant what she thought it could…then why hadn't he stayed as well? Why didn't he stay and tell how her how he felt…tell her why it was so important for her to keep those things. Why couldn't he just tell her what she wanted to hear? He had to feel something or he wouldn't care so much about what she did…so why couldn't he just say it? Frustration made her hands curl into fists at her sides. She'd just have to keep doing what she was doing…maybe it was the only way.

Johanna snatched up the jewelry and put it back in her jewelry box, along with the concert tickets. She hung the jacket back in her closet and then she snatched up her nightgown from the foot of the bed. She could smell the faint scent of his cologne and she brought the silky material closer to her face, smelling the smallest trace of it on her nightgown. Had he picked it up? He would've had to; how else would it have his scent upon it? Did he recognize it as they one she had worn last summer? Did he remember the feel of it against his skin as his hands slipped beneath it and roamed her body? Did he remember how close they came that night? She closed her eyes; her entire being aching for him as she breathed in that faint trace of his cologne. The sting of tears pricked her eyes and she forced herself to blink. She had to keep going...she couldn't fall back on old habits…even if she wanted to so badly at that moment. She missed him…she missed him so damn much and she hurt so much…and he was the only one that could cure the aches and pains that ailed her soul. But she couldn't call and she couldn't go over. He had to be the one to bend this time. He had to make a choice. Was she worth the risk…or wasn't she?

…to be continued