Bennie Rosato didn't have anything in common with her identical
twin, except their DNA. They shared the same blue eyes, strong
cheekbones, and full mouth, but whenever Bennie looked at Alice
Connelly, all she could see were their differences. Tonight, Bennie
had on a khaki suit, white shirt, and brown pumps, her lawyer
uniform. Alice had on tight shorts with a low-cut black top,
flaunting cleavage that Bennie didn't even know they had. She made
a mental note to look down her shirt, after she got home.

Alice was making dinner and she opened the oven door, releasing
the aroma of roasting chicken. "Finally, it's ready."

"Smells great."

"You sound surprised."

"Not at all." Bennie changed the subject. "I like your new
house, it's great."

"Yeah, right." Alice turned, carving fork in hand. "Why are you
being so condescending?"

"I'm not."

"You are, too. It'll look better when I move all my stuff in,
and the rent is low, since the estate can't sell it. That's the
only way I could afford it. I don't have your money."

Bennie let it go. "It's good that it came furnished."

"This crap? It's dead people furniture." Alice pushed back a
smooth strand of hair, yet another difference between them. She
blew-dry her hair straight, and her eyeliner was perfect. Bennie
let her hair curl naturally and thought Chapstick was makeup.

She sipped her wine, feeling warm. There was no air
conditioning, and the kitchen was small and spare except for knobby
wooden chairs and a dark wood table. A greenish glass fixture gave
little light, and cracks zigzagged down the plaster like summer
lightning. Still the cottage had a rustic charm, especially set in
the rolling countryside of southeastern Pennsylvania, an hour or so
outside of Philadelphia.

Alice plopped the chicken on the table, then sat down. "Don't
panic, it's organic."

"You're eating healthy now, huh?"

"What do you mean? I always did. So, are you dating anybody?"
Alice asked.

"No."

"How long's it been since you got laid?"

"Nice talk." Bennie bit into a potato, which tasted good. "If I
remembered sex, I'd miss it."

"Whatever happened to that lawyer you lived with? What was his
name again?"

"Grady Wells." Bennie felt a pang. She'd get over Grady, any
decade now.

"So what happened?"

"Didn't work out." Bennie ate quickly. It had taken forever to
get here from Philly, in rush hour traffic. She wouldn't get home
until midnight, which wasn't the way she wanted to end an
exhausting week.

"Who'd you see after Grady?"

"Nobody serious."

"So he's the one that got away?"

Bennie kept her head down, hiding her expression. She couldn't
understand how Alice always intuited so much about her. They'd
never lived together, even as babies, though Alice claimed to have
memories from the womb. Bennie couldn't even remember where she put
her car keys.

"So, what's new in your life? Don't give me the official
version. I read the website."

"Nothing but work. How about you?"

"I'm seeing a few nice guys, and I'm working out. I even joined
a gym." Alice made a muscle of her slim arm. "See?"

"Good." Bennie had been an elite rower in her time, but she'd
been too busy lately to exercise. "By the way, I hear great things
about the job you're doing at PLG. Karen thinks you're
terrific."

"Are you keeping tabs on me, now?"

"Of course not. I ran into her, at a benefit."

Alice arched an eyebrow. "Does she have to report to you, just
because you got me the job?"

"No, but If I see her, we talk. She knows me, like she knows
most of the bar association. She has to, we all support the Public
Law Group." Bennie felt a headache coming on. She'd lost a motion
in court this morning, and it was turning out to be the high point
of her day.

"So what did she say, exactly? She loves to gossip."

"It wasn't like that." Bennie sipped her wine, but it didn't
help. "All she said was that they like you. They have you doing
office administration, payroll and personnel, in addition to the
paralegal work."

"Not anymore. I quit."

"What?" Bennie said, blind-sided. "You quit PLG? When?"

"The other day. It wasn't for me, and the money sucked."

"But you have to start somewhere." Bennie couldn't hide her
dismay. She'd stuck her neck out for Alice and now her friends at
PLG would be left in the lurch. "They would have promoted you, in
time."

"When, ten years?" Alice rolled her eyes. "The work was boring,
and the people were so freaking annoying. I'd rather work with you,
at Rosato & Associates."

Bennie's mouth went dry. She couldn't imagine Alice at her firm.
"I don't need a paralegal."

"I can answer phones."

"I already have a receptionist."

"So fire her ass."

Bennie felt cranky. Maybe it was the headache, which was a
doozy. "I like her. I would never do that to her."

"Not even for me? We're the only family we have."

"No." Bennie tried to keep a civil tongue. Being her sister's
keeper was getting old. "I can't fire her. I won't."

"Okay, fine, then think outside the box. You need somebody to
run the office, don't you?"

"I run the office."

Alice snorted. "If you ask me, you could use a hand with
personnel. Those girls who work for you need a life lesson,
especially the little one, Mary DiNunzio. Time for girlfriend to
grow up."

"That's not true." Bennie wished she hadn't come. Her stomach
felt queasy. Her appetite had vanished. She set down her fork.
"DiNunzio's a good lawyer. She should make partner next month."

"Whatever, then I'll be your assistant. I'll take ninety grand,
to start."

"Listen I can't always be the solution to your problems."
Bennie's head thundered. "I got you a job, and you quit it. If you
want another job, go out and find one."

"Thanks, Mom." Alice smiled sourly. "The economy's in the
toilet, if you haven't noticed."

"You should have thought of that before, and you'll find
something, if you try. You went to college, and you have lots
ofŠabilities and, oh, my headŠ." Suddenly the kitchen
whirled like spin art, and Bennie collapsed onto the table. Her
face landed on the edge of her dirty plate, and her hand upset her
water glass.

"Aww, got a headache?" Alice chuckled. "Too bad."

Bennie didn't know what was happening. She felt impossibly
drunk. Her eyes wouldn't stay open.

"You're such a fool. You think I'd really want to work for
you?"

Bennie tried to lift her head up, but couldn't. All her strength
had left her body. Sound and colors swirled together.

"Give it up. It's over."

Bennie watched, helpless, as darkness descended.

Excerpted from THINK TWICE © Copyright 2011 by Lisa
Scottoline. Reprinted with permission by St. Martin’s
Griffin. All rights reserved.