"I can't believe you're here." Kelly squeezed my hand again as fresh tears threatened. "I wish she could've-" A choked sob kept her from finishing the sentence.

I wished fiercely for Evan, or even Butch, to tell me what to do. I'd never been very good at tea and sympathy. I supposed I should be crying, too, but then I'd be crying for a total stranger, and that just didn't work for me.

Then I remembered what comforted me the most in those dark days after my parents died.

"Tell me about Lila," I said.

Kelly closed her eyes. Her throat moved as she swallowed.

"Peaches. She wanted us to call her Peaches."

My heart fluttered, then throbbed as the beat picked up. I'd smelled peaches when Lila came into the store.

"That was her nickname, and she thought it would be easier than calling her Mom. She was funny and sweet and had a ridiculous Southern accent. I couldn't believe it when she tracked me down-I got a letter from her about two weeks ago." Another hard swallow. Kelly's eyes opened, seeking mine. "After that, we talked on the phone almost every day. I had to come back to the States anyway to take care of some unfinished business, and when I flew into Atlanta, Peaches was there to meet me at the airport." Her voice cracked.

Kinda weird how she referred to Joe as "unfinished business," but I could imagine the scene; a tearful reunion of mother and daughter, thrilled and happy to find each other. Where did I fit into the picture?

Oh yeah, there I was, the gloomy one in the corner with the pink streaks in her hair.

"She was so happy to see me." Kelly swiped away tears, hand trembling. "She said the only thing that could possibly make her happier was if we found you."

It was still hard to believe that all this time I'd had a sister and a mother I'd known nothing about-even harder to believe they'd been looking for me.

Kelly drew in a deep breath. Her voice was stronger after she let it out.

"She was so excited. So was I." A tinge of irony crept in. "We'd find you, and then we'd all be together-one big, happy family."

I didn't know what to say, so I kept quiet while Kelly picked at the hospital blanket. "The adoption agency told her they'd keep us together. She was pretty upset to find out things didn't turn out that way." Kelly blinked back more tears, swiping them away.

"Why did she give us away in the first place?" The burning question, the one I'd wondered about all my life, came out before I could stop it.

Kelly waved a bruised hand. "Same old story. Too young, not married, boyfriend dumped her."

I had a sudden image of poor lonely Tammy, the teenage spirit who'd been haunting the Star Bar since the eighties because of guilt over an abortion. If Peaches had chosen that route, I wouldn't be here.

"You're very pretty," Kelly said.

"So are you," I lied. The bruises on her face would have to fade and the swelling go down before that statement could be remotely near the truth.

"I look like hell," she answered. "The night nurse was kind enough to lend me a mirror. But that's sweet of you to say."

An awkward silence descended as we stared at each other. She was nervous, and so was I.

"I can't believe you're here. You don't look anything like I imagined," she said. "You look so... so stylish. Like a model."

I'd been going for a cheerful, upbeat look when I chose the outfit, a vintage paisley halter dress in watercolor shades of aqua and pink. I hoped my nervous sweat wouldn't leave pit stains on the vintage material.

"Thanks." Kelly was definitely more of the "nature girl" type. Her brown hair was straight, worn long and parted in the middle. Aside from the bruises, she looked pretty much like what I expected. "I guess I have an advantage," I answered. "I've seen your picture."

Kelly blinked, tiny frown lines appearing between her eyes. "You've seen my picture?"

I took a deep breath. "Yeah. Joe showed me."

"Joe?" Kelly looked at me blankly.

Holy freakin' Mother of... she didn't know.

I stood up so fast I knocked the box of tissues to the floor. "Um... hasn't Joe explained things to you?"

Kelly's confusion got deeper. "How do you know Joe? Explained what?"

At that moment I knew how a deer in the headlights must feel. Kelly was no dummy, and within seconds, comprehension dawned. Her mouth fell open.

"Are you kidding me?" Her voice rose slightly. "You and Joe? My Joe?"

"Your Joe?" The words were out of my mouth before I could stop them. "When's the last time you saw him, or even spoke to him?"

"Last night," Kelly shot back. "How about you?"

My heartbeat responded to the hostility in her voice, speeding up.

"This morning," I said calmly, "and pretty much every day for the last month. He told me he was free to date anyone he wanted. Are you telling me different?"

Kelly's face had reddened beneath the bruises, giving her a mottled look. I held my ground, meeting her eye.

She looked away first.

"Joe's his own man," she murmured. "But that doesn't mean I want him dating my sister."

"I see."

Charged silence for a moment, then her face turned back in my direction.

We stared at each other.

"You still have feelings for him." I made it a statement, not a question.

"He's a great guy." Her chin quivered, just once, then firmed. "He didn't deserve what I did to him."

"No, he didn't." I wasn't giving an inch. There was too much at stake. "But he's over it."

"Then why didn't he tell me this himself last night?"

Good question, though I didn't care for the way she asked it.

I shrugged, playing it cool. "Maybe he didn't want to upset you. You've been through a rough time."

Kelly blinked, and it was like a shutter came down, veiling her thoughts. Her gaze flicked over my bare shoulders and the neckline of my halter dress. In an abrupt change of subject, she said, "I can see why Joe likes you."

Was that some kind of backhanded slap, or a genuine compliment?

"I'm sure he likes you, too." I forced myself to answer her lightly. If she wanted to play nice, I could play nice. "He married you."

She shrugged, then looked away. "Our marriage has been over for years, and I was the one who threw in the towel. You can have him."

"Gee, thanks." This time I couldn't keep the sarcastic edge out of my voice if I'd tried.

There was a silence, then she said, "I'm sorry." She bit her lip, still not looking at me. "I have a tendency to be a bitch sometimes."

"I know the feeling." I knew that feeling, and a few others. Right now I had the feeling I should leave.

But I didn't.

Kelly seemed fascinated with the crappy hospital curtains.

There was a chair in the corner opposite the bed. I took a seat without asking.

"You and Joe have every right to be seeing each other, even if it is kinda weird," she said after a moment.

Tell me about it.

"I mean, what are the odds of that? Joe dating my twin?" Kelly eyed me curiously, and I returned the favor. If she were waiting for me to venture an opinion, she'd just have to keep waiting.

She sighed and let her head fall back against the pillows. "It was just a shock, that's all. It's been a pretty bad week."

I couldn't help but feel sorry for her. She was lying in a hospital bed, black and blue and white all over. Those bandages made me itch just looking at them.

"There are so many things I wanted to talk to you about, Nicki. Hearing from Peaches was like a dream come true, but the dream seems to have turned into a nightmare."

I tried not to let that comment hurt my feelings, but it kinda did. True, Peaches was gone, but what was I, chopped liver?

"I think my pain medication is kicking in." Kelly's face was pale, making the bruises all the more noticeable. "I'm really tired. Can we do this later?"

I got to my feet, surprised to find my knees a little wobbly. "I'll come back tomorrow."

"Thanks. By the way, I like your outfit. It looks... nice. Very colorful."

Then she ruined it by adding, "If that's the look you're going for."

--- "I hate her. And I hate Joe, too."

I'd called Evan on my cell phone as soon as I got to the car.

"What do you mean 'you hate her'?" Evan ignored my comment about Joe, knowing a lie when he heard it. "You can't hate her-she's your twin sister, for God's sake. Hang on a minute." I could hear the beep of the cash register in the background, so I waited until I heard him give a cheery, "Thanks so much. Come back and see us."

"Okay, so I don't hate her, but she's not making it easy." Evan would still have the phone cradled to his ear. I was barely paying attention as I drove my car out of the hospital parking garage.

"C'mon, Nicki, she can't be that bad." He was using his "let's humor the crazy chick" tone. "You barely met her."

"She dissed my outfit."

A horrified gasp, then a momentary silence. "What are you wearing?"

"The pink and blue paisley halter dress."

Evan sighed. "Well, no wonder. That thing's hideous."

"It is not," I shot back. We'd had this argument before. "I like it."

"It looks like the Easter Bunny threw up on you," he said. "Why in the world did you wear that?"

"You're not helping," I snapped.

"Okay, okay. But next time I'm picking the outfit."

"Next time? Who said anything about next time?"

"Nicholette Nadine Styx, there will be a next time, because she's the only family you have in the whole world. Which means you're the only family she has in the whole world. You're going to get over yourself, and you're going to get to know your twin sister, even if it kills you."

"Now there's an idea," I said glumly. "Can't I just kill her instead?"

Evan proved yet again how well he knew me by saying, "Quite frankly, I think you're just in a snit because God saw fit to create two of you instead of just one. You never could stand to share the spotlight. Then there's the guilt over the 'sleeping with her husband' thing."

"Who are you all of a sudden, Dr. Phil? Have you been going to some gay psychology class I know nothing about?"

"Don't get snippy," he warned. "I'm only trying to help."

"Stop taking her side and listen to me, Evan. First she was all sweetness and light, but as soon as she heard about Joe and me, everything changed."

"Excuse me, girlfriend, but your bitchy slip is showing." Evan was cutting me no slack. "She almost died. You were no Susie Sunshine the day after your heart failure, you know."

I remembered that day. I'd woken up in the hospital, not knowing how I got there, wondering if the dream I'd just had about a white light and a disembodied voice telling me it "wasn't my time" had been real. Stiff, sore, and cranky as hell, I awoke with the words "do unto others as you would have them do unto you" still resounding in my head. I was pretty unhappy to discover that the people I was supposed to "do it to" were people who'd died with unfinished business.

Evan was right, damn him. I shouldn't hold Kelly's crankiness against her.

"Has anybody ever told you that you're a pain in the ass?"

He laughed. "Well, actually..."

"Don't say it," I warned.

Evan laughed again, and I couldn't help but join him this time. Whatever issues lay ahead with Kelly and Joe, at least I had someone to adjust my bitchy slip.

--- "Kelly thinks you're cool. Colorful, she said."

I held the phone out at arm's length and stared at it. Then I put it back to my ear and asked Joe, very calmly, "What?"

"I was worried you and Kelly wouldn't like each other. You're so different."