Sisters in Love (Snow Sisters, Book One: Love in Bloom Series #1) by Melissa Foster Page A

this.”
    Blake headed out the door. He’d been
disappointed when he didn’t see Danica at the coffee shop before
work. He braced himself against the cold and headed there
again.
    The aroma of coffee reminded him of the
morning he'd accidentally struck Danica. He laughed to himself. It is a small world . Three women looked up from their table,
their eyes devouring him like he was a giant chocolate bar. He took
his place in the back of the line.
    The line moved quickly, and when it was his
turn, the familiar barista said, “Hiya, Blake. The usual?”
    “Yeah, sure.” He thought about it, then said,
“No, wait. How about a vanilla latte instead, and a bagel with
cream cheese.”
    “Wow, bring it on,” she joked.
    Change is good . Blake hadn’t eaten a
bagel in what felt like years. He stuck to a strict diet of coffee,
protein, veggies, alcohol, and—of course—women. He took the bag and
cup from the barista, paid, and headed back out into the snow. He
walked with his head down, shoulders hunched against the wind,
rethinking the bagel.
    The door to AcroSki pulled from his hands
with the weight of the wind. He tugged it shut behind him and wiped
the snow from his shoulders.
    “It’s a cold one, huh?” Alyssa said.
    “I brought you something.” He took off his
parka and made his way to the office. He set the coffee down and
handed Alyssa the bagel. He was already tackling changing his
personal habits; changing his eating habits would have to wait.
    “I don’t need this,” she said, then patted
her stomach.
    “Please.” He laughed. “Carb load. You’ll need
it today, to pick up the pieces of Dave’s—of the work we need to
get done.” His heart ached as the spark in Alyssa’s eyes
dimmed.
    “Right,” she said, and walked away, bagel in
hand. The door closed behind her, leaving Blake alone in the office
he and Dave had shared, alone with his thoughts, memories, and
fears. He sat in the chair and stared at the desk. There were signs
of Dave everywhere, from the picture of his family to the
scribblings on the calendar and the sticky notes placed haphazardly
on the wall.
    Blake leaned forward and put his forehead to
his hands. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Focus. What would Dave do? That was the problem. He’d known Dave
for years, and yet he had no idea what he might do in this
situation. Rusty’s voice picked at his mind. “My dad didn’t give
a fuck about me or anyone else besides himself.”
    “Dave, what the hell was going on?” he said
to the empty room.
     
    There was a feeling of submissiveness that
went along with seeing a female therapist, and being submissive was
not something Blake was comfortable with. He sat across from
Danica, reminding himself that it was his choice to be there. It
didn’t help. He still felt like a high school kid in the
principal’s office. A beautiful principal’s office.
    “What would you like to talk about today,
Blake? Do you feel ready to talk about Dave?”
    Blake ran his eyes over Danica’s crazy hair,
down her shirt and slacks, trying to figure out what looked
different.
    “Are you done?” she asked, glaring at him,
her eyebrows lifted.
    “I’m sorry. I wasn’t looking at you like that .” Blake wiped his face with his hand, wondering if he was looking at her like that.
    “Like what?” she asked.
    “You know, like guys look at women. You look
different today, and I was trying to figure out what it was.”
    Danica smiled. “Okay, thanks for
noticing.”
    “Ha!” he said loudly. “I knew something was
different. But, honestly, I have no clue what it is.”
    Danica shook her head. “That’s okay. We’re
not here to talk about my clothing. Dave, remember?”
    Blake took a deep breath and crossed his
arms. “Dave. Right.” Where do I begin? “I took Dave’s son,
Rusty—he’s fifteen—to his basketball practice the other day. Well,
I thought I was taking him to basketball practice, but he snuck out
with his friends and I