Sisters in Love (Snow Sisters, Book One: Love in Bloom Series #1) by Melissa Foster Read Free Book Online Page B

more day, but
there was something inside that he needed, and that meant entering
into the silence.
    Blake tightened the muscles in his legs,
pulled his shoulders back, and turned the lock. I can do
this . He walked through the doors into the cool air of the
store. The temperature was always cooler in the mornings, before
the timer for the heat kicked up a notch. With his head down, he
barreled toward the office, trying to ignore the absence of Dave’s
banter: Hey, Lady Slayer. Who was it last night? Brunette or
blonde? Blake went into the office, flicked on the light, and
closed the door, leaving the ghost of his best friend behind him.
His chest rose and fell with each heavy breath. He pushed around
the papers on his desk, frantically pulled the drawers open one by
one, then sifted through the documents inside. Where the hell is
it?
    He thought about the day before, the slip of
paper Dave shoved into his pocket. What had he done with it? Damn it! He had to find it fast. He wanted to make an
appointment with someone to help him modify his behavior before he
changed his mind. He needed to lock himself in this time with more
than just words.
    Blake picked up the phone and called their
employees, breaking the news of Dave's death. They needed their own
time to mourn, so closing the store had come as no surprise to
them. He jogged back through the store, then out the front doors,
locking them—and Dave’s missing presence—behind him. The Closed
sign swayed against the glass. He knew he’d have disappointed
customers, but he was dead set on dealing with this head on.
Adrenaline sent him running for his car. He climbed in, breathing
hard. He was doing the right thing. He knew he was. Dave’s death
was the impetus he needed to make some changes in his life. He
pushed the pedal to the floor and was home in twenty-eight
minutes.
    He flew up the stairs to his third-floor
condo and unlocked the door. He breezed through and didn’t even
notice when the door slammed shut behind him. He ran to his laundry
basket, throwing dirty clothes onto the floor until he found his
jeans, then dug into each pocket until the slip of paper came out
in his fingers. He let out a loud breath and closed his fist around
it.
    Blake sat on the chocolate-brown comforter on
his king-sized bed and leaned his elbows on his knees, his forehead
pressed into his fisted hands. He contemplated his next move. Did
he really need help? Couldn’t he just deal with Dave’s death like
other people did? Let the ache and the missing come in and spirit
him away into a deep depression? He would go about his life as he
always had—from one woman to the next, ignoring his emotions.
Feeling nothing but a cocoon of his own pleasure. What was so wrong
with that?
    He opened his fist and looked at the crumpled
paper. Dave’s meticulous handwriting stared back at him, his voice
floating forth. Work through that mommy drama of yours .
Blake hadn’t thought of his mother, really thought of her, in
years. She’d left when he was just a little boy. He lay back on the
bed and closed his eyes. Dave was gone. Really gone. He’d been his
only real friend. Everyone else was transient, peripheral, benign.
A tear slipped down his cheek. He swiped at it angrily. Damn it. He
wasn’t a child. People died! It was just part of life. He stood and
paced.
    His cell phone rang. He glanced at it. Sally . Shit . He let it go to voice mail, then dialed
the number on the slip of paper. He needed to be strong for Sally,
and in his current state of mind, he just couldn’t be. His heart
pounded against his chest. One ring. Two. He could hang up now.
Three. Just hang up . Voice mail. You’ve reached the
office of Dr. Snow …
    “Hi, um…I’d like to make an appointment,
please.” He added his phone number and took the phone away from his
ear, then brought it back. “Thank you.” He pressed End, then
realized he hadn’t left his name. There was no way he was calling
back. He didn’t trust