Free Precious Blessings (Love Inspired) by Jillian Hart

it. That was the understatement of the century. What good came from rehashing the past? Not one thing.
    What she needed was to retreat to her nice quiet condominium and dig some comfort foods out of the cupboards. Maybe, if she closed all the windows and locked the doors behind her she could escape the pieces of the past. Those broken pieces were razor-sharp.
    Home. Finally. She pulled into her garage and hit the remote. The door slid down, shutting out her view of the world.
    Good. Maybe she could shut out the memories, too. Her stomach rumbled, but she couldn’t feel her hunger. As she swung open the car door, the cold temperature didn’t touch her, for she felt colder inside. SeeingHayden tonight was like looking into her past. Looking at her biggest mistakes.
    Katherine took a deep breath to try to clear away the feelings in her chest, feelings that did not seem to be her own, but they stuck like glue to the pieces of her past. They weren’t going to be so easy to turn off and stuff back down. Maybe a vat of chocolate fudge ripple ice cream would help. At least it couldn’t hurt.
    It wasn’t just the memories that were getting to her or the weight of the past. It was Jack, too. He’d gotten past her first walls of defense and she hadn’t been able to shore up the breach.
    She fumbled with her key ring in search of her deadbolt key, but the keys slipped through her fingers, crashed on the cement at her feet and went flying against the shadowed recycling bins.
    Take a deep breath, Katherine, and think of the ice cream. If chocolate can’t fix it, then prayer will.
    Unexpectedly, the inside door whipped open and Ava stood in the brightness. With one look at her sister’s sunny smile, some of the shadows in her heart receded. Katherine scooped up her keys and pocketed them. Thank you, Father. My sisters are just what I need right now.
    â€œWhat are you doing?”
    â€œI dropped my keys.”
    â€œWell come in. Danielle just got here with dinner. You don’t look so good.”
    â€œI’m okay.” She managed to stand, smoothing away her emotions. Behind Ava in the well-lit kitchen she could see her stepsister opening take-out cartons at the marble counter. Aubrey was helping her.
    It was good to be home. The wonderful spicy tang of Chinese food drew her forward. The sight of Ava’s signature fudge chocolate cream cookie crust pie was an answered prayer, the cheerful greetings from her sisters a precious blessing.
    â€œNext week, maybe I’ll tag along,” Danielle said as she stuck a serving spoon in a huge carton of kung pao chicken. “If you don’t mind and if the kids manage to stay healthy. I haven’t hit the slopes since our big New Year’s outing.”
    â€œYou work too much.” Aubrey grabbed a pile of plates from the cupboard over the dishwasher. “Besides, this is why you’ll be eternally stuck on the bunny run. You don’t practice.”
    â€œIt could be that I’m not athletic in the slightest.” Danielle swished a lock of dark hair behind her ear, smiling easily, but the slight strain always showed whenever she was around them. It always had. Blended families weren’t as simple as prime time sitcoms made them out to be. Danielle sighed, and the strain smoothed from her heart-shaped face. “Katherine, you look exhausted. Sit down. I’ve got a pot of tea steeping on the table.”
    â€œThanks, Dani.” Katherine shrugged out of her coat. She’d managed to leave everything in the car, including her purse. “But no waiting on me, okay? You work hard enough keeping up with your little ones.”
    â€œI do work hard.” On her way to the fridge, Danielle shouldered past Ava who was counting forks out of the drawer. “Unlike the twins.”
    â€œHey, why do you say it like that? I work. A little.”
    â€œAt least I have a job,” Aubrey argued from the counter.