Chapter 22

After leaving Sapphire Bay two hours later than she'd planned, Harper had arrived at her granddad's care facility, worried he'd be asleep. But Benjamin wasn't showing any sign of being tired, so she'd stayed for an hour, catching him up on all the happenings back home.

He'd loved the video messages she'd organized from his friends. And he'd even chuckled when he saw a video of Steve's dog chasing a rabbit.

Instead of driving home in the dark, she'd asked her mom if she could stay with her.

Harper was sitting in the living room with her knitting needles in her hands, working on her latest project. Her mom sat across from her on the sofa, sipping a cup of hot chocolate.

She looked up from her knitting, wondering what her mom would say when she told her about the phone call from Ellie. "A friend from New York called me the other day."

Carrie smiled. "That's nice. Was it one of your nursing friends?"

Harper nodded. "Ellie said the Intensive Care Unit at Bellevue Hospital is really understaffed. They're having to work a lot of extra shifts just to keep the ward open."

"That's terrible," her mom said. "Unfortunately, it seems to be the same everywhere. If you wanted to go back to nursing, you could have your pick of jobs anywhere in the world."

Harper put down her knitting needles. "I called the recruitment agency that's filling the positions. They're offering all kinds of incentives to potential medical staff. If I want to help them for a few months, they'll subsidize my living costs and even pay me an allowance to fly back to Polson every couple of weeks."

Carrie's eyebrows rose. "That's generous, but do you want to move back to New York?"

"I don't know," Harper told her mom. "I worked with most of the staff that's in the ICU during the pandemic. Before I joined their team, I thought I'd only work in emergency departments. But the staff in the ICU changed my mind. They're incredible, and they care deeply about their patients."

Her mom nodded thoughtfully. "It sounds as though you miss working with them."

"A part of me does." Harper ran her fingertips along the raised cable pattern in the sweater she was making. "I enjoy my job at the clinic, but it isn't the same as working in New York."

"You're right, it isn't," Carrie agreed. "But you left New York because it was too stressful. Do you think it'll be better now that you've had a break and the worst of the pandemic is over?"

Harper bit her lip, her mind racing with memories of long shifts and the heavy burden of caring for critically ill patients. The sense of purpose she felt in the ICU was undeniable, but so was the burnout that followed. "I don't want to let them down. They're struggling without enough staff."

Carrie stood and sat beside Harper. "When you were a little girl, you always wanted to fix things. If one of your friends decided they didn't like someone, you'd try to bring them together. If someone was sad, you'd make them feel better. When your dad and I broke up, you were devastated because you couldn't make us a happy family. What you didn't realize is that you're not responsible for fixing everything," Carrie said softly. "No one learns about what's important to them if everything is always going well. Whether it's a job, a relationship, or your finances—when something unexpected happens, you need to decide whether it's worth fixing or leaving it alone."

Harper frowned. "Do you think it's better that I don't go back to New York?"

Carrie shook her head. "What I'm saying is that you need to decide what's best for you. No one else can make you happy."

Harper thought about what her mom had said. "Is that why you left Dad?"

Carrie sat silently for a moment. "Your dad and I had issues that went a lot farther back than when we separated. I knew he wasn't much of a saver. Even when I met him, he owed a lot of money on his credit cards. After we got married, it didn't get any better. Our vehicle had to be the latest model. When we went anywhere, he'd only eat at the best restaurants, and stay at the newest resorts. We didn't have any money, but he lived like a millionaire. I thought if we moved back to Sapphire Bay, he'd settle down, but it only got worse." Carrie sighed. "We were in so much debt."

Harper held her mom's hand. "I didn't know any of that was happening."

"We didn't want you to know," Carrie told her. "Your nana and granddad helped pay for what you needed at school. As long as you were happy, that's all that mattered."

Harper's grip tightened on her mom's hand. She'd never thought about money, or who paid for the things she needed.

"I was a fixer," Carrie said. "Just like you. I tried to fix what I thought was wrong in my marriage, but nothing helped. I couldn't change your dad because he didn't want to change. After years of trying to make our relationship work, do you know what I realized?"

Harper shook her head.

Her mom looked sadly at Harper. "It didn't matter what your dad did. I was the one who had to change. Fixing my life was more important than focusing on your dad's. I had to protect us and make sure you had everything you needed to be happy and healthy. Staying with your dad wouldn't have done that, so I told him I wanted a divorce. It was the hardest decision of my life."

Harper didn't remember her parents fighting. All she remembered was her dad leaving, then her mom finding a job in Polson. She'd lost contact with her father and, no matter how hard she'd tried, she couldn't find him.

"Why didn't Dad want to see me again?" she asked her mom.

Carrie's face softened. "It wasn't about not wanting to see you. Your dad loved you, but he wasn't ready to be the father you needed. His life was constantly changing, and he knew that wasn't good for you. He thought it was better to step back than to bring that into your life."

Harper absorbed her mother's words, the final piece of a puzzle she'd been trying to solve for years. "I always thought it was my fault. That I did something wrong."

"No, sweetheart. It was never your fault." Carrie's voice was firm, cutting through the old, lingering doubts in Harper's heart. "Sometimes adults make decisions that don't make sense to children. What's important is that you know you were, and always have been, loved. Whatever you decide to do, I'm here for you." Her mom paused. "There's something else you should know."

Harper frowned. Whatever it was sounded serious. "I'm listening."

Carrie sent her a sad smile. "While you were visiting your granddad, I spoke to the rehabilitation center's manager. The level of care your granddad needs is more than we expected. We'll have to sell his house in Sapphire Bay to pay for some of the help he needs."

Harper's mouth dropped open. "But what will happen when he's ready to leave? He'll have nowhere to go."

"He won't be going home," her mom said gently. "Unless a miracle happens, he can't live on his own, even with the help you've been giving him. Dad won't like it, and my heart's breaking just thinking about telling him. But it's what's best for him."

Hot tears filled Harper's eyes. "He loves his home. It's where all his special memories are."

"He'll always have those memories," her mom said through her own tears. "And we can create more for him in Polson. If he regains some of his mobility, we can take him to different places around town. He'd love visiting the lake and seeing the colors of the leaves in the park."

Harper took a deep breath. Selling her granddad's house would mean finding a new home for herself. There weren't many options available, but that was the least of her worries. Her mom had the terrible job of breaking her dad's heart, but Harper wouldn't let her do it on her own.

"I'll go with you when you tell Granddad about his house," Harper told her mom. "You don't need to do it alone."

"You've got enough happening in your life, honey."

Harper shook her head. "Nothing's more important than helping you. Besides, a nurse told me Granddad's enjoying spending time with the gardening team. They wheel him to the greenhouse most mornings so he can watch the staff for a little while."

Carrie frowned. "I wondered why he was wrapped up warmly when I saw him this morning. Hopefully, that'll make our conversation a little easier."

Harper hoped for the same thing. With a heavy heart, she thought about why she'd moved back to Sapphire Bay. Even if her granddad had never had a stroke, she wouldn't have gone anywhere else. She'd flown halfway across the country to heal her heart, mind, and spirit.

And the decisions she was about to make could change everything.

Owen wonderedif he should have stayed in bed this morning. Before he'd even made it into work, he'd dropped the saltshaker on the kitchen counter, spilling salt everywhere. He ignored the first bad omen and walked to work—nearly tripping over a black cat that ran in front of him.

When he'd arrived at the studio, the light switches weren't working and neither was the furnace. After calling Mabel, she'd told him there was a planned power outage until midday. With the studio opening in an hour, he had a limited amount of time to figure out how his customers could pay for their purchases.

Thankfully, Daniella came to his rescue with a practical solution. With his website able to take online orders, she'd let him borrow her laptop, so anyone could buy what they wanted directly from him.

His granny used to say that bad luck came in threes, and he'd already had that this morning. So, he was less concerned about the rest of the day than he should've been. Everything had gone well. He'd opened the studio on time. Customers had gratefully come inside when many of the businesses and eateries on Main Street were closed. He'd even sold more items than he had last week.

Then Harper arrived a few minutes before he closed, and everything slid downhill fast.

Their conversation had started normally. He'd asked about her day and shared stories about what had happened in the studio. Then he'd asked her about the phone call from her friend, the possibility of her returning to New York City.

When she didn't answer him right away, he wasn't worried. It wasn't until he'd locked the studio door that he realised something was wrong. There was a stillness to Harper that seemed out of place and so unlike her.

"You did really well today," she told him. "It's not easy spending half the day without power. Daniella said Main Street was like a ghost town this morning."

Owen frowned. "It worked out in the end. But that's not what's important right now."

Harper's shoulders tensed.

She probably wasn't ready to hear what he wanted to say, but he had to let her know how he felt. "I didn't mean to add to your stress by asking about New York. I know you have a lot on your mind with your granddad?—"

"You don't need to apologize," Harper told him. "I know you're worried about me, about us. And I appreciate that. I really do."

"But?" he prompted, sensing the hesitation in her voice.

"I had to think carefully about Ellie's phone call. The staff at Bellevue Hospital are important to me. I can't ignore what they need, but I also have to do what's right for me and the people I love."

Owen hoped like crazy he was one of those people. "I understand."

"I don't know if you do," Harper murmured.

Owen reached out and brushed a strand of hair behind Harper's ear. "Maybe not completely, but I want to. I want to understand what you're going through."

She took his hand and held it against her cheek, letting the warmth of his palm heat her face. "Last night, Mom told me she's selling Granddad's house. We talked to him this morning before I drove back to Sapphire Bay. He's devastated."

Tears filled her eyes, and Owen pulled her into his arms. "I'm sorry. That must have been hard."

Harper nodded. "It was. I'm hoping he'll realize Mom doesn't have a choice. Two realtors are coming to look at his house next week. After that, we'll put it on the market."

Owen's heart pounded. "What about New York?"

Harper's gaze locked with his. "I went to New York because I thought it was better than Montana. But living here with Granddad taught me something important. I don't need to work in a big city to be happy. The love and respect everyone has for each other in Sapphire Bay is more important than any career advancements or experience I could get somewhere else." She touched the side of Owen's face. "I spoke to Ellie and told her I'm not going back to New York."

Owen pulled her closer, enveloping her in a hug that was meant to be as much of a comfort to him as it was to her. "I'm glad you're staying."

Harper lifted her head from his chest and grinned. "So am I. But don't be surprised if I drag you around to look at rental accommodation. I might soon be homeless."

"You'll never be homeless while I'm here. There's a pull-out sofa bed in the living room that'd be perfect for you."

Harper relaxed against his chest. "That's the best offer I've had all week."