Page 60 of The Scrooge Effect

“Then I suppose it was Harper.”

“I didn’t say that.”

“Well, if it wasn’t your fault, it must have been hers.”

That didn’t sit right with me. Harper was the most perfect woman I’d ever met. She was chaotic and a mess, but she was so loving. There was no way this was her fault.

“Why don’t we find out?”

“What—”

The words bottomed out in my stomach as I was pulled once again through the air, over the city to a house in the middle of nowhere. Not a single light was on in the house, and as I was lowered to the creaky front porch, I prayed that Harper wasn’t inside this rundown house.

“Michael, this isn’t her house. We live on the OPS property.”

“She moved away from there when you left. She couldn’t handle the constant whispers and the sympathy.”

“But she was protected there. The kids⁠—”

“Were reminded every day that you left them. They moved away to live a new life. She’s been here for the past ten years.”

Ten years. Gracie couldn’t have been older than thirty.

“What about Eden?”

“Oh, we’ll get to Eden,” the voice chuckled.

I took in the worn-out screen door, the chipped paint on the side of the house, and the hole just a few feet from the front door. There was no man here to take care of things around here. Harper was all on her own.

Taking a deep breath, I walked through the wall and into the shabby house. Little touches around the house reminded me of Harper. It was clean and simple, just like her, with pictures scattered on tables.

But there was no tree.

No lights.

Not a single speck of Christmas.

“Michael, what day is it?”

“Christmas Eve.”

This couldn’t be right. My Harper loved the holidays. She should be with the kids or Oliver. Why was she all alone?

An uncomfortable ache formed in my chest as I took the stairs one at a time. Nausea churned in my stomach as I walked through her door and spotted her lying in bed, wiping the tears from her eyes as she stared at the small ceramic tree lit up on her nightstand.

“Harper,” I murmured, but she didn’t hear me.

“Please watch over Edu, wherever he is,” she whispered. “Take care of him, and show him love. Even if I couldn’t be the one to make him happy, I pray he finds someone to make him feel worthy.”

“What’s she talking about? Of course she made me happy.”

“I’m not sure that’s the way she sees it,” the voice answered. “You left.”

“Not because of her. I told her that.”

“Well, it’s too late to change that. Come on, we have one more stop⁠—”

“No, I’m not leaving. I just got here!” I snapped, taking a step closer to the bed.