Should she say something about that? She didn’t want Karoline to think she was abusing her compassion. But at the same time, her sister had taken the girls to give her the chance to recover, and she was feeling much better. She hadn’t called Axel once, had barely thought of him. Did the method matter as long as it didn’t hurt anyone else?

She decided to keep her mouth shut. She had only a few more days before she’d be forced to face reality again. If she spoke up, her sister might rush home to be sure she wasn’t getting herself in trouble, bringing it all to an end, and she wasn’t ready for this small reprieve to be over.

Axel had abandoned them to pursue his fabulous career. Surely she could have a guilt-free week while her children spent time in LA going to Disneyland and other fun places with her sister.

“Yeah,” she said into the phone. “I’m doing much better.”

“You are?” Surprise filled Karoline’s voice. “Why do you think that’s the case?”

Of course Karoline would demand specifics. “I’m…trying to look at things from a different perspective,” she said.

“That’s good!”

Harper seized the opportunity to change the subject. “How are the girls?”

“They’re fabulous. Having a blast.”

She was about to ask to speak to them when her sister lowered her voice. “Have you heard from Axel?”

“Not since you left,” Harper replied. He hadn’t called her—usually didn’t call very often. He didn’t like the guilt it created. And she was proud of the fact that she hadn’t broken down and called him. For the past eight months it had been almost impossible to stop herself.

“Everly keeps asking if she can phone him,” Karoline explained. “So far, I’ve put her off. But…should I let her do it?”

Harper had no problem with her daughters contacting their father. She wanted them to remain close to Axel. He’d been such an integral part of their happiness. Her only hesitation was that she was afraid they’d discover what she’d already learned: he didn’t seem to care as much as he had before—about any of them. “I guess. Hopefully, he’ll give them a few minutes. If not, blame the time change. That’s what I’ve been doing.”

“I think I should place the blame squarely where it belongs!”

“No, that’ll just hurt the girls, Karoline.”

“Then maybe I should have a talk with him first.”

Harper gripped her phone more tightly. “Don’t. You know how touchy he can be. If you set him off, you’ll get into an argument. And maybe it’ll be for nothing. Maybe he’ll get his head on straight before Piper and Everly have to accept too many harsh realities.”