Page 61 of Key West Promises

Elena smiled knowingly. “Plans change. That’s life.”

Kaitlyn exhaled a soft laugh, shaking her head. “I went to school for business. I spent years thinking I’d end up in marketing, or corporate management, or—” She hesitated. “Something with a salary that actually makes sense.”

“I get it,” Elena said. “But what if those things don’t fulfill you the way this does?”

Kaitlyn bit her lip, glancing out the window at the courtyard. A few children ran past, their laughter echoing, while Melanie sat on a bench talking to another mother who had arrived the week before.

She thought about the video Will had filmed. About how proud she’d felt watching the fundraiser unfold. About the way her heart had expanded, seeing these women regain hope.

Then she thought about the moment her mother had looked at her last night, not with skepticism or doubt, but with pride.

She turned back to Elena. “Can I have a little time to think about it?”

Elena nodded. “Of course. But whatever you decide, know this—Paradise Harbor House will always have a place for you.”

Kaitlyn followed after Will, who had gone to the marina to take photos for a local artist. She found him leaning against the railing, camera slung over his shoulder.

“You disappear after big decisions, don’t you?” he asked without turning around.

Kaitlyn smirked, stepping beside him. “Who says I made a decision?”

He turned his head slightly, raising an eyebrow. “Well, did you?”

She sighed, resting her arms on the railing. “Elena offered me a job. Full-time, but you knew that already, didn’t you?”

Will nodded. “She told me she was going to offer you a permanent job. What did you tell her?”

Kaitlyn shrugged, “I couldn’t say yes, not without thinking more about it.

“And?” he asked.

“And I don’t know what to do.”

He was quiet for a moment, then said, “I do.”

Kaitlyn turned to him. “What?”

“You’ve already made your decision. You just haven’t admitted it to yourself yet.”

Kaitlyn frowned. “That’s a little presumptuous.”

Will chuckled. “Maybe. But I’ve been watching you. I saw you last night, running that fundraiser like it was second nature. I see the way you talk to the women at the shelter, how much you care.”

He shifted slightly, studying her. “I also know you’re scared. Because choosing this means letting go of whatever idea you had for your future before now.”

Kaitlyn let out a sharp breath. “Yeah. It does, even though I’m not really sure what I had planned. Was not planning anything at all really my plan?”

He laughed. “I guess it’s possible, but that only happens when you don’t know what to do…when you don’t know yourself. I don’t think you’re the same woman you were when you arrived in Key West. That woman is gone. You’ve grown so much in such a short time, but I think that’s what happens when you’re where you’re supposed to be.”

“But what about my mother and…”

“Kaitlyn, you’re not the first person to realize their dream wasn’t actuallytheirdream,” Will said. “Sometimes we chase things because we think we should. But then we find something that actually makes us feel alive.”

Kaitlyn stared out at the water, letting his words sink in.

“Whatever you decide,” he added, “just make sure it’s whatyouwant. Not what’s expected of you. Not what makes sense on paper. Whatyouwant.”

She turned to him, her expression unreadable. “And what about you? What doyouwant?”

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