Page 62 of Key West Promises

Will’s mouth quirked into a soft smile. “That’s an easy one. I want to stay in Key West. And I’d really like it if you stayed too. But, you need to stay because you want to, not because I want you to.”

Kaitlyn’s heart did a little flip, but she ignored it for now. Instead, she just nodded, watching as a sailboat drifted toward the horizon.

“I’ll let you know when I figure it out,” she said.

Will grinned. “I’ll be here.”

“Seriously, Jeffrey? Once again you’ve decided not to put your daughters’ feelings first.”

“Let’s not fight about this, Gretchen. It can’t be helped. Joanna has a lot of things planned for the summer. We’ve got a few colleges lined up to visit and…”

Gretchen interrupted him, “What am I supposed to tell Kaitlyn? You keep pushing her away like this and she’ll give up wanting anything to do with you.”

“What about all those years when you made it impossible for me to see Kaitlyn? Why won’t you take some responsibility for this mess? It wasn’t all me,” he insisted.

“I’ve explained things to Kaitlyn and have apologized for them, but that was in the past. We’re now given another opportunity to set things right for these two young women. They deserve that.”

There was silence on Jeffrey’s end of the line with an occasional sound of a woman’s voice in the background. She assumed it was Joanna.

“How has Sarah reacted to this change of plans?” Gretchen asked.

“She’s not happy about it, but it’s not her call. She’s only sixteen years old and isn’t mature enough to make decisions about this. She’s going to have to trust that we know what’s best for her.”

Gretchen chuckled. “Good luck with that because as far as I can see, you haven’t a clue what’s best for anyone, especially your daughters.”

Angry, Gretchen ended the call and threw her cellphone on the sofa. She put her face in her hands and tried not to cry.

An hour later, Kaitlyn found her mother sitting on the small porch of the bungalow, deep in conversation with Ernest.

"I'm starting to worry about you, Mom. Talking to a rooster?"

Gretchen laughed. "I'm not the only one. The other day I heard Tess talking to him too. He's quite the charmer for a bird."

Kaitlyn sat on the steps, her legs curled up beneath her. The evening air was thick with the smell of jasmine from the vine that climbed the porch trellis, and somewhere in the distance, she could hear the gentle strum of guitar music drifting from one of the nearby bars.

"Are you okay, honey? Something on your mind?" Gretchen asked, studying her daughter's face with the kind of attention only mothers seem capable of.

Kaitlyn glanced at her mother, then exhaled. "Elena offered me a job."

Gretchen didn't look surprised. "Are you going to take it?"

"I don't know," Kaitlyn admitted, picking at a loose thread on her sundress. "I love it here. I love what we're doing. But it's not what I planned for my life."

Gretchen swirled her wine thoughtfully. "Life rarely goes according to plan. Trust me, I know." She paused, looking out at the deepening twilight. "But, I'm curious, did you have a plan after college?"

Kaitlyn gave a small laugh. "Not really. I don't know. For a minute I considered traveling to England or Spain or Italy. You know, just see what there is to see. After that, I’d come back home and look for a job in marketing or finance or something…grown-up. I wasn't thinking of settling down in one place so soon."

She drew her knees up to her chest. "I mean, if I work at Paradise Harbor House, it's a real commitment. I didn't want to get so attached to anyone. If I work there, that will be impossible. I can't walk away whenever I feel like it. People depend on me to be there for them. It's an important job, and…"

The more she heard herself talk, the more Kaitlyn understood how much she loved helping families get on their feet. She thought about Melanie and Hailee, about the new mother who'd arrived last week with nothing but a backpack and hope in her eyes.

"You know," Gretchen said softly, "when you were little, you used to organize these elaborate 'helping parties' in our neighborhood. Remember those?"

Kaitlyn smiled at the memory. "Mrs. Rodriguez's garden after that awful storm."

"And the Thompsons' garage sale for their son's medical bills," Gretchen added. "You were always gathering people together, finding ways to make things better." She set her wine glass down and leaned forward. "Maybe this isn't so far from who you've always been."

Kaitlyn felt tears prick at her eyes. "But what if I'm not good enough? What if I can't actually help these women the way they need?"

---