Page 64 of Key West Promises

"Don't bring Joanna into this?—"

"Why not? She's the one who convinced you to say no. Sarah's sixteen, Jeffrey. Did you really think she'd just accept being told she couldn't meet her own sister? After everything that's happened? After all these years of lies?"

Chelsea moved closer, her face tight with concern. She could hear Jeffrey's agitated voice through the phone.

"She's not answering our calls. I have to assume she is somewhere between here and Key West." His voice cracked slightly. "Can we please focus on finding her instead of arguing about whose fault this is?"

Gretchen sighed. She had so much to say to him, but he was right. The most important thing right now was making sure Sarah was safe.

"When did she leave?"

"Must have been early this morning. We just found the note. Joanna's hysterical, and I'm leaving for Key West now. Sarah’s driving her blue Toyota Corolla." He rattled off the license plate number. "Gretchen, she's only sixteen. She's never driven this far alone."

After hanging up, Gretchen looked at Chelsea, her hands shaking. “Sarah ran away early this morning. Jeffrey said she left a note that she was coming here to see Kaitlyn.”

"Does she even have her address? Does she know where Kaitlyn is?”

“I have to assume the only thing she knows is Paradise Harbor House from all the things Kaitlyn puts online. Other than that, I have no idea.”

“We need to tell everyone. You’re probably right, she’d most likely go there, but just in case, we should make people aware of the situation," Chelsea said, already grabbing her purse. "Let's go to Max's first. Tess and Leah need to know what's happening."

The bar was quiet this time of day, with only a few regular customers eating lunch. Several regulars nodded when they arrived. The mystery novelist who always sat in the corner looked up from her notebook as they burst in.

Connie's friend Rick the retired fisherman who'd helped them source seafood for the fundraiser, set down his coffee. They'd all been part of last night's success at Paradise Harbor, and now they could sense something was wrong.

"What happened?" Leah asked the moment she saw their faces, abandoning the glasses she was sorting. "I thought you two were heading back to Captiva."

"Sarah's run away," Gretchen burst out. "She's driving here. Jeffrey just called—she left a note saying she's coming to meet Kaitlyn."

"Oh my, does Kaitlyn know?” Tess asked.

"Not yet. I’m going over to Paradise Harbor House to tell her, but I’m worried,” Gretchen said.

“She's sixteen," Leah said, her voice rising. "Driving alone from Fort Lauderdale? All because Jeffrey wouldn't stand up to Joanna?" She braced her hands on the bar. "First he abandons Kaitlyn, and now he can't even handle this right?"

"I might as well tell you. Jeffrey is on his way too. I haven’t seen him in years,” she added, her heart racing. “That man will be the death of me. He had the nerve to act like none of this is his fault,” Gretchen said.

"Well, isn't that just like him," Leah muttered. "Finally showing up when everything's falling apart."

“This isn't the time," Chelsea cut in, but the regulars were already murmuring, piecing together the family drama they'd glimpsed over the past months. “I know you’d like to wring his neck, but we need to focus on the girls. Before this day is over, there will be two young women dealing with something beyond their years. We all need to keep a level head.”

Connie appeared from the back, taking in the scene. Tess's pale face, Leah's white-knuckled grip on the bar. "Go," she said to Tess and Leah. "This is family."

"No," Chelsea insisted. "We need people in different locations. You two stay here—Sarah might come looking for Kaitlyn on Fleming Street first. Gretchen and I will go tell Kaitlyn."

"I'll alert the other businesses," Connie said, already pulling out her phone. "Everyone knows Kaitlyn from the fundraiser. We'll keep an eye out for Sarah's car. Give me the plate number and details and I’ll let Jamie and Jack know."

Mike stood up. "I'll walk down to the marina, let the charter captains know. She might head there looking for her sister."

The mystery novelist closed her notebook. "I'll post something in the neighborhood watch group. Quietly," she added at Chelsea's worried look. "Just asking people to watch for the car."

"Jamie's doing deliveries today," Tess said suddenly. "I'll call him, have him watch the roads coming into town." She caught Chelsea's knowing look. "He knows every delivery driver and restaurant worker in the Keys. Word will spread fast."

As they left Max's, they could hear Connie already making calls, her voice carrying the authority of someone used to handling crises. The mystery novelist was typing rapidly on her phone, while Mike headed toward the marina, moving with surprising speed for his age.

Gretchen took comfort in the way the community quickly came together to help. It was the same feeling she had about Captiva Island. Locals banding together to deal with whatever life threw in their path. Knowing this made leaving Key West easier. To have people watching out for Kaitlyn gave her a sense of peace.

At Paradise Harbor House, they found Kaitlyn reviewing paperwork with Elena while Will and a little boy played catch. The normality of the scene—Kaitlyn in her element, discussing shelter business—made what they had to say even harder.

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