Key West Promises (Seaside Palms #1)

Chapter 16

CHAPTER 16

L eah's phone rang just before dawn, Ernest's early morning strut temporarily halted by the unexpected sound. She knew who it was before she even looked at the screen. After days of avoiding her sister's calls, something told her it was time to answer.

"Leah?" Gretchen's voice crackled through the line, tight with tension. "Please don't hang up."

Leah stepped onto the porch, closing the screen door softly behind her. "I'm here."

"You all know, don't you? About Sarah?" A pause, heavy with unspoken words. "About everything?"

"Yes." Leah watched Ernest resume his morning routine, trying to keep her voice steady. "How could you, Gretchen? How could you keep this from us? From Kaitlyn?"

"I was trying to protect her?—"

"From what? From knowing she has a sister? From having a relationship with her father?" Leah's whispered words carried years of accumulated hurt. "Do you have any idea what this has done to her? The rest of us are old enough to understand how difficult divorce can be. No one will judge you for that, but Kaitlyn is different. You’ve made her feel that she can’t trust you. Was it worth it? Do you not understand how damaging this is?"

"Of course I do!" Gretchen's voice cracked. "I've watched her Instagram posts, seen how she's changing, how she's…For Heaven’s sake, Leah, she's working at a women's shelter? My daughter, who used to care more about followers than people, is helping families rebuild their lives. Don't you think that's killing me? Knowing she had to run away from me to find herself?"

"She didn't run away from you," Leah said softly. "She ran away from the lies and didn’t know what to do with the pain. You should feel proud of her for not doing something far worse than running to her aunts."

The silence stretched between them, filled only by the sound of early morning Key West stirring to life.

"I'm coming to Key West," Gretchen said finally. "The car is already packed. I should get there by dinnertime. I appreciate that Chelsea went down ahead of me, but I can’t wait one minute longer. She’s my daughter and I need to be with her."

"Gretchen—"

"No, listen. Thanks to the internet, I know about the fundraiser cruise, and all the work you all are doing. I know you're all involved now—you and Tess and Chelsea. I know about the guy with the camera who looks at my daughter like she's the answer to every question he's ever had. I know about Jamie and Jack and how you're all building lives there while I've been…" She took a shaky breath. "While I've been hiding from the truth."

"How do you know all that?"

"I’ve spent every minute searching the internet for anything I can find about what’s going on down there. I’ve started following Paradise Harbor House and have seen the photos, read about the work you're doing. And I've seen Kaitlyn… really seen her, maybe for the first time. I’m so proud of her."

Leah sank into one of the porch chairs, suddenly exhausted. "Does Jeffrey know what’s going on? You’re going to have to tell him."

"I called him last night." Another pause. "He wants to come too. With Sarah."

"Are you kidding me?" Leah pressed her free hand to her forehead. "You can't just ambush Kaitlyn like that."

"I know. That's why I'm calling you first. I need help doing this right. For once."

The sun was properly rising now, painting the sky in shades of pink and gold. Through the window, Leah could see Chelsea moving around the kitchen, starting coffee for everyone.

"The fundraiser's important," Leah said finally. "To all of us, but especially to Kaitlyn. Don't make it about our family drama."

"I won't. I just…I need to see her. To explain. To try to fix what I did."

"Don’t rush things, Gretchen. Give it time. What you have to realize is that it isn’t just Kaitlyn you need to think about. Sarah is a young woman who is about to learn she has a sister. Not to mention, I have no doubt you’re going to have to deal with his wife. Be patient with everything and build back trust with your daughter."

"When did you get so wise?" A hint of the old Gretchen surfaced in her voice—the sister who used to tease them about their dreams.

"Around the same time I started tending bar and writing grant proposals," Leah said dryly. "Life's funny that way."

After she hung up, Leah sat watching the morning unfold. Chelsea's phone dinged inside—no doubt Gretchen texting her next. The text would be brief but decisive: I'm coming to Key West. Today. Don't try to talk me out of it.

Kaitlyn’s face was buried in her pillow as she slept on the sofa. Leah signaled to Chelsea and Tess to join her outside.

"She sounded different," Leah said. "Scared, maybe. I've never heard Gretchen scared before."

"Good," Tess muttered, but there was more worry than vindication in her tone. "Maybe now she understands what Kaitlyn's been going through."

"It's not that simple," Chelsea said, making both sisters jump. "You know Gretchen—she probably thinks she's been protecting everyone all these years."

"By lying?" Tess's voice rose slightly. "By letting Kaitlyn think her father just forgot about her? Moved on without a backward glance?"

"Lower your voice," Leah warned, glancing toward the house "Kaitlyn's still sleeping."

"Actually, I'm not."

They turned to find Kaitlyn in the doorway, still in her pajamas, phone clutched in her hand like a lifeline. She looked younger somehow, vulnerable in a way that made Chelsea's heart ache.

"How much did you hear?" Chelsea asked gently.

"Enough." Kaitlyn moved to the coffee pot, her movements mechanical. "Mom's coming. Today. And you're all trying to figure out how to handle it without upsetting me further."

"Honey—" Tess started, but Kaitlyn shook her head.

"Don't. Please. I can't handle anyone else trying to protect me right now." She turned to face them, gripping her empty mug. "Did she say anything about Dad? About Sarah?"

Leah exchanged a glance with Chelsea before answering. "She called him last night. They want to come too."

The mug slipped from Kaitlyn's hands and landed on the steps, and she started to cry. Tess was there instantly, steadying her niece with an arm around her shoulders.

"I can't," Kaitlyn cried. "I can't do this today. The fundraiser…"

"Is exactly why you can do this," Chelsea said firmly. "You'll be surrounded by people who love you, who support you. The whole community will be there."

"That's worse!" Kaitlyn pushed away from the counter, starting to pace. "Everyone will see. Everyone will know."

"Know what?" Leah asked quietly. "That families are complicated? That sometimes people make mistakes and have to find their way back to each other? Isn't that exactly what Paradise Harbor House is all about? Besides, you don’t have to tell anyone about anything. You just focus on the people who need your help. But even if anyone asks what’s going on, they’ll understand."

"That's different. Those families…they're trying to rebuild. They're trying to move forward. This is just everyone's lies catching up to us. This is self-inflicted drama."

"Then maybe it's time," Tess said. "Maybe it's time for the truth to have its say. You can’t live your life in a bubble. Not if you want it to be authentically yours."

Kaitlyn's phone buzzed in her hand—Will, checking in as he did every morning. She stared at the screen, not reading the message.

"What if I'm not ready?" she asked, her voice small. "What if Sarah isn't? What if we're all just pretending we can fix something that's been broken for years and needs to stay buried?"

Chelsea moved to her niece, taking the phone gently from her trembling hands. "Honey, look at me. You've spent all this time helping other people face their fears, rebuild their lives. Maybe it's time to let people help you do the same."

"But the fundraiser?—"

"Will happen," Leah said firmly. "With or without the family drama. Paradise Harbor House’s work is bigger than our problems."

"And you won't be alone," Tess added. "We'll all be there. Jamie's helping us handle the catering, Jack's bringing his publishing contacts and will make sure it gets promoted the way it should, Will's documenting everything…"

At Will's name, Kaitlyn's expression shifted slightly. "Will. Oh no, he can't film this. He can't?—"

"He won't," Chelsea assured her. "He cares about you, Kaitlyn. The real you, not the story. This is hardly something to be documented.”

“What about Mom? She’s coming here for a confrontation. It isn’t the time or the place.”

“You leave your mother to us,” Chelsea said. “We’ll make sure she understands what’s at stake. We’re not going to let her control the narrative."

"Not this time," Leah added with a chuckle. "This time, she’s going to have to listen to her sisters, even the younger ones."

There was much work going on at Paradise Harbor House to prepare for the fundraiser, and although Chelsea was certain she could handle Gretchen, she silently worried about the drama that was about to unfold.

Will arrived as they were clearing breakfast, his camera conspicuously absent. He took one look at Kaitlyn's face and seemed to understand immediately.

"Want to take a walk?" he asked softly. “We should look around the block to see if there are additional photos I can take for the setup.”

It was a transparent excuse to get her out of the house, but Kaitlyn accepted gratefully. As they left, Chelsea watched the way Will's hand found the small of her niece's back, steadying her without constraining her.

"He's good for her," Tess observed, echoing Chelsea's thoughts.

"Speaking of good for people," Chelsea couldn't resist adding, "when do I get to properly meet this Jamie I keep hearing about?"

Tess blushed but was saved from responding by Elena's entering the room. She looked harried but determined, clipboard in hand.

"The cruise captain needs final numbers," she said, then paused, noting the tension in the room. "What's wrong?"

"Our sister's coming," Leah explained. "Kaitlyn's mother. It's complicated."

Elena's expression softened with understanding. "Family usually is. Is this going to be a problem for Kaitlyn or the fundraiser? Anything I can do?"

"Thanks, but no," Chelsea said firmly. "We're not letting family drama derail something this important. Besides," she added with a slight smile, "sometimes the best way to handle difficult conversations is with witnesses around."

"And an open bar," Tess muttered.

"I heard that," Leah said. "And no—we're keeping our heads clear throughout the entire party. There's too much at stake."

Through the window, they could see Will and Kaitlyn walking slowly toward Paradise Harbor House, their heads bent close in conversation. Even from a distance, the intimacy between them was evident.

Chelsea's phone dinged. Another text from Gretchen: I've booked a room at the Cypress House. Please don't tell them I'm coming. I need to do this my way.

"Too late," Chelsea murmured, but she didn't respond to the text. Some conversations needed to happen in person, face to face with nowhere to hide, and she was tired of the constant lying.

By late afternoon, the humidity had thickened to an almost visible haze. Chelsea sat with Elena in her office, discussing last-minute details for the fundraiser, when Carla appeared in the doorway.

"There's a woman asking for Kaitlyn," she said. "Says she's her mother."

The words seemed to stop time for a moment. Through the window, Chelsea could see Gretchen standing on the porch, looking smaller and more uncertain than Chelsea had ever seen her sister appear.

"Well," Elena said softly, "I guess it's time."

Chelsea stood, smoothing her dress in an automatic gesture. "I'll get Kaitlyn. She's in the garden with Will."

But before she could move, Kaitlyn appeared behind Carla, as if some sixth sense had alerted her to her mother's presence. Will stood just behind her, close enough to support but far enough to give her space.

"Mom," Kaitlyn said, her voice carrying down the hallway. "You're early."

Gretchen stepped into view, her carefully maintained composure cracking slightly at the sight of her daughter. She looked at Chelsea, realizing that her sister didn’t keep her arrival a secret.

"Kaitlyn, honey. We need to talk."

"Yes," Kaitlyn agreed, and something in her tone made Chelsea's heart ache. "We do, but not here."

The two women stared at each other across the entrance hall of Paradise Harbor House, years of secrets and silence stretching between them like a chasm. But before either could speak further, the screen door banged open again.

"I brought the extra—" Tess stopped abruptly, nearly colliding with Jamie who was carrying boxes of supplies. "Gretchen?"

Behind them, Leah appeared with Jack, more fundraiser materials in their arms. The hallway suddenly felt very crowded with all the people who had become part of this story.

Gretchen looked around, taking in the scene—her sisters, the significant others they'd found, the shelter that had somehow become the center of everything. Her gaze landed on Will's protective stance behind Kaitlyn, and something in her expression shifted.

"I see I have a lot to catch up on," she said quietly.

"Yes," Chelsea said, moving to stand beside Kaitlyn. "You do. I suggest we all go back to our place. And then," she met her sister's eyes steadily, "then we all need to talk."