Chapter 19
B everly left her cottage with the letter in her pocket and drove around town. Her heart felt lighter than it had in years, yet also strangely unsettled. The sun was beginning to set, casting golden light over Magnolia Key’s still-damaged streets as she searched for Cliff.
She checked Jonah’s house first but only found Jonah tending to his garden. He mentioned Cliff had gone to help with cleanup efforts around town. Next, she tried the hardware store, the park, and even drove past the site where Cliff’s controversial development was planned.
No sign of him.
She spotted Cliff’s red truck on the side street near the old theater building and pulled over.
The historic theater had suffered minor damage during the hurricane.
It was mostly water damage from a section of the roof that had leaked.
Tori had mentioned she was organizing volunteers to help with repairs.
She crossed the street and tried the front doors, finding them unlocked. The grand old lobby was dim, but she could hear voices and the sound of something being dragged across the floor coming from the main theater.
“Hello?” she called out, her voice echoing slightly in the cavernous space.
“We’re in here!” Tori’s voice called back.
She made her way through the lobby and pushed open the double doors to the theater. Inside, Tori was supervising as Cliff hauled heavy debris into a pile near the stage. Both were dusty and looked like they’d been working hard all afternoon.
“Beverly.” Tori smiled, brushing dust from her hands. “What brings you over here?”
“I was looking for Cliff, actually.” The words felt strange coming out of her mouth after so many years of avoiding him.
Cliff stopped what he was doing, surprise evident on his face as he set down the piece of damaged ceiling tile he’d been carrying.
Tori glanced between them, a knowing look passing over her face. “Well, we were just finishing up for the day, anyway. I think we’ve done all we can until the professional roofers get here tomorrow.”
“Are you sure? I don’t want to interrupt if you still need help.”
“Absolutely,” Tori said, already reaching for her jacket. “Cliff has been a tremendous help, but we’re done for today.” She turned to Cliff. “Thanks again for pitching in. I really appreciate it.”
He nodded. “No problem. I’ll come back tomorrow to help the roofers if you need me.”
“That would be wonderful.” They all headed outside, and Tori locked the door. “I’ll leave you two to talk.” She gave Beverly a supportive smile as she passed.
Once Tori had gone, she and Cliff stood awkwardly on the theater’s steps. He looked different somehow. He looked not just older than the boy she’d known, but somehow humbler than the businessman who’d presented his development plans at the town meeting.
“You wanted to talk to me?” he asked, breaking the silence.
“Yes.” She took a deep breath. “Would you mind coming over to Coastal Coffee? It’s closed now, and we can have some privacy there.”
He raised an eyebrow, but nodded. “Sure.”
They walked down the street to the cafe, and she used her key to let them in, flipping on just a few lights rather than the full overhead fluorescents.
“Have a seat,” she said, gesturing to a table in the back corner. “Can I get you anything?”
Cliff hesitated. “I don’t want to put you to any trouble.”
“It’s no trouble. I have some chocolate cake left over from today.”
A boyish grin spread across his face. “Chocolate cake? You wouldn’t happen to have some milk to go with it, would you?”
“I think I can manage that,” she said, unable to suppress a small smile.
While Cliff settled at the corner table, she went behind the counter. She cut two generous slices of cake, poured two glasses of milk, and carried everything back to the table on a tray.
“This looks great,” he said as she set a plate in front of him. He took a bite and grinned. “Delicious.”
Silence dropped between them like a wall while they both took nibbled at their cake. Finally, he looked at her. “So… you wanted to talk to me.”
Now was the time. No more stalling. Her pulse raced as she reached into her pocket, pulled out the letter, and placed the yellowed envelope on the table between them. Cliff’s eyes widened when he saw it.
“Is that what I think it is? You kept it all these years?”
She shook her head slowly. “No, I just received it today.”
Confusion crossed his face. “I don’t understand. I left that letter for you the night I… the night I left Magnolia Key.”
“I know. But I never got it.” She tapped the envelope with her fingertip. “Your father must have found it before I did. He kept it hidden all these years. Your mother found it today while clearing out Theodore’s office.”
Cliff stared at the envelope, his fork forgotten halfway to his mouth. “My father took it? All this time, I thought…” He set his fork down, his appetite apparently gone. “I thought you got the letter and chose not to write to me.”
“And I thought you left without a word, that you didn’t care enough to say goodbye.”
They sat in silence for a moment, both processing the magnitude of all the misunderstandings that had shaped their lives.
“May I?” Cliff gestured toward the letter.
She nodded, and he picked up the envelope, carefully extracting the letter he’d written decades ago. His eyes moved across the page, reading his own youthful words.
“I remember… I remember writing this,” he said finally. “I was so crushed after overhearing my father. The things he said about me…” He folded the letter and slid it back into the envelope. “I wanted to prove him wrong so badly.”
“Did you?” she asked quietly. “Prove him wrong?”
His expression turned pensive. “In some ways. I made money. Built a successful business. But in other ways…” He shook his head. “Maybe he was right about some things. I’ve spent my life chasing success without stopping to think about what really matters.”
She took a sip of her milk, gathering her thoughts. “Your mother told me what Theodore said that night. That you’d never amount to anything.”
“Yeah, well, dear old Dad never did think much of me.” His tone was bitter, but there was resignation in it too. “I always thought if I just made enough money, built enough buildings, he’d finally see I was worth something.”
“And now? Do you still feel that way?”
He looked around the coffee shop, his gaze thoughtful. “Coming back home has made me realize how empty all that success felt. This place…” He gestured around them. “Magnolia Key hasn’t changed that much. It still feels like home, somehow.”
“Yet you want to change it with your development,” she pointed out, unable to stop herself but trying to keep the accusation from her voice.
“I thought I was helping,” he said simply. “Bringing jobs, progress. But maybe I was still just trying to prove something.” He looked directly at her. “Beverly, if I’d known you never got that letter…”
She waited, her heart beating faster.
“What would you have done if you had received it?” he asked instead.
She looked down at her barely touched cake. “I would have written back,” she admitted. “I was hurt and angry when you didn’t show up, but if I’d known why… yes, I would have written.”
“And I would have come back for you,” he said softly. “Eventually. When I had something to offer.”
The finality of might-have-beens settled over them, and the decades of separate lives that might have been shared.
“What happens now?” she asked.
“I don’t know,” Cliff admitted. “But I’m glad you came to find me today. Glad we finally know the truth.”
“I am too.”
“Can I ask you something?” Cliff looked directly into her eyes.
“Of course.”
“How do you feel about me now?”
She paused, considering her words. “I’m… I’m really not sure. I’ve had years of, um, disliking you strongly.”
“I’m sure you did. I’m sorry you didn’t at least get my letter.”
“That’s not your fault.”
“No, but I should have come to find you before I left. Not just left the letter.” He frowned. “I was just so… hurt by my father’s words.”
“There are many things I wish had gone differently, but we can’t change the past.”
“No, we can’t.” He reached over and took her hand. “Do you think we can go back to being friends? I’ve missed you.”
She looked down at their hands, entangled again after all these years. “Yes, I think we can be friends. That’s a good place to start.”