Chapter 23
C liff stepped out of the bathroom, freshly showered and eager to get his day started.
The past several weeks had shown him how much the town needed help after the hurricane, and there was still plenty to do.
Yesterday, he promised Tori he’d help at the theater, and after that, he planned to check on the community center’s roof.
Living under the same roof as his mother and Jonah was proving less uncomfortable than he’d expected.
Jonah kept a well-stocked refrigerator, and the cottage was large enough that they weren’t constantly bumping into each other.
Plus, they’d all been so busy with hurricane recovery that their paths rarely crossed except at dinner.
He grabbed his wallet and keys from the dresser in the guest room and headed for the front door. The smell of coffee wafted from the kitchen, but he planned to grab some at Coastal Coffee on his way to the theater. The thought of seeing Beverly made him smile.
“Cliff? Do you have a moment before you leave?”
His mother’s voice stopped him as he reached for the doorknob. He turned to see her standing in the hallway, a coffee mug clasped in both hands. She was already dressed in her usual impeccable style, despite the early hour.
“Sure, Mother.” He braced himself, assuming she wanted to discuss his development project again.
Rumors were flying that the planning committee was split on the issue, and he’d heard there would be another town meeting for more public comments.
He prepared himself for another round of her disapproval.
She gestured toward the living room. “Can we sit down?”
That caught him off guard. Usually, when his mother wanted to lecture him, she did it standing, looking down her nose at him like he was still twelve years old. He followed her into the living room and settled on the couch while she perched on the edge of an armchair.
“Is something wrong?” he asked.
“No.” She set her coffee cup on a coaster. “Nothing’s wrong. I simply wanted to tell you something important.”
He waited, studying her face. She looked nervous, which was unlike her. His mother never showed uncertainty about anything.
“Jonah has asked me to marry him,” she said. “And I’ve accepted.”
The news hit him like a punch to the chest. Not because he was upset, but because it was so unexpected. His mother—remarrying? After all these years?
“Are you going to say anything?” she asked, her voice betraying a hint of uneasiness he’d rarely heard.
“I’m just surprised,” he admitted. “When did this happen?”
“He asked me yesterday. We’ve been… close… for some time now.”
He nodded slowly. “I suspected as much.” He’d noticed the way they looked at each other, how comfortable they seemed together. “Congratulations, I guess. If you’re happy.”
“I am,” she said, her expression softening. “Very happy.”
A silence stretched between them. He realized she was waiting for more from him—approval, perhaps, or enthusiasm.
“Jonah seems like a good man,” he offered.
“He is.” Her eyes held his. “I wanted to tell you first, before anyone else. We’ll announce it to others in a few days.”
He was strangely touched by that. For years, he’d felt like an afterthought in his mother’s life, someone she’d given up trying to understand. Yet here she was, sharing her news with him first.
“Thank you for telling me,” he said.
“I never thought I’d marry again…” She trailed off, looking down at her hands.
“Mother, you deserve someone who treats you like you deserve to be treated. I’m sorry I wasn’t on board with Jonah at first, but that’s because I didn’t really know him.” He shrugged. “You deserve to be happy.”
She looked up, surprise flickering across her face. “You think so?”
“Of course I do. Why wouldn’t I?”
She hesitated. “I thought perhaps you might disapprove. Think I was being… foolish at my age.”
He shook his head. “Not at all.”
“Or that I was betraying your father’s memory somehow.”
He couldn’t help the short snorting laugh that escaped him. “I think Dad forfeited any right to that kind of loyalty a long time ago.” The words came out more bitter than he intended.
She looked at him sharply. “What do you mean by that?”
He sighed. “Nothing. No, it’s not nothing.” He ran a hand through his hair. “Dad wasn’t exactly the model husband, was he? The late nights, the business trips that seemed to go on longer than they should have.”
Her face lost some of its color. “You knew about that?”
“I wasn’t blind, Mother. Or deaf. I heard the arguments.”
She looked away. “I never wanted you to know.”
“Kids pick up on more than parents think.” He leaned forward in his chair. “Look, I’m happy for you. Really. Jonah seems to treat you well. Better than Dad ever did.”
“Your father wasn’t always…” She stopped, seeming to reconsider her words. “Theodore had his failings, but he provided for us.”
“Is that enough? Just providing?” He hadn’t meant to get into this, but now that they were talking about his father, the words kept coming. “He made you miserable half the time. Made me feel like I could never measure up.”
She looked at him in silence for a long moment. “I know things weren’t always good between you and your father. I should have done more. Should have seen how much his words hurt you.”
The simple acknowledgment felt like the lifting of a weight he had carried for decades. “I spent years trying to prove him wrong. That I wasn’t worthless, that I could amount to something.”
“Is that why you’re so determined to build this development? To prove something?”
He hesitated. Was she right? Was this project just another attempt to show his father—even in death—that he was successful? That he mattered?
“Maybe partly,” he admitted. “But I also genuinely believe it would be good for Magnolia Key. The town needs to grow, to have a stable economic future.”
His mother nodded slowly. “I’m beginning to understand that you see it that way. I don’t agree with the specific plan, but I believe you when you say your intentions aren’t purely selfish.”
Coming from his mother, this was practically a full endorsement. He felt something loosen in his chest. “Thank you for that.”
They sat in silence for a moment, the conversation having taken them places neither had expected to go.
“So,” he said finally. “You and Jonah. When’s the wedding?”
A small smile touched her lips. “We haven’t set a date yet. Something small, I think. Nothing elaborate. And fairly soon. We’ve waited a long time for it.”
“Makes sense.” He paused. “Does he make you laugh?”
The question seemed to surprise her. “Yes, he does. Quite often, actually.”
“Good. You rarely laughed when I was growing up.”
Her eyes softened. “Perhaps I didn’t.”
He stood up. “Well, I should get going. I promised Tori I’d help at the theater this morning.”
His mother rose as well. “You’ve been doing a lot to help people after the storm.”
“Just trying to be useful.”
“It hasn’t gone unnoticed.” She hesitated, then added, “I’m proud of you for that, Cliff.”
The words stunned him. When was the last time his mother had said she was proud of him? Had she ever?
“Thanks,” he managed. “That… means a lot.”
“Perhaps we could have dinner together tonight? You, me, and Jonah? To celebrate.”
He nodded. “I’d like that.”
As he headed out the door a few minutes later, he found himself smiling. His mother was getting married. And she was proud of him. Two things he never thought he’d see happen.
The morning sun felt warm on his face as he walked toward Coastal Coffee.
He considered skipping breakfast and heading right to the theater since it was later than he’d hoped to start this morning.
And truly, he needed time to process this conversation with his mother—the most honest one they’d had in years.
But then, he couldn’t bear not seeing Beverly.
So many changes in his life.
But maybe things really were changing in Magnolia Key. And maybe, just maybe, those changes would be for the better.