That didn’t sound like the son she knew, the one who’d always been focused on profits and returns on investment. “That can’t be right.”
“I heard it myself. He was quite passionate about it.”
She frowned. “Perhaps he’s trying to buy goodwill for his development project.”
“Or perhaps he genuinely cares about the people here.”
She scoffed at the suggestion, but with less certainty than before. “Cliff has always done what’s best for Cliff. That’s his nature.”
“Was that his nature, or was that what you expected of him?” Jonah asked carefully.
The question caught her off guard. “What do you mean?”
“I’m just wondering if perhaps you’re seeing what you expect to see in your son.”
“That’s ridiculous,” she snapped. “I know my own child.”
“Do you? When was the last time you really talked to him? Not argued, not lectured, but talked?” he asked gently.
She fell silent. When indeed? She couldn’t remember a conversation with Cliff in years that hadn’t devolved into criticism or arguments.
“He was always difficult,” she said finally. “Even as a child.”
“Difficult children often grow into adults still trying to figure out their place in the world.”
She sighed. “When did you become so wise?”
“Around the same time my hair turned gray.” He smiled.
But Jonah had never been afraid to approach a problem head-on or to speak honestly. It’s one of the many things she admired about him. She sat thinking about his words for a few minutes. The only sound was Winston’s gentle snoring and the distant work crews outside.
“I saw him help Beverly with her roof yesterday,” Jonah said eventually.
“Beverly let him help her?” That was unexpected. Beverly had made her feelings about Cliff quite clear over the years.
“Apparently, she needed the help and couldn’t find anyone else. He was there for hours and came back the next day, according to Darlene. Fixed the whole thing himself.”
She thought about the complicated history between her son and Beverly, though she didn’t know all the details. She was fairly certain there had been some kind of feelings between the two of them when they were young. But then Cliff had left.
And now he was fixing her roof?
“I just don’t know what to make of all this,” she admitted.
“Like I said, people can surprise you.”
“But is it genuine? That’s what I keep wondering.” Her fingers resumed their tapping. “Is he really helping because he cares, or is this all some elaborate scheme to win people over to his side?”
“Why can’t it be both?” Jonah suggested. “Maybe he does care about the town and also wants to see his project succeed.”
“Those two things seem fundamentally at odds.”
“Not necessarily. In his mind, maybe that development represents progress for Magnolia Key.”
“Progress.” She shook her head. “Concrete monstrosities and overcrowding are not progress.”
“To you,” he pointed out. “But to someone with a different vision for the future, maybe it is.”
She hadn’t considered the possibility that Cliff might genuinely believe his project was good for the town. She’d assumed his motives were purely selfish.
