Her grandmother spent her life opening her door to strangers, but her heart had been reserved for family. She always knew everything about everyone within minutes of meeting them. People loved to open up to Dove, but the older woman had always kept her own secrets close to her chest.

“Everyone’s gone already?” Jessica asked.

Sarah nodded. “We did manage to get a family photo before they left, though.” Unlocking her cell phone screen with her thumbprint, she flicked to the photo and handed the phone to Jessica.

“Aww…this is a nice one,” she said, tilting the phone so Whitney could see. She squinted, peering closer. “Who’s the guy in the background?”

Whitney dragged her finger and thumb across the screen to enlarge the view of the beach. “Isn’t that the old guy who lives down near south pier? He’s always out there on the beach with his metal detector. I’ve never seen him around here before, though.”

“He doesn’t have a metal detector here,” Sarah said, looking at the photo. She hadn’t even noticed him on that side of the beach that day.

“Friend of your grandma’s, maybe?” Jessica suggested.

Sarah shrugged, taking the phone back. “Maybe. He didn’t talk to us.” Most likely just a stranger strolling the beach that morning. She could crop him out if she decided to frame the picture.

“Did your grandmother leave a note or anything, explaining this?” Whitney asked, gesturing around them.

Sarah nodded, reaching into her pocket for the ambiguous five-word sticky note she’d been trying to figure out all day and handed it to Whitney.

“A Post-it? That’s it?” she asked.

“Grandma kept things brief,” Sarah said, gulping her wine.

“You’ll know what to do,” Jessica read over Whitney’s shoulder. They looked at her. “Do you?”

“Nope. Other than selling it, what else can I do?” She checked her phone. She’d left three messages for her boss, who was now ignoring her calls, and Sarah recognized the power move that said she was on thin ice. “I really need to get back to L.A.”

“Have you heard about your promotion yet?” Whitney asked.

“Not yet. Being here isn’t exactly helping.” She bit her lip. Her boss was a workaholic. She never took time off and didn’t love the fact that she was expected to give her staff holiday time. This time off was the first “vacation” Sarah had taken in four years. She loved her job at Digital Strategies, where she worked developing new apps for long-distance communication and teleconferencing. And with the promotion, she’d be working directly under the VP of development, a position she’d been busting her butt for, hoping it would give her more freedom and flexibility to work on projects she was passionate about.