Sadie sighed. If only that dream had come true.

She peered around now. There was the box of Christmas lights Ethan had mentioned, as well as the reindeer and snowman that perched in the front yard last December. But most of the boxes were ones Sadie didn’t recognize. She wondered if the previous owners, the Brewers, had left them behind. Dr. Reggie Brewer had been Renee’s former boss at the Coastal Kids Medical Group. He and his wife had retired to North Carolina to be closer to their son, which was when Ethan had swooped in and purchased the cottage.

When Sadie was up here in the attic, the musty air reminded her of Grandma and Grandpa. Despite Grandma Hester’s expertise in the kitchen, she’d never been much of a housekeeper. And once Grandpa Hank’s sight began to go, he wasn’t great about catching all the dust bunnies either. Sadie liked this smell just as much as the scent of Grandma’s pies baking. It made her feel cozy and warm. Safe.

“Hello gorgeous,” she murmured catching sight of an antique steamer trunk in the very back corner. Maybe she could refinish the piece and use it as a coffee table.

She crept over, fumbled with the brass latches, and pushed it open.

The chest was filled with old photographs and countless sheets of yellowed paper. Some of the photos were in black-and-white but most were in faded color, and the paper was covered in elegant cursive. She picked up one of the photos, presumably of a mother and her young daughter. The woman was wearing some amazing plaid bell-bottoms and holding a pigtailed little girl in her arms. They both had the same button nose as Sadie, and her same sprinkling of freckles. She turned the photo over and read: “Hester and Melissa, May 1975.”

It was Grandma Hester and her mom!

Her heart beat faster.

This wasn’t from the Brewers. This was her family.

Sadie carefully pulled out photo after photo of family members past and present. There was her mother holding up a Barbie in front of the Christmas tree, and a snapshot of Grandpa Hank deep sea fishing. She set aside the pictures she wanted to share with her parents and Ethan, plus a picture of Grandma Hester taking a pie out of the oven to show Renee. She read the letters quickly, knowing she would read them again, much slower, much more carefully, later. They were love letters shared between Grandpa Hank and Grandma Hester.

What a treasure trove!

But when Sadie stumbled across a weathered notebook of sorts, its leather cover peeling off, she sensed she was uncovering something extraordinary. It was dusty and fragile but seemed to radiate a sort of power and happy energy. Gingerly, she opened the book and read the first page.

“Hester’s Recipe Collection,” the author had written proudly.

Sadie flew through the pages, reading recipes for potato casserole and oyster stuffing, before she found the section she’d been looking for: Desserts.