Sophie Mae strolled to the screened-in sunroom where her Aunt Catherine Gardenia, presumed dead a month prior, occupied a metal chair with a modest floral cushion. Just as she imagined, Aunt Catherine looked like a saint with her simple blue dress and silver locks pinned close to her head.

“Come in, my dear!” Aunt Catherine said.

Sophie Mae slunk into the room. “You wanted to see me?”

“Yes. I’ve just returned from the courthouse and shown myself to be alive and well, settling the dispute over the estate. You’re still the heir, though not for many years, I would assume.”

Ms. Ruby entered the room, her smile beaming. “Ms. Catherine, your tea.”

“Thank you dear. Would you like to sit with us?”

Ms. Ruby shook her head. “I’ve much to do today, miss.”

“Please make time to rest,” she waved to the caregiver as she left the room. “Would you like some tea, Sophie dear?”

“You shouldn’t be serving me anything,” Sophie Mae frowned. “You could fade your potion.”

“I’ve heard about Myrt. Head was hard as a rock, but she had a good heart. Oscar D tells me you took care of her near the end.”

“I did, though I’m not sure how I knew what to do.”

Catherine placed the tea in front of Sophie Mae. “George informs me you have some memory loss from your travel box. How are you coping with this?”

Sophie Mae’s chest rose faster. “Everyone has tried to help. They tell me stories about my life in Drycrop, but I have no feelings about them. It’s as if they are just stories in a book about someone else’s life.”

“Well, let me add to the narrative.” The aunt passed Sophie Mae a bagel. “Your grandma, my sister, was the kindest woman I knew. She had a real heart of gold. Speaking of which...” Aunt Catherine pulled a gold necklace from her pocket. “This is yours. Go ahead, open it.”

Sophie Mae slid her fingernails into the locket and looked over the pictures inside. “This is you, but who is the other woman?”

“Your Grandma Hattie.”

“Oh, you should keep this. She was your sister.”

Catherine stood and latched the chain around Sophie Mae’s neck. “No. She meant for you to have it. Maybe she understood such a day would come when you’d need to be reminded of who she was.”

Sophie Mae turned to the windows and gazed into the distant garden.

“Whether or not you remember Hattie, you’re here with us now. I’m your family, and so are the others in this house. Families protect each other. They forgive each other’s weaknesses and teach us about the world from another’s view. You have all that and more right here. Home is about more than location. It’s about the people you surround yourself with and give your best to.”