“Rose and I have maintained consistent contact over the years,” Samantha admitted.

“And she knew that you might be calling me soon?”

“She knew that the title review on the house had been officially triggered,” Samantha confirmed.

I turned the small jar around in my hands, appreciating the tactile weight of it.

There was something wonderfully ordinary and grounding about the situation.

A long-lost relative had re-entered my life in the form of a jar of homemade fruit preserves.

I appreciated that simple gesture more than I could adequately express in words.