Grandma Dottie's Secret Coconut Pie

Zoe let out a breath as she climbed the front porch steps of her cousin’s house. While Alyssa was her closest living relative, she didn’t have much in common with the young woman. She couldn’t imagine what had possessed her cousin to invite her over.

Alyssa swung the door wide at her knock, cell phone in hand.

“Oh, hey. Come on in. I’ve been cleaning Mom’s house out so I can sell it. I found some stuff for you. I know you like musty old books, so here you go. I think those are journals. They’re written in cursive, so I can’t be sure.” She sneered at the large dusty box on the floor. “I don’t know why anyone ever thought that was a good way to write stuff down.”

She regarded her young cousin in surprise. “Can’t you read cursive? I learned it in third grade.”

Alyssa shook her head. “Nope. Everything is on computer now. The school didn’t teach us because we don’t need it like you did in the olden days.” She held up a hand to stop Zoe from responding. “Before you say anything about history, everything worth knowing is online.”

Zoe was overwhelmed by a wave of sadness at the cavalier statement. She and her cousin were from different generations, and it was obvious in every aspect of their lives.

“I’m only forty, you know. It’s not like the dinosaurs were still around when I was in school. It wasn’t that long ago.” She opened one of the top flaps of the box to reveal several beautiful old leather notebooks in various colors. “Where did you get these?”

“I found them in Mom’s attic when I was digging through the house. Damien wanted to throw them away, but I know how much you love old things nobody else wants, especially if they’re books. I called you instead.”

She tamped down her instinct to be snarky and smiled. “Thank you for thinking of me and not letting your boyfriend throw away family heirlooms. I do love dusty old things.”

Alyssa was already on her phone checking social media, probably posting about how she recycled old junk by giving it to the needy. It was one of her favorite white lies.

Gritting her teeth, Zoe forced herself to be polite. “Thanks again. I’ll see you later.”

She didn’t know if her cousin heard her or not, but she hefted the large, dusty box of books and saw herself out. Placing the box in the backseat of her car, she started to get excited.

Curiosity mingled with delight inside her during her drive home. She couldn’t wait to see what was written in those books. She’d once seen some old farm ledgers that one of her ancestors had kept. She’d loved reading about the fluctuation of corn prices in the 1940s. It was a window into her forefather’s life.

Lugging her burden into her house, she placed it on the kitchen table with great reverence. She poured herself a tall glass of iced tea and wiped off the box with a clean cloth. Then she removed each book inside with the greatest of care, cleaning off each one in turn. When everything was free of loose particles, she washed her hands and picked up the first book.

The small, black leather book did look like a journal at first glance. Opening it to the first page, she gasped at what she read. This book was a treasure beyond measure. The first page bore the name, Dottie Ellison. Beneath her name was written, “Top Secret Recipes.” She’d just discovered her great-grandmother’s secret recipe book. As she looked through the rest of the journals, she discovered they were all filled with recipes and stories from her great-grandma’s life.

Turning each page with the utmost care, Zoe read all about Grandma Dottie’s culinary adventures. She had loved entering the county fair and church cooking competitions every year. She’d made notes on what the judges had said, what her competition had presented, and how she could improve the recipe. Thumbing through the pages, she felt herself smiling.

She caught her breath as she settled on one page. Grandma Dottie’s Coconut Meringue Pie. She hadn’t seen this recipe since Christmas dinner when she was a kid. As she read the notes, she saw that her grandma used an unusual ingredient in that recipe.

The Best Ever Flour Company Bake Off deadline was coming up soon, but she had time to test the recipe. The pie turned out better than she’d ever dreamed. Flaky crust, creamy filling bursting with flavor, and meringue so perky it could only be called perfect.

She entered the contest mere minutes before the deadline. Feeling good about her entry, she went about her daily tasks anxious to hear something. Joy zinged through her when she received the call that she was a top-ten finalist and would bake her pie for the championship on live TV.

The venue in Charlotte, North Carolina, home of Best Ever Flour Company was all decked out with fun decorations, but the other contestants looked fierce. Celebrity TV Chef, Ruby Sterling was one of the judges, and the atmosphere reminded her of a circus. People were fawning all over the cooking star and running around in every direction.

Zoe stepped into her kitchen area with nerves so frazzled they were making her head buzz. Pushing through it, she concentrated on what she was doing. As she beat the egg whites for the meringue, cream of tartar, sugar, and vanilla, her thoughts lingered on Grandma Dottie.

She remembered her with great love, but the memories were like objects hidden in mist. Sometimes she could make one out and sometimes she only got an outline and a vague impression. The one thing she remembered clear as water was her great-grandmother’s prowess in the kitchen. No one could touch the quality of her food. No one could bake a pie nearly as delicious. She let her memories take her mind from the pressure of competition and became attuned to her creation.

Her pie was the loveliest she’d ever baked. She presented it to the judges with the pride of a schoolgirl who’d just mastered something new. Ruby zoned in on it immediately. She approached with a friendly smile.

“Tell me, how do you think you did?” she asked.

Swallowing the lump in her throat, Zoe found her voice. “I believe I did well. I did my best, so it has to be good enough.”

Ruby laughed; the sound soft like the purr of a contented kitten. “Well, you can’t do any better than that. I look forward to trying your pie.”

TV cameras zoomed in and out as the judges tasted everything and conferred with each other. After what felt like days of deliberation, the host announced they had a winner.

The celebrity judge walked to the center of the stage and gazed at all of the contestants. She said something nice about everyone’s entry. When it was Zoe’s turn, she complimented the perfect coconut flavor and outstanding meringue.

“And the winner of the $20,000 grand prize is Zoe Ellison for Grandma Dottie’s Coconut Meringue Pie!”

The crowd erupted in applause, and the other contestants pretended to be happy for her. The rest of the afternoon was a blur.

After the crowd dispersed and everyone went home, Zoe sat in her hotel room mesmerized by her check. The large one for her wall was nice, but the small slip of paper in her hand meant the end of her financial woes. She finally had enough money to pay off her debt and buy herself a new bookshelf. The one she’d duct taped together so many times could finally rest in pieces. She owed it all to her long-deceased great-grandmother and a self-absorbed cousin who couldn’t read cursive.

Should she share some of the prize money with Alyssa since she was the one who gave her Grandma Dottie’s book? It would be a kind gesture, but she nearly threw the books away without caring what was in them. She hadn’t so much as texted to see what the journals said.

Contemplating the right thing to do, Zoe realized that if Alyssa had kept the books, she could never have enjoyed them. Worse, all of the recipes would have been lost. Her idea struck her with such force that she had to sit down. She could do something for her cousin and home bakers everywhere. She had eight months to make it happen. Delighted with her decision, she opened her laptop and began researching.

That Christmas, she presented a box wrapped in gold paper to her cousin. Alyssa ripped it open without much enthusiasm, her phone dangling from her finger by its ring holder. That changed when she turned the gift over and peered at the front.

Alyssa put her phone down on the table beside her and studied Zoe as though seeing her for the first time. “What is this? Grandma Dottie’s Secret Recipes, Compiled by Zoe Ellison. Dottie was our great-grandmother. How did you get her recipes?”

Wiping a tear from her cheek, Zoe cleared her throat. “You gave them to me. Those leather journals you gave me were filled with her recipes. I put them together in a cookbook so you can enjoy them, too.”

She laughed, wiping a few of her own tears. “I had no idea those books were so precious. I almost let Damien trash them.” She took Zoe’s hand. “Thank you. You have no idea how much this means to me.”

“There’s actually a little more to it. I published the book worldwide, and I’m splitting the royalties with you. The treasures hidden in those books belong to both of us.”

Alyssa grinned. “Thanks, Zoe. I know you are I are really different people, but deep down where it counts, we’re the same because we’re family.”