As Rick neared the last shelf, a small, worn book caught his eye. It was titled Ask Carol, and he opened it to find his grandmother’s handwritten advice in response to heartfelt letters from strangers. Each page revealed her warm words, from recipes to life advice. The book’s second half was blank, waiting for new questions. Rick tucked it in his bag, heading home in quiet thought.

Later, Rick showed the book to his mother, Sarah, who was equally surprised at Carol’s hidden role. “Maybe she hoped you’d continue helping others,” she suggested.

Rick shook his head. “I don’t know, Mom. I’m not even sure if I’ll stay.”

But that night, as he drifted off to sleep, memories of his grandmother’s wisdom filled his mind. The next morning, Rick woke to a call from his girlfriend, Meredith, asking when he’d return. When he mentioned he might keep the bookstore, she balked at the idea. “You’d make less money, and I don’t want to live in that town,” she argued.

Rick was silent, realizing he felt drawn to stay, to learn more about his grandmother’s hidden life. He told Meredith he needed time to decide, and her ultimatum hung in the air: “Choose: me or that silly bookstore.”

At the bookstore, Rick found visitors whispering and doubting him, yet he pressed on. One day, a woman named Emily entered with her young daughter, Carol. Her warm smile and appreciation for Carol’s legacy lifted his spirits.

Days later, he found a new question in Ask Carol: How do you tell a man he has a daughter, a secret only his grandmother knew?

Rick’s heart pounded as he realized the truth. That evening, he stood at Emily’s door in an astronaut costume, finally ready to meet his daughter.