He had written about it in several letters.
He had described the smell of wood, the sound of machinery, and the satisfaction of repairing something that had been discarded.
Hannah found the old workshop.
It had been closed after Daniel's death.
The owner had kept several of Daniel's tools and personal belongings.
Mason visited with Hannah and Caleb.
The workshop was small.
A workbench stood near the back.
Several shelves held unfinished projects.
A wooden chair rested against the wall.
Mason recognized it.
It was the chair Daniel had been repairing in the storage unit.
The same chair that had appeared in the photographs.
He ran his hand over the surface.
"He worked on this for years."
Hannah nodded.
"He kept saying he would finish it."
Mason smiled.
"Typical."
Caleb looked at the chair.
"Can we finish it?"
Mason examined the joints.
"Yes."
The owner agreed to let them take it.
They brought it to the Iron Harbor workshop.
Mason and Caleb spent several afternoons repairing it.
They replaced one damaged leg.
They sanded the surface.
They tightened the joints.
Caleb wanted to paint it black.
Mason suggested leaving the natural wood.
They compromised by staining it a dark brown.
When the chair was finished, Hannah placed it near the living-room window.
It became Daniel's chair.
Not a shrine.
Not a monument.
Just a chair.
Sometimes Hannah sat in it.
Sometimes Caleb used it to read.
Sometimes Mia climbed onto it with Scout.
And sometimes Mason sat there after dinner, looking out at the garden.
He liked that the chair was being used.
Daniel would have liked that too.
The third item was the photograph.
Mason had avoided it for months.
He had taken photographs with Hannah and the children.
He had stood beside Evelyn.
He had visited the old apartment.
But he had never taken the photograph Daniel had wanted.
The one with his brother.
One afternoon, Caleb suggested something.
"Why don't we take a picture with Dad?"
Mason looked at him.
"What do you mean?"
Caleb held up Daniel's photograph.
"We can put it in the middle."
Hannah smiled.
"That's a lovely idea."
They arranged themselves in the garden.
Mason stood beside Hannah.
Caleb stood in front.
Mia held Scout.
Evelyn stood near the back.
Bear and several members of the Iron Harbor Riders joined them.
They placed Daniel's photograph in a small frame at the center.
The photographer counted.
"Three, two, one."
The camera flashed.
Mason looked at the result afterward.
He studied the faces.
Hannah was smiling.
Caleb looked serious.
Mia was laughing.
Evelyn had tears in her eyes.
Bear looked as though someone had ordered him to attend a wedding against his will.
Mason was smiling.
And in the center stood Daniel.
For the first time, Mason had a photograph that represented the family he had lost and the family he had found.
He printed two copies.
One went into the house.
The other went into the clubhouse.
He placed it beside the original photograph of the two boys.
The final item on Daniel's list was the simplest.
Have coffee without talking about the past.
Mason and Hannah attempted it on a quiet Sunday morning.
They sat at the kitchen table.
Hannah made coffee.
Mason added nothing.
For the first few minutes, they talked about the weather.
Then they discussed a school event.
Then Hannah mentioned that Caleb wanted to join a science club.
Mason offered to help build a model.
They talked about the grocery store.
The price of gas.
A television program.
The broken fence.
The conversation was ordinary.
Then Hannah smiled.
"I think we've done it."
Mason looked at her.
"Done what?"
"Coffee without talking about the past."
He laughed.
"That's surprisingly difficult."
"Daniel would have enjoyed this."
Mason looked at the chair near the window.
"Yes."
They sat quietly.
Then Hannah reached across the table.
"Thank you for finding us."
Mason looked at her.
"I didn't find you alone."
"You know what I mean."
He nodded.
Hannah continued.
"I was afraid that after Daniel died, the children would lose another part of their family."
Mason shook his head.
"They won't."
"How can you be sure?"
He smiled.
"Because I'm stubborn."
Hannah laughed.
"That's true."
"And because I made a promise."
She looked at him.
Mason touched the old photograph in his pocket.
"I couldn't keep the first promise the way I wanted to."
He paused.
"But I can keep this one."
Hannah squeezed his hand.
Years later, Caleb would remember the day Mason first taught him to repair a bicycle.