And that was what the independent review had done.
Daniel received the news from the property manager.
The letter confirmed that the proposed redevelopment would no longer require the garage parcel.
Lease negotiations could resume.
There was no promise of permanent security.
Rent might increase.
Repairs were needed.
And the landlord would still evaluate the property's commercial value.
But the immediate threat of displacement had eased.
Daniel read the letter twice.
Then handed it to Ethan.
The younger mechanic grinned.
"Well, I'll be."
Daniel smiled.
"Good news."
Ethan looked around the garage.
"So we're staying?"
"If the lease terms work."
"Then we'll make them work."
Daniel laughed.
"You're becoming awfully confident."
"Learned from the best."
Daniel shook his head.
Then looked toward the photograph of Arthur Cole.
For a moment, he remembered the years he spent sweeping the floor as a teenager.
The first engine he rebuilt.
The day Arthur handed him the keys.
The afternoons Lucy spent coloring in the office while Elise helped with paperwork.
He felt relief.
But something else too.
The understanding that he could not keep running the garage exactly as he had before the collapse.
His health required a different pace.
His employees deserved more responsibility.
And Lucy deserved a father who came home with enough energy to listen.
He looked toward Ethan.
"How would you feel about becoming shop manager?"
Ethan stared.
"What?"
Daniel smiled.
"You've been doing the work already."
The younger man looked uncertain.
"Dan—"
"I mean it."
Ethan stared at the appointment book.
Then toward the garage.
"You sure?"
Daniel nodded.
"Very."
For a moment, Ethan seemed unable to speak.
Then he smiled.
"All right."
They shook hands.
Daniel looked toward the office.
"Now we need to figure out the pay and responsibilities properly."
Ethan laughed.
"There he is."
Daniel smiled.
And for the first time, the possibility of working fewer hours did not feel like losing himself.
It felt like giving somebody else room to grow.
Nora and Daniel's first honest date took place at a roadside diner beside Bellweather Lake.
He had called her the previous afternoon.
She answered after the second ring.
"Hello?"
"Nora?"
Her heart quickened.
"Daniel."
He hesitated.
Then asked, "Would you like to have dinner with me tomorrow?"
For a moment, she thought she had misheard.
"At a restaurant?"
He laughed softly.
"That's usually where I have dinner when I don't feel like cooking."
She smiled.
"Yes."
A pause.
Then she added, "I'd love to."
He sounded relieved.
"Good."