Then at Marcus.

Then at Buddy.

“Where are you taking us now?”

The Old Storage Building

Marcus followed Diane and Buddy outside.

They drove to an old storage facility on the edge of town.

Marcus had never been there before.

Neither had Diane.

They found unit 214.

The key fit.

The door rolled upward.

Inside was darkness.

Marcus turned on the light.

Diane gasped.

The unit wasn't filled with money.

It wasn't filled with valuable possessions.

It was filled with boxes.

Hundreds of them.

Some contained winter coats.

Others contained canned food, blankets, shoes, books, and children's toys.

On one wall were dozens of handwritten cards.

Diane walked closer.

She picked one up.

“For the family on Oak Street.”

Another:

“For the shelter—winter supplies.”

Another:

“For the boy who loves dinosaurs.”

Marcus looked at her.

“What is this?”

Diane shook her head.

“I don't know.”

Then she saw the photograph.

Caleb was standing in the middle of the storage unit.

Marcus beside him.

Buddy at their feet.

Behind them were stacks of donations.

Diane looked at the date.

It was from two years earlier.

Caleb's Secret Project

Marcus began opening boxes.

Inside were receipts.

Lists.

Names.

Addresses.

Notes.

Diane realized what she was looking at.

Caleb had been helping people.

Quietly.

Without telling anyone.

There were records of rent payments.

Grocery deliveries.

School supplies.

Veterinary bills.

Utility payments.

Emergency assistance.

Some recipients had never even known where the help came from.

Diane sat on a box.

“He never told me.”

Marcus shook his head.

“He didn't want anyone to know.”

“Why?”

“Because he hated being thanked.”

Diane smiled through her tears.

“That sounds like him.”

Marcus found another folder.

Inside was a handwritten budget.

At the top, Caleb had written:

THE GOOD THINGS FUND

Diane laughed.

“He named it?”

Marcus nodded.

“He said every month he would set aside money for something that made another person's life slightly easier.”

“How much?”

“Sometimes twenty dollars.”

“That's all?”

“Sometimes five.”

Diane looked at him.

“That doesn't sound like much.”

Marcus smiled.

“It was never about the amount.”

The Bigger Surprise

Diane thought she had finally discovered Caleb's secret.

But then Marcus found something else.

At the bottom of one box was a folder labeled:

PROJECT HOME

He opened it.

Inside were architectural sketches.