I was standing on the porch that morning, staring at a sleek sports car parked in the same place where I’d parked my old, rusty car last night.

My hands trembled as I held the envelope I’d found with the keys inside.

“Cynthia!” I called, barely able to keep my voice steady. “Cynthia, come out here quickly!”

She came out, wiping her hands on a towel.

“Gregory, what is it?” she yelled. “I burnt the pancakes because of you! You know we’re down to the last bit of mix. What’s this fuss about?”

“Look!” I said, pointing toward the car. “Someone replaced our old car with that and left these keys in an envelope. But there’s no note. Just the keys! Who would do this?”

Before Cynthia could respond, we heard the honk of a car. I turned, and my old car pulled up in front of the house. My breath caught as I saw who stepped out.

“It’s him, Cynthia,” I said, my voice breaking. “He kept his promise!”

She smiled knowingly as if she had expected this all along. The young man strode up the path, grinning warmly.

“Gregory, how have you been? It’s been a while, hasn’t it?”

“Jack!” I cried, pulling him into a hug. “What is all this? Don’t tell me you’re behind this car business!”

“I had to do it, Gregory,” he said, laughing. “After what you did for me, how could I not? Besides,” he added, winking at Cynthia, “she helped me plan it.”

“Cynthia!” I exclaimed, turning to her. “You knew about this?”

“Well, Jack wouldn’t take no for an answer,” she admitted, scrunching her nose. “He found me on social media and contacted me there. Honestly, I didn’t think he’d go through with it.”

“I couldn’t have pulled it off without her,” Jack chuckled. “Thank you so much for the help, Cynthia!”

I shook my head. “So this old man was played like a fiddle and didn’t even know it?”

They both laughed, and Cynthia nudged us inside.

“Enough talking,” she said. “Jack, you’ve come all this way. You’re staying for breakfast.”