How much had she shared with Cate Sheppard?

Better try to find out.

“I can see how worried you’ve been about this, Kayla.” He leaned forward and clasped his hands together, giving her his full attention. “I’m sorry you were upset. Your roommate gave you excellent advice. Talking concerns through is always the best approach. What did she think about the conversation you overheard?”

“I didn’t tell her any details. It wouldn’t have been fair to you. Casting doubts about good people is wrong.”

The coil of tension in his gut loosened a hair.

“You’ve been listening to my sermons.” He called up a smile—and hoped it didn’t appear as stiff as it felt.

“They’re easy to listen to.”

“Thank you.” He ignored his clammy shirt and leaned back. It appeared he was in the clear with the roommate, but it couldn’t hurt to reiterate the importance of discretion. “I appreciate your consideration. Lives can be ruined by sharing groundless fears. They can plant seeds of doubt in people’s minds—even if the other person is later proven innocent.”

“I know—but Cate wouldn’t judge someone based on stories about them. She’d decide for herself.”

“She’s a smart girl.”

“Yeah—except in Spanish.” Her lips bowed. “That’s not her subject. She’s lucky Mr. Martinez is tutoring her—even if she complains about the extra sessions.”

His pulse stuttered.

Kayla’s roommate had study sessions with the federal agent who was posing as a Spanish teacher?

What if Kayla ended up telling her about their conversation in a moment of shared confidences, and she, in turn, mentioned it to Martinez?

Kayla might buy his explanation for the phone call on the terrace, but if a federal agent got wind of the exchange, all kinds of red flags would go up.

It was more important than ever that Kayla keep what she’d heard to herself.

“I get the impression you two have become close.”

“Yeah. It’s nice to have someone to share stuff with. Stephanie never talked to me, but Cate’s different. She’s a new friend, but a good one.”

“Good friends are a treasure. More precious than gold. But friends don’t have to share everything. It’s fine to keep parts of our life private. Like our chat today. She doesn’t know me like you do, and the gossip mill around here is already too active.”

“Cate doesn’t gossip.”

“I’m glad to hear that. Still, let’s keep this between you and me, okay?”

“Sure. I wasn’t going to tell her about it, anyway. We don’t share everything.”