“Yes. I’m going to help with gas.”

He was silent for a minute. “You keep your eyes open on the road, when you’re coming home from work.”

“I always do. But why?”

“I don’t trust Roberta’s boyfriend. He’s dangerous. Even Carlie is in jeopardy because of what happened to her father, so you both have to be careful.”

“I don’t understand why someone would want to harm a minister,” she said, shaking her head. “It makes no sense.”

He turned his head toward her. “Michelle, most ministers started out as something else.”

“Something else?”

“Yes. In other words, Reverend Blair wasn’t always a reverend.”

She hesitated, listening to make sure Carlie wasn’t at the door. “What did he do before?” she asked.

“Sorry. That’s a confidence. I never share them.”

She curled her hand around his. “That’s reassuring. If I ever tell you something dreadful in secret, you won’t go blabbing it to everyone you know.”

He laughed. “That’s a given.” His hand contracted. “The reverse is also applicable,” he added quietly. “If you overhear anything while you’re under my roof, it’s privileged information. Not that you’ll hear much that you can understand.”

“You mean, like when you were talking to Sara in French,” she began.

“Something like that.” His eyes narrowed. “Did you understand what I said?”

“I can say, where’s the library and my brother has a brown suit,” she mused. “Actually, I don’t have a brother, but that was in the first-year French book. And it’s about the scope of my understanding. I love languages, but I have to study very hard to learn anything.”

He relaxed a little. He’d said some things about Michelle’s recent problems to Sara that he didn’t want her to know. Not yet, anyway. It would sound as if he were gossiping about her to his sister.

“The graveside service is tomorrow,” she said. “Will Sara be here in time, do you think?”

“She might. I’m having a car pick her up at the airport and drive her down here.”

“A car?”

“A limo.”

Her lips parted. “A limousine? Like those long, black cars you see politicians riding around in on television? I’ve only seen one maybe once or twice, on the highway when I was on the bus!”

He laughed softly at her excitement. “They also have sedans that you can hire to transport people,” he told her. “I use them a lot when I travel.”