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I was hoarding my coins.

“Remind me again who Evie is?”

“You’ve worked out who Evie is.” He set her jacket aside.

“Tell me anyway.”

“Evie is Mo’s wife. They’ve been married about three years now. She got pregnant sooner than expected.”

“And Husic senior convinced his son that his future lay with digital printing, synthetic dyes and mostly synthetic fabrics.”

“Evie had a miscarriage. Nearly died. The prognosis was no babies. Ever. So yeah, it was a sensible business decision, but the work helped him stay sane.”

“They must have been devastated.” She threaded her fingers through his, her instant sympathy comforting him as much as her touch.

“Yeah. They’ve signed up to be foster parents. They’ll be good.”

“Mo told me about Monique.”

Cas absorbed the confession, because Beatriz was admitting she knew another one of his secrets. Time for him to admit he trusted Beatriz with all his secrets. She was the first woman to slip past his defences in ... ever.

“My fault,” she rushed on, releasing her hold on him, “if that’s the right term. I couldn’t imagine you walking away from a friendship because he joined his father’s business. I asked why you’d lost touch. I wanted to know in case he’d done a number on you and organising a meet-up between you would be a monumental mistake. Mo said you had a girlfriend who’d done a number on you, and you’d gone off-air for a while.”

“That’s a thin outline,” Cas said. And Mo had left it to Cas to fill in the details for Beatriz, if he chose to. “Mo told me he’d outed Monique.”

“Not sure I follow.”

“Mo and Evie lost a much-hoped-for baby. Monique told me she was carrying my child.”

“I’m guessing that was a lie.” She jabbed him in the chest. “What’s with the surprised expression? You’d never have walked away from a child.”

Beatriz wasn’t outraged or suspicious. More importantly, she wasn’t disappointed in him for the simple reason she didn’t believe he’d abandon a woman carrying his child. A tension Cas had been holding for what seemed like forever drained out of him.

“She banked on that. And I mean banked.”

“So, Mo blew her cover. Then what?”

“Actually, Maha and Hunt worked it out. Locked me in a room until I agreed to a DNA test. I wasn’t the father. Mo and Evie were raw from losing their baby and were disgusted at Monique’s manipulation of an unborn child.”

“I’m with them.” She fiddled with the buttons on her waistcoat. “Are you over Monique?”

“I’ve accepted I was an idiot. But it hurt Mum and Dad. I hate that I dragged my family into that mess.” Shame lingered, that he’d been so gullible.

Telling Beatriz eased some of the shame. Warmth swirled through him, a by-product of the trust and sheer intimacy of their conversation.

“I don’t need to know the details. Mo also told me, he didn’t get rid of the old machinery. That the wheel has turned in the marketplace. He’s being approached by customers, by strangers. Even with his big glossy signs sayingcomputer printedandartificial dyes. The interest in sustainable and reusable is growing.”

“I read the trade journals, Beatriz. Follow the blogs. Sustainable is increasingly important across all industries. We both work for companies that promote sustainable practices to give them an edge.”

“Of course we do. Did you hear the first part of what I said?”

“Something about the old machinery.” Cas turned the idea over in his head.

“So your friend Mo Husic is thinking about getting back into the game. He wants a different location, a different brand, a different product range to separate it from their current business.”

“He didn’t mention that.” A tickle of excitement ran down Cas’s spine. Mo had mentioned ideas, said they’ve got a cushion under the business. A cushion was nothing to sneeze at. It gave you options.

“I gather he’s in the very early stages and doesn’t want to let you down a second time if he can’t deliver. He said Evie wouldn’t let his dream die. Evie insisted he keep the machinery, keep working on natural dyes. She surprised him with a new workshop in their yard. They’re toying with the brand name Sunshine Superman or Save the Planet and Still Make Profits.”