He had a stack of dirty plates in his hands and was wiping his palms on his apron between trips.

I walked over to him, my cheap shoes squelching softly in the wet grass.

He went still as I came up.

“I’m so grateful you told the truth today,” I said.

Leo looked down at my shabby clothes, then up into my face.

“I just need this job for my tuition,” he said in one short burst.

“You won’t lose your job,” I said.

I reached out and laid my hand gently on his shoulder to thank him before I walked away.