Elias grinned. “No worries, so long as I get to spend the whole day with you.” He stretched his arms over his head, loving the way Wren’s gaze went straight for his abs. “What kind of work?”
“I have to touch up some of the photos. I want to push the shadows a little more.”
“What do you mean?”
“Oh, here, I’ll show you. Where did I leave my tote?” She looked around and spotted it by the door where she’d dropped it when Elias took her into his arms. “Oh yeah, there it is. No idea how I could have lost track of it.” She giggled as she winked athim, and he loved the blush that crept into her cheeks. She got up and brought her tote back to the table. Elias cleared the plates in the meantime.
“I can do the dishes first if you want,” Wren said.
“Nope, they can wait.” Elias stacked their plates in the sink. “I have to unload the dishwasher first anyway.”
“I’m telling you, you’re making me feel guilty for not washing them. Whoever doesn’t cook, washes the dishes.” She took her laptop out of her tote and set it on the table.
“So you have said.” Elias grabbed his chair and came around the table with it. He kissed her temple, then they sat down in front of the laptop.
“Well, it’s the new rule here.” She stopped and covered her mouth.
Elias chuckled as he felt his heart swell.
“I mean, if you want. It’s your house.”
Elias draped his arm around her. Wren leaned into him and he kissed her temple again. “I’m glad you’re comfortable enough here to make rules. Only,” he nodded toward Penny in her doggie bed, “she has the final say around here.”
“Oh, of course.” Wren looked at Penny. “She says it’s fine so long as she gets to lick the plates first.”
“Ugh!” Elias grimaced and Wren burst out laughing. “I’m never eating off those plates again if that’s the case.”
“No problem. She’ll take the new plate budget out of your minion pay.”
“Great. How generous.”
Wren giggled as she clicked on an icon and opened a photo, but grew serious once it loaded. “This is Matthew and his son, Arthur.”
“Cute kid.” Elias studied the contrast between laughing son and somber father. “What’s their story?”
“Matthew lost his wife, Lena to a stroke. He was on top of the medical bills, then he wasn’t. It sounded hinky. The hospital where she passed away is called Milestone.” She made a disgusted sound. “The next guy I photographed was a sweetheart. He was a patient at Milestone, too. Same deal with the medical bills. He calls it Millstone.”
“As in a millstone tied around his neck.”
“Exactly.”
Wren closed the photo of Matthew and Arthur. She clicked on another file.
When it opened, Elias felt adrenaline hit his system the way it did every time he was part of a search. He was looking at a familiar face.
“Wait a minute. What’s his name?”
Wren looked at Elias. “Evan. Why?”
“Holy shit. Hang on.” Elias got up and found the paper Gabe had given him. He came back and smoothed it out on the table. “This is him, isn’t it? Evan Roy.”
Wren compared the photos. “Yes.” She looked at Elias in confusion, then tapped on the paper. “What is this? Why do you have a picture of Evan?” Her brow furrowed. “Wait, is that Stephanie with him?”
Elias beamed as he kissed Wren full on the lips. “This is the reason why we had that meeting at the rec center. Evan is friends with Stephanie and when he stopped showing up there, she asked us to find him.”
“Why all of you? Why not the authorities?”
“She tried going that route and got nowhere.” He paused. Wren had shared her secret with him. She was already friends with Ellie, April, Stephanie, Rochelle, and Sandra.
