Elias sobered. “Yeah, you do.”
She resumed pouring the dressing. “Was Andre helpful?”
“Sort of.”
Another pause. “What did he say?”
Elias chuckled. “Not much.”
“You’re kidding.” She scowled. “If he didn’t plan to say much, why did he insist on going to check on you? I trusted him when he said he knew what you needed.”
“He did.”
“Well, if he said little, what did he do that was so helpful?”
“He made me laugh.”
Iona stared for a beat, then blew out a breath. Of course. Why didn’t she think of that? Elias wasn’t like her Artemis teammates. He wouldn’t talk about what was bugging him until he was ready. Pushing him to talk would make him remain silent longer. He had to work things out in his head before he’d share. If he shared. Although they were a couple, Elias had ghosts just as she did. “I should have thought of that myself. Did the laugh help?”
“Definitely. Do you need help?”
She closed the storage bag and handed it to him. “Put that in the refrigerator. The chicken needs to marinate for a few hours.”
“Dinner?”
She nodded. “What’s the plan for today?”
“We’re taking shifts listening to the conversations at Dutch’s table throughout the day.” He made a face. “Most of the time, we’ll be listening to the air conditioning system kick on and go off. But we might pick up something interesting during mealtimes.”
“This isn’t a normal home with a rhythm where people come and go at the same times every day. This is a clubhouse where people won’t be around much of the time.”
“Got a better idea?”
“Maybe. How do you feel?” She pointed a finger at him. “No sugar-coating, Knight. Tell me the truth.”
“Rough.”
“Think you’re up to going into town again?”
“I can handle that. Why do you want to go?”
“There’s a coffee shop across the street from Katie’s Deli. I’m feeling the need for a cup of coffee.”
His eyebrow rose. “I can make you coffee here.”
“True. What you can’t provide is good old country gossip.”
A slow smile curved his mouth. “Good plan. We should ask Grant and Rayne to join us. Four people look like friends going out to talk. Two looks like a date, and people won’t talk in our vicinity.”
Smart. Iona washed her hands and dried them. “Let’s go see if Rayne and Grant want to come with us.”
They found the couple in what was supposed to be a library, but at the moment was just a sad room filled with empty bookcases and a desk.
“This is just wrong,” Grant said, shaking his head. “Bookshelves should be filled with books.”
“Agreed. How do you feel about a cup of coffee with some good company?” Elias asked him.
“I’m always in the mood for coffee. Why?”
