sorority backs it up, it doesn’t add up to foul play.”
“I’m not even worried about the police right now. I just need to know if Zeta Rho and Nu Alpha always had secrets in the closet, or if Aiden and Leighton put them there.”
She nodded. “While you’re talking with Kessler, get a straight answer for why we can’t fudging do yoga,” she cried. “That uphill hike you missed out on killed me twenty minutes in, and Jade made us do the whole seventy-five minutes.”
I winced. “Ouch. Who voted for that?”
“No one. We’ve been picking basketball and jogging, so she said we should mix it up. She sweetened the deal promising we’d have a picnic at the top. It wasn’t worth it, Val. It just wasn’t worth it.”
I stifled a laugh. “I’m back now. It’ll all be okay.”
Sofia drained her cup and stood. “I’m going home to have lunch with the folks. Mind if I take my favorite godson along? He can say hi to Cinnamon.”
“What if he’s afraid of horses?”
“You’re afraid of horses for him, mama bear,” she replied, grinning. “And swimming. And beds too high off the ground. Adam isn’t afraid of anything. Are you, Adam?” she cooed. “Are you afraid of horses?”
“No, ’Fia.”
She threw me a knowing look.
I huffed. “He’s five. He’d say he wasn’t afraid of scaling the Empire State Building with suction cups.”
“True,” she said, laughing. “If he does get scared, I’ve got his back.” Sofia scooped my son up.
“Bye, Mommy,” he called, waving over her shoulder.
“Love you.” My son had his own social calendar and I just had to pencil myself in.
Now that I’m on the subject, I’ve got a few things on my calendar to deal with.
THE NEXT DAY, I SAT outside the office of Ophelia Kessler of Kessler’s Kinder Toys. Evergreen was rolling hills and oversized mansions, and Cottonwood was where most of those mansion owners commuted to work.
The office of Kessler’s Kinder Toys wasn’t what I expected. A bland office building in a sea of bland office buildings. The sign blazoned on the front was a rainbow mix with teddy bears holding the letters. That’s where the rainbow stopped.
The lobby was gray on gray. The inside of the elevator silver and gray. The receptionist that showed me, and my bodyguards, to Kessler’s floor dressed in all black. And the waiting room I reviewed my notes in opted for a white décor. There wasn’t a hint of color in this place.
White seats. White tile. White frames for Kessler’s many credentials and achievements.
“Miss Moon.”
I lifted my head.
“Mrs. Kessler is ready to see you,” said the receptionist. “You can go right in.”
“Thank you.”
I didn’t have expectations of a toy land after seeing the rest of her building, so it was no surprise that Kessler’s office followed the same minimal design.
Minimal. But chic.
Paintings hung around the space, providing the only pops of color. Two white leather armchairs sat before a glass desk and sitting at that desk smiling at me was Mrs. Kessler.
“Hello, Valentina.” We shook hands over her desk. “Please, sit. Get comfortable.”
I set my stuff on one chair and sat on the other. In my head I ran through my speech. I couldn’t leave this office unless I was holding a list of names and phone numbers.
“I hope you don’t mind if we have a working lunch,” she said. “I usually grab a bite at this time. Are you hungry?”
“I haven’t eaten yet,” I admitted. “I was going to grab something on campus after this.”
She waved that away. “You came all this way to see me. The least I can do is treat you.” Kessler tapped a button on her phone. “Mrs. Dove, I’ll have a Cobb salad and green tea, please. Valentina, what would you like?”
“The same.”
“Make that two, Mrs. Dove. Thank you.”
Kessler took her finger off the intercom and folded her hands on the desk, giving me her full attention. “I hear you’re planning a party, Miss Moon.”
Didn’t surprise me in the least that Jade told her.
“Yes, I’d like to do an alumni dinner and charity event. I know you usually handle those but I’d love to plan it this year.”
She inclined her head. “We’ll get to that. First, let’s talk about you and the Sallys. How are you managing your first term as president?”
“It’s going really well. The sisters seem happy with the way we’ve mixed the new with the traditional. I’ve had a few girls tell me that they like having more choice in the activities.”
“That’s wonderful. Any difficulties with