When she’d packed for the move, Dani thought she’d been smart to put a few books in each box so no one carton would be too heavy. Now she wished that she had been a bit more organized and labeled the boxes with something more descriptive than the word stuff.
Pushing her irritation with Kipp aside, Dani checked the last item off her list and climbed into the van. Ivy, Starr, Tippi, and Spencer were meeting her at the venue. While the girls were helping to plate and serve, Spencer’s presence was due to his desire to talk to Vance King and Bliss Armstrong.
When he and Dani had decided that Bliss was their prime suspect, they’d discussed the best way to approach her. Spencer had said that something casual, like running into her, would be best, and Dani had pointed out that Bliss was bound to accompany Vance to the football dinner.
The event was a gathering of the coaches, top current players, their girlfriends, and the boosters who had donated the most money to the team. It was being held at the Normalton University Union. Dani’s contract called for no more than a hundred guests and included a table of cold hors d’oeuvres for a social hour that started at six.
The boosters could help themselves to prosciutto crostini with lemony fennel slaw, mango shrimp in endive leaves, and red pepper and goat cheese crisps with radicchio while mingling with the players and reliving their own glory days. Dani had been a little surprised that the organizer hadn’t wanted pigs in a blanket and hot wings, but she’d been given carte blanche for the menu. Now all she could hope for was that her more sophisticated food choices weren’t a mistake.
When Dani pulled behind the building, Spencer and Ivy were already there, waiting at the back entrance. They helped her haul the food and equipment into the service elevator and rode with her to the union’s top floor. This level was rented out for meetings and private events, and the football dinner was being held in a suite of rooms connected to a small kitchen.
Once the three of them had everything from the van spread out on the counters, Dani pushed through the swinging doors to inspect the party space. As she had specified, there was a long table covered in a white linen cloth on either side of the room. And the two bars were set up on the opposite walls, which should solve the issue of any one food or beverage station being mobbed.
Next, Dani scrutinized the dining area. The team colors had been used to decorate. Spaced evenly around the floor were twelve round tables covered in red cloths and set with white napkins, black-handled utensils, and goblets bearing the image of the school’s mascot, the red-tailed hawk.
Returning to the kitchen, she found Spencer and Ivy speaking in low voices, but as the swinging door swished open, Spencer turned and said to Dani, “I’ll go move your van and park it in the lot.”
“Thanks.” Dani dug into the pocket of her chef pants and handed him the keys. His fingers brushed hers and her cheeks heated with the flicker of electricity that shot up her arm.
The minute Spencer disappeared from the kitchen Ivy spun around and, with her lips twitching, said, “So, you and my uncle, huh?”
“Me and your uncle what?” Dani busied herself unpacking her gear.
“Seriously?” Ivy yelped. “You’re going to pretend that you’re not interested in him and that he’s not interested in you?”
“Why would you think that?” Dani asked, unwilling to admit her attraction since nothing was going to come from it.
“Let’s see.” Ivy snickered. “He can’t take his eyes off you. You blush every time he touches you.” She paused. “And he’s here.”
“The first two are purely your imagination.” Dani loaded the trays of appetizers on a rolling cart. “And he’s here to help figure out who killed Regina and keep your butt out of jail.”
“More like to keep yours out.” Ivy began filling a second cart with small china plates, utensils, and napkins. “That awful detective is obsessed with you, not me.” She leveled a stare at Dani. “And as soon as you left the kitchen, Uncle Spencer started grilling me about you.”
“What did he ask?” Dani frowned. Her trust issues flared. She didn’t like being the subject of their conversation.
“Did your ex show up again?” Ivy recited. “Did you seem okay after being hauled into the police station?” Tossing a smirk at Dani, Ivy added casually, “Was I sure that you weren’t currently seeing anyone?”
“I’m sure that was professional interest,” Dani said quickly. “You know, to find out if there’s someone else who might be involved, with what’s been happening with the murder and all.”
Not waiting for Ivy to respond, Dani wheeled her cart into the dining room and nodded at the two bartenders setting up their stations. She pushed thoughts of Spencer aside and concentrated on arranging the platters on both of the serving tables.
When Dani glanced up from what she was doing, Ivy had followed her. The girl had a knowing smirk on her face and was tapping her foot.
Dani wanted to mention Spencer’s girlfriend but bit her tongue. Ivy would jump to the wrong conclusion if Dani brought up his love life. “Your uncle is just helping me because of you. There’s no reason to read anything more into it.”
Ivy opened her mouth to reply, but was interrupted by the first wave of people flowing into the room. They rushed toward the bars, but Dani knew that as soon as they had their drinks, they’d head for the appetizers. Staring at the huge men, she hoped she had enough food.
As she and Ivy quickly
