“You know it’s nine o’clock at night?” Elise said.

“Really? Is that the time?” Susan tried to look alarmed. “I must have slept in. Definitely time I got going.” She moved toward the door.

“Without your bra?”

“It wasn’t my best. I can get another.”

“Or a shower?”

“Can have one of those when I get in . . .” She made a gentle “May I get past?” movement, but Elise remained still, blocking the exit and scrutinizing Susan up close.

“You’re not exactly Jasper’s type.”

“That’s pretty rude. I might not be typical . . .”

“His type don’t usually wear bras.”

Susan tugged her shirt tighter about her. “Some of us need a little more support.”

Elise narrowed her eyes further, until they cut like knives into Susan’s. “Jasper’s type are usually men.”

Ah.

Susan shrugged. “I mean . . . university’s a time for experimenting, right?”

The two girls faced off for a second longer before Susan gave it up entirely. She should really have done a bit more background work before going in like this.

“Oh, whatever. I’m here to expose the Brethren of Zoise for the fraudulent scoundrels that we both know you are. Now, are we going to have a rumble or what?”

There was a furious banging and hollering coming from inside the van upon which McGraw and Ed Gemmell were leaning, waiting for Esther and Daisy to arrive.

“Jasper didn’t take it too kindly when we suggested he try meditating,” Ed Gemmell said, cocking a thumb over his shoulder as McGraw grinned, slow and warm and wide, handing Daisy the thermos he’d been holding.

Daisy sniffed tentatively.

“Restorative hot chocolate,” McGraw said. “No secret ingredients.”

Daisy smiled, feeling a little wobbly at seeing the boys there, too. “Thanks. I don’t seem to have the best of luck when it comes to my extracurricular activities.”

“No, well, about that . . .” McGraw said. “Ed and I were wondering if you wanted to form a splinter pool group. Just us three.”

“There’s no official timetable. We just pay membership to the pool hall and play whenever we want.” Ed Gemmell’s eyes wrinkled kindly behind his glasses. “How about it?”

But before Daisy could respond, there was a thump from above their heads like a bird flying into a pane of glass. The four of them looked up to see Susan hammering on an upstairs window.

“SHE’S TRAPPED ME IN HERE!” Susan screamed through the glass, accompanying this with very elaborate hand gestures that presumably meant “Get me out.”

Ed Gemmell rushed forward to find the front door locked.

“Around the back?” Esther suggested, but Daisy was looking up at the bay window with steel-strong determination. Handing Baby Gordon to Ed Gemmell, she sat down and dropped effortlessly into the briefest of meditations. The Brethren of Zoise might have been in this for the money, but that hadn’t stopped Daisy from attaining some next-level yoga skills.