(LB1) Shakespeare's Champion (27 page)

I had been back at work for three weeks, back to working out at Body Time for one week, when I came home to find Jack’s car in the driveway. He had flowers—a bigger arrangement than Claude had sent me, of course—and a present festooned with a huge pink net bow.

I felt a rush of joy at the sight of him. Suddenly I didn’t know what to say to him, after weeks of imagining this moment. I pointed to the flowers. “For me?”

“Jeez,” he said, shaking his head and smiling. “If you are still the Lily Bard who sucker-punched me right here in this doorway, these are indeed for you.”

“Want me to do it again? Just to verify my identity?”

“No, thank you, ma’am.”

I unlocked the door and he followed me in. I took the flowers from him and headed down the hall with them.

“Where you taking those?” he asked, with some interest.

“My bedroom.”

“So…are you planning on letting me join you in admiring them?”

“I expect so, depending on your good behavior this evening. I’m assuming you brought a doctor’s note, to prove that you’re up to such vigorous…activity.”

“We are so playful this evening, Miss Bard. We are so relaxed and—normal-date-like.”

“It’s a stretch,” I said. “But I’m up to it.”