I took it from him with a skeptical frown. “It’s a traditional choice,” I admitted. “And my Paladin skills mean that I’m weirdly good with it.”

David laughed at that. “Seriously? Thousands of years of knowledge and training have resulted in the ability to spin a baton?”

“Yup,” I replied. “Check this out.” With that, I tossed the baton from hand to hand, spinning it furiously as I did. The metal rod slid easily through my fingers, and I realized that in the right circumstances, this thing could actually be a pretty impressive weapon.

But I hoped that the right circumstances never occurred. Braining someone with a baton was not on my agenda any time soon.

Tossing the baton high in the air, I added a backflip before coming down solidly on both feet and catching the baton with one hand. I used the other hand to give a little wave, and David looked at me with a grin.

“Okay, now you’re showing off.”

“Little bit,” I admitted, glad that we were talking like normal people again. I tossed him the baton.

“Maybe you should start carrying one of these things,” he mused as he inspected it.

He looked at the rubber end over the top of his glasses, squinting slightly, and I leaned over and smacked a kiss on his cheek. That was one of my favorite David faces.

“I’ll stick with my dagger,” I told him as he let the baton drop back on the grass.

He laughed. “I think the baton would be a little less conspicuous.”

I shook my head. “No way. And then I’d have to join the marching band as a majorette to make up an excuse for carrying it around all the time.” With a dramatic sigh, I tipped my head back to look at the sky. “And I’ve already had to join the paper and now I’m going to sign up for a pageant...”

David closed his notebook. “Admit that you kind of like the paper.”

Wrinkling my nose, I shuddered. “No. It is a necessary evil.”

But I couldn’t stop smiling a little bit, and David pointed at me. “Aha! You do like it! In fact, you love the paper.”

“Do not!” I insisted, but he was fully dedicated to teasing me now.

“You love the paper so much you’re thinking of studying journalism at college instead of poli-sci.”

“Ignoring you,” I said in a singsong as I scooped my baton off the grass and started twirling it again.

David sat back down on the grass, wrapping his arms around his knees as he watched me. “It’s too late. I know your secret heart.”

Feeling better, I kept spinning the baton, tossing it and catching it, watching the sunlight glint off the silver. I was still practicing when the back gate opened and Bee walked inside, also dressed in a T-shirt and shorts.