With a groan she reached into the locker and pulled her warm-up jacket out to retrieve the phone that was in one of her jacket pockets.  By the sound of the ring, she knew Bette was calling.  She thumbed the glass screen of her phone to answer.

“Hi Bette,” she said, weakly.

“Hi, you ok?” Bette asked.

“Um… yeah, I think.” Jules answered.  Behind her Christine chuckled as she began to strip off her clothes.

“Just got my ass handed to me,” Jules explained briefly, throwing Christine a grimace, pretending to be sore at her.

Christine mouthed, we sparred to a draw actually.  Much respect. You competed like you’ve been doing this for years.

Bette laughed, and then cooed, “Ohhh… poor baby.”

Jules heard Tina ask in the background, “Why, what happened?”

“I think Jules had a rough sparring session,” she heard Bette tell Tina.

“Sorry to hear that, Jules,” she heard Bette say, in a genuinely sympathetic voice this time.

“But … to cheer you up,” she continued, in an encouraging  tone, “Tina and I were wondering whether you want to have lunch with us?”

Jules answered with a smile, “That sounds good.  Where are you?”

“Near Union Square,” Bette said.  She paused, and then suggested, “How about lunch at the Madison?”

“Hmm… that’s a great idea.”

“Glad you think so, because Tina’s calling Diane now to ask her to join us, too.”

“Might take an hour or more for me to get there, though.  I’m wiped,”  Jules added in apologetic tones, but her spirits were picking up.

“That’s alright.  Okay with you if we order ahead of you?  I’m starving.  And I need a drink also.”

“Why? Something happen?”

“Had a good start to the day,” Bette answered, “But then…”

Jules heard Tina tell Bette she was ducking into the ladies room.

“Then?” Jules prompted Bette, to get her to continue on her line of thought.

“Then I ran into Scott.”

All thoughts about the physical pain she was experiencing after her strenuous Krav Maga session flew out of Jules head.

“What did you tell him?”

“I asked him about what he knew … about Spencer and other stuff. I also asked him about what he and Jodie had cooked up.”

“And…?”

“And that dimwit tried to deny doing or knowing anything…”