coming on to him. He’d have to figure out a way to avoid her.
Kessler was in the sauna when he got there.
“Great workout,” he said. “You?”
“Fine,” Cooper said. Kessler was ensconced in the same spot that Parrish had chosen. Again, Cooper was distressed about this man’s intrusion, especially in the sauna, where Cooper and Parrish had had their brief but intense conversations. Cooper cut short his usual half-hour, took a quick shower, and went to his locker to retrieve his tote bag.
As always, he had put it in locker number seven. But today, when he opened the locker, it was empty. That was impossible. He had always put his club bag in the exact same place. He would not have put it anywhere else. He began to open the other lockers in the row, and then in the rest of the aisles. Finally, he found his tote bag in locker number five. He was flabbergasted. Had his memory been playing tricks on him? It reminded him of the misplacements in his apartment.
Going downhill in a hand basket , he told himself ominously.
When he opened the bag, he found another aberration. Normally, he rolled his sweatpants by folding one leg over the other and then rolling them from the ankles. These were rolled from the waist. He didn’t remember doing it, and anything different was a red flag. That morning there had been enough red flags to stage a parade.
Leaving the locker room, he went into the corridor to discover that Beth was waiting for him. He had forgotten to figure out a way to avoid her. She waved when she saw him. He was not looking forward to their meeting.
“I ordered our coffees,” she said.
“Thank you.”
“When you were late today, I thought you might have gone the way of Parrish,” she said when they sat at the same table as yesterday.
“Which way is that?” he asked, lifting his cup.
“You know. Absent without leave,” she said, offering a broad smile. She put her arms behind the chair, which revealed the full outline of her breasts. The woman was relentless in her strategy. He could see her nipples pressing against the fabric of her top. She was definitely trying to tempt him.
“Now why would you think a thing like that?”
“When you didn’t show up this morning at your usual time, I…,” she paused and pursed her lips. “You know,” she said when she found her voice again, “it was like suddenly finding something out of place. Like Parrish not showing up.”
“I can understand that,” he agreed.
“Can you?”
“Abrupt changes can be upsetting.”
“Still no clues?” she asked.
“Clues?” Cooper replied. “I’m not Sherlock Holmes.”
Beth cleared her throat. “Will you be angry with me if I tell you something?” she asked.
“Depends what you tell me.”
“I called an advertising agency I know. Remember, you said he was in advertising? The man I spoke with said that someone else had inquired about Parrish. They told me that it was you. Any luck?”
“I don’t believe this,” Cooper said with astonishment. He gave her a hard look.
“You’re angry,” she said.
“As a matter of fact, I am.”
“Just trying to help,” she said. “No crime in that.”
He looked at her and shook his head. Once again she held his stare, and he was the first to turn.
“Well?” she said ignoring his expression of annoyance.
“Well what?”
“Any leads?”
He hesitated. “I got a ‘maybe.’ Somebody was checking it out.” He paused suddenly, feeling foolish. “Why the hell am I doing this?”
“Doing what?”
“This Parrish thing is going too far,” he said. “Frankly, I feel like I’m being stalked.”
“Stalked? By who?” she asked. “What is it?”
“By you! Really, Beth…,” he chided himself for crossing this line of intimacy by using her first name. “I’m not interested in playing any games. If you have it in your mind that I want or need a relationship, forget it. I don’t want to insult you. But please. Can you back off?”
“I don’t
Kessler was in the sauna when he got there.
“Great workout,” he said. “You?”
“Fine,” Cooper said. Kessler was ensconced in the same spot that Parrish had chosen. Again, Cooper was distressed about this man’s intrusion, especially in the sauna, where Cooper and Parrish had had their brief but intense conversations. Cooper cut short his usual half-hour, took a quick shower, and went to his locker to retrieve his tote bag.
As always, he had put it in locker number seven. But today, when he opened the locker, it was empty. That was impossible. He had always put his club bag in the exact same place. He would not have put it anywhere else. He began to open the other lockers in the row, and then in the rest of the aisles. Finally, he found his tote bag in locker number five. He was flabbergasted. Had his memory been playing tricks on him? It reminded him of the misplacements in his apartment.
Going downhill in a hand basket , he told himself ominously.
When he opened the bag, he found another aberration. Normally, he rolled his sweatpants by folding one leg over the other and then rolling them from the ankles. These were rolled from the waist. He didn’t remember doing it, and anything different was a red flag. That morning there had been enough red flags to stage a parade.
Leaving the locker room, he went into the corridor to discover that Beth was waiting for him. He had forgotten to figure out a way to avoid her. She waved when she saw him. He was not looking forward to their meeting.
“I ordered our coffees,” she said.
“Thank you.”
“When you were late today, I thought you might have gone the way of Parrish,” she said when they sat at the same table as yesterday.
“Which way is that?” he asked, lifting his cup.
“You know. Absent without leave,” she said, offering a broad smile. She put her arms behind the chair, which revealed the full outline of her breasts. The woman was relentless in her strategy. He could see her nipples pressing against the fabric of her top. She was definitely trying to tempt him.
“Now why would you think a thing like that?”
“When you didn’t show up this morning at your usual time, I…,” she paused and pursed her lips. “You know,” she said when she found her voice again, “it was like suddenly finding something out of place. Like Parrish not showing up.”
“I can understand that,” he agreed.
“Can you?”
“Abrupt changes can be upsetting.”
“Still no clues?” she asked.
“Clues?” Cooper replied. “I’m not Sherlock Holmes.”
Beth cleared her throat. “Will you be angry with me if I tell you something?” she asked.
“Depends what you tell me.”
“I called an advertising agency I know. Remember, you said he was in advertising? The man I spoke with said that someone else had inquired about Parrish. They told me that it was you. Any luck?”
“I don’t believe this,” Cooper said with astonishment. He gave her a hard look.
“You’re angry,” she said.
“As a matter of fact, I am.”
“Just trying to help,” she said. “No crime in that.”
He looked at her and shook his head. Once again she held his stare, and he was the first to turn.
“Well?” she said ignoring his expression of annoyance.
“Well what?”
“Any leads?”
He hesitated. “I got a ‘maybe.’ Somebody was checking it out.” He paused suddenly, feeling foolish. “Why the hell am I doing this?”
“Doing what?”
“This Parrish thing is going too far,” he said. “Frankly, I feel like I’m being stalked.”
“Stalked? By who?” she asked. “What is it?”
“By you! Really, Beth…,” he chided himself for crossing this line of intimacy by using her first name. “I’m not interested in playing any games. If you have it in your mind that I want or need a relationship, forget it. I don’t want to insult you. But please. Can you back off?”
“I don’t
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