“Yes, I’m Penelope Casey, but how did you know my name?”
He grinned with a huge smile that flashed sparkling white teeth, the kind that I bet had been medically whitened. “We thought so. Your picture is plastered over the front page of all the newspapers. We never realized you were someone famous.”
I stopped my machine and stepped down. “You saw me where?”
“You didn’t know,” he laughed and called over to his friends. “Any of you guys have the paper?”
They all shook their heads in between grunts and heaves. Stan gave him a look, not of jealousy, but perhaps irritation for being bothered? Apparently, Jesse was the only one taking any interest on whether I was or wasn’t the woman in question.
“What paper?” I asked, grabbing my towel to swab off the machine and then my face.
I wasn’t finished exercising, but I decided that this was more important. I thanked Jesse and took off for my apartment. I figured I could search on the Internet and find the info. I was just about to take a look when my cell rang — Timothy.
“Have you finished your gym work? he asked.
“Yeah, I quit early. I needed to investigate something. You haven’t seen the local paper, have you?”
“Ah, you’ve seen it?”
“No, but one of the guys, Jesse, told me about it.”
“I’m in the limo parked in front of your apartment. Will you buzz me up?”
“I’m all sweaty and . . .”
With little choice in the matter since Timothy was already just outside, I buzzed him in, then waited for the doorbell. I hoped I didn’t smell.
Timothy barged right in and swooped me into an embrace, despite my sweat drips and ragged appearance. His kiss didn’t seem to mind.
“Ah, I needed that. This separation of residences is killing me,” he said.
That was one thing I’d been meaning to ask about. Where did Timothy live? He’d never once invited me over. He showed up at my apartment almost every day, but not once had he offered to let me see his residence. What was up with that? If I didn’t know Judith’s thoroughness at checking out potential beaus, as she’d put it, I’d suspect that Timothy had a secret wife and children.