Page 29 of Shelter for Martina

She looked up at him with tear-filled eyes. “You really think so?”

“That’s my guess. I’d say I’ve rattled the right cage.” He knew whose cage he thought it was, but he wasn’t about to say. Eventually he’d find out if he was right. There was one thing he knew, though.

The person who’d texted said Renita was dead, and he was almost certain that was the truth. Until they had a body, they wouldn’t know for sure, but he had to believe that was the case. He’d already expressed his fear that she was never coming home, and Martina knew he wouldn’t do that unless he believed it to be so. Still, he knew she had to be holding out some hope. The woman was her daughter, the only child she had left. Of course she didn’t want to believe it.

“I mean, why are they doing this? At this point, I’m not looking for a miracle. I just want to bury her, you know? For her kids and her husband. That’s all I want!” She burst into a fresh fit of crying and all he could do was stand there and hold her.

They stood there together for the longest time, his arms tight around her and her tears soaking into the front of his shirt. Finally, she hiccup-sobbed a few times and drew back to look up at him. “I’m so sorry, Albert. I know you’re probably tired of this, and I don’t blame you, but—”

“The only way I’d be tired of this is if I were tired ofyou, and that’s not happening. At this stage with you, this comes with the territory, and that’s fine. You need to cry, I’m the person who’ll hold you.”

“I’m not alone anymore,” she whispered with a shudder and his arms tightened even closer around her.

“No. You’re not. One way or another, I plan to bring Renita home to you eventually. I don’t know how long it will take, but I’ll do it or I’ll die trying.”

She sniffled loudly. “Don’t say that.”

“You’ve got nothing to be afraid of. Now let’s find something to eat and try to calm down a bit, okay? This isn’t doing you or anybody else any good. And some asshole is trying to shake you up. Don’t let that happen, baby. It’s okay.” Taking her hand, he led her to the kitchen and sat her down in a chair at the table. “I’m going to make us some fresh coffee and we can sit here and talk until you decide you’re hungry, okay?” She nodded mutely and he set about getting the coffeemaker running.

Two cups of coffee later, she was calm and ready to think about dinner, but she was in no shape to cook. They drove up into BeaverDam and ate at a submarine sandwich shop there. Bud tried to get her involved in a conversation on three or four topics, but it was obvious she didn’t feel like talking. Instead, she just ate, mostly in silence, and frowned a lot.

By the time they got to Bud’s, she was a little more talkative, but not a lot. Once she was settled in front of the TV, he got to work. There were some of the old bath bombs Becky had loved in the bathroom cabinet, so he drew a hot bath and threw one of them in. His robe wasn’t fluffy, but it would have to do. He got out fresh towels and a couple of scented candles he’d had in the laundry room, lit them in the bathroom, and made a fresh pot of coffee. When he was finished, he looked around. It was no spa, but it looked pretty nice.

“Hey, Martina, come here, wouldja?” he called out from the bedroom. In a couple of minutes, he heard her shuffling down the hallway. When she stepped into the bedroom, he smiled at her sad, slack face. “Come here.” As soon as she was standing in front of him, he reached for her shirt.

He started unbuttoning it, but she grabbed his hand. “Bud, I don’t feel like—”

“No, no! Trust me, okay? It’s nothing like that. Just hold still.” She stood and let him undress her until she had nothing on. Turning to the bed, he picked up his robe and wrapped it around her shoulders. “Come on. Here we go.”

When he opened the bathroom door, she gasped. “Welcome to Spa Griffin! Whaddya think?”

Her eyes were full of tears when she turned to face him. “Oh, Albert. This is so sweet! Thank you. You didn’t have to—”

“I didn’t have to do anything, but I wanted to. Smells good, huh? Now, you just settle into the tub and I’ll be right back.” By the time he got back with a fresh cup of coffee, she was in the water up to her neck, her head resting against the inflatable tub pillow he’d found in the closet and her eyes closed. “Here ya go. I put some hazelnut creamer in it too, along with your sugar. It’s nice and hot. Would you like some music?”

A big tear rolled down her cheek and she smiled. “That would be nice.”

“Okay. I’m not real sure about how this works, but I think I go in here and do this with my Bluetooth setting… yeah, just like that… and then I go to this app… and I choose a channel… You like classical? Because there’s a nice classical channel in here.”

“I never listen to it, but I think that would be nice this time.”

“Oh, look! Here’s one that says ‘spa music.’ I think that’s gonna be…” He hit it and waited. “Oh, yeah, that’s nice. Like it?”

“Um-hmmm,” she said and wiggled a little farther down in the water.

“Okay then. I’ll leave you to it. Just yell if you need something, okay? I’ll be right out here reading.” With that, he gave her his best smile and closed the bathroom door behind him.

Several times he heard her add hot water to the tub—at least that’s what he figured she was doing—and then settle back down. Bud sat on the bed with his book, but he wasn’t reading. In his mind, he thought about how he’d babied and cared for Becky, and all the smiles he’d brought her over the years. But he hadn’t given her nearly as many smiles as she’d given him. That was going to change this time. This time, he’d be the smile-bringer, the one who went the extra mile, the one who did the thoughtful things and took the extra five minutes to make sure something was special. He and Becky had children they’d raised together and both had worked jobs that were very demanding. It was time he took a little extra care of someone in his life, and without kids and their activities, that would be easier with Martina.

That was when it really hit him—he was preparing for their future. He wanted a future with the woman in the tub, something that would ensure they weren’t alone in their later years, something that would give them joy and companionship. And yeah, sex. That was good too, but it wasn’t his primary focus. He wasn’t twenty anymore. His needs were far more practical, and so were hers. And who said they couldn’t have a little fun along with all that practicality?

He didn’t know how long he’d sat there musing when the bathroom door opened. The sound of the bathtub draining filled the room, and she stepped into the bedroom in his robe. “Feel better?” he asked as he greeted her with a grin.

“Yeah. I do. Thank you. That was the nicest thing anybody’s done for me in a long time, Albert, and I really appreciate it. You still reading?”

“Nah. Just waiting for you.” He laid the book on the bed, and she crossed the room and picked it up.

Her eyebrows skyrocketed. “You’re reading a romance?”

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