Page 26 of Shelter for Martina

“Soon? It’s been three years. I live in this big house by myself. All I do is work. God knows you guys all have your own lives.”

“Is there something wrong with that?” Riley asked with a hint of hurt in her voice.

“No! I’m not saying there’s anything wrong with that! But what’s wrong with me looking for companionship? Just because your mom died doesn’t mean my life is over, does it?”

“You’re a good-looking man,” Maeve pointed out. “Is this some kid? Some girl in her twenties?”

“Good lord, no. She’s a grown woman. I don’t know how old she is, but she’s close to my age. She’s got grandkids, a three year old and a one year old.”

“Oh. Where does she work?” Riley asked.

“At the freight terminal in CentralCity.”

Blake nodded. “So she’s not a gold-digger.”

“I hardly think I qualify as a sugar daddy, son,” Bud pointed out.

“To some women, you would,” his son shot back.

“True, but not this woman.”

Riley piped up again. “Divorced?”

“No. Widowed. Years ago. Buried a teenage daughter and now her adult daughter has gone missing. She has no other kids. So that’s it for her. If her daughter isn’t found, she’ll be alone except for her grandkids.”

“Is she raising them?” Maeve asked.

“Helping to. Their dad is a deckhand, so she and his mother take turns when he’s on the boat.”

“I see. So you wouldn’t be saddled raising two little kids,” Dimitri pointed out.

“No. Nothing like that. She’s not looking for somebody to make her a living, and she’s not looking for somebody to help her raise kids. She’s just looking for the same things I’m looking for—companionship, love, friendship, company. I think you’ll like her if you’ll give her a chance.”

“Have you slept with her?” Riley blurted out.

“Riley! I don’t think that’s—”

“Well, have you?” she asked again.

Bud rolled his eyes and sighed. “Yes. Is that okay with you?”

“Did you use protection?”

“I swear, Riley, I can’t believe—”

“Well, did you?”

“Neither of us have been with anybody in years!” Bud almost bellowed.

“I take that as a no. You drummed that stuff into us, but you decided to ignore it,” Blake said matter-of-factly.

“Okay, look, I didn’t have to tell you any of that stuff. I did it as a courtesy. So do you want to meet her or not?”

Riley started to laugh. “We’re just messing with you, Dad! Of course we want to meet her. Does she make you happy?”

Bud smiled. “Very.”

“Then she’s okay in my book,” Maeve announced.

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