floors. She watched Lorenzo as he placed her shopping bags
on the floor next to the others and then sat in the large
wing-backed chair near the door. She glanced at her phone on the
small table near the bed where it charged. “Tomorrow, I need to
contact my brother about his car. How far do you think I need to go
to get a signal?”
“ I do not know. Do you wish me to
inquire?” Although his lips asked the question, his eyes said
something entirely different. He didn’t want her to leave. Like
her, Lorenzo seemed lonely; perhaps that’s why she had taken to him
so quickly. It hadn’t taken long for her to pick up that he was an
anomaly here.
Bending forward, she took his hand and squeezed.
“Please do that. I have to let my family know where I am. I don’t
want them to worry about me and I won’t be able to sleep in this
big bed tonight if I can’t reach them.” She pointed to the large
four poster bed in the middle of the room, wanting him to know she
wasn’t going to leave immediately.
His face lit up like a child who had been granted
the wish of their heart. “I will.” He stood and left the room.
Shaking her head at how easy it was to appease him,
she wished life’s problems could be handled with the same
simplicity. A smudge of dirt on her pant leg caught her attention.
A bath and clean clothes were in order.
She looked in one of the bags and
removed the undies and oversized tee-shirt she had purchased in
lieu of pajamas. Grabbing her favorite vanilla-scented soap and
lotion, she left her room for the bathroom down the hall. When
she’d checked in earlier today, Olga had informed her there were no
other guests, so she wasn’t surprised to find the bathroom empty.
It wasn’t overly modernized and boasted large claw-footed tub in
the middle of the room.
As she filled the tub, the hottie
from the store flashed through her mind, sending heat in unexpected
places. On one level she was pleased by the confirmation that she
could still get excited. It had been over a year and a half since
anything remotely tingly had tingled her. On the other, she shunned
the idea that the same man who literally took her breath away
through sneezing fits, could be a romantic interest. No, make that
a sexual interest. Sex was necessary, romance or anything involving
that fickle organ called her heart, was not.
On the shelf beneath the window
sat a bottle labeled bath salts. Opening it released rich, spicy
aromas. After spending a few seconds trying to identify the
individual scents, she gave up and decided she wanted the fragrance
in her bath. She poured in a liberal amount, fascinated by the
alka-seltzer fizzle that swirled in through the water. The combined
bouquet of flowers and spices teased and soothed her nose. She
stuck her hand in the swirling eddy and gasped at the tickling
sensation. The next second, she would swear the water penetrated
her skin and reached her nerve endings. The soothing and calming
water throbbed and ebbed like a distant shore, with each wave
relaxing her tired body further.
Refusing to wait a moment longer, she peeled off the
rest of her clothes and slid into the tub, immersing everything but
her head under the water.
“ Ahhh,” she murmured as the bubbly
waters massaged her tired body and soothed away her tension. “I
need to book this room once a month just for this.” She closed her
eyes. Layer by layer, cares and concerns slid away in surrender to
the soothing bath. The odd events of today took a backseat to the
peace that stole over her mind. For the first time in months she
was untouchable. It felt great.
Only God knew how long she
remained in the tub. Each time the water cooled, she’d let out a
little of it and replace it with hot water so she could stay just a
little longer. Best of all, no one bothered her. She was definitely
going to book a room for next weekend once her brother and nephew
returned home. Perhaps she would bring them with her. The moment
that thought popped
on the floor next to the others and then sat in the large
wing-backed chair near the door. She glanced at her phone on the
small table near the bed where it charged. “Tomorrow, I need to
contact my brother about his car. How far do you think I need to go
to get a signal?”
“ I do not know. Do you wish me to
inquire?” Although his lips asked the question, his eyes said
something entirely different. He didn’t want her to leave. Like
her, Lorenzo seemed lonely; perhaps that’s why she had taken to him
so quickly. It hadn’t taken long for her to pick up that he was an
anomaly here.
Bending forward, she took his hand and squeezed.
“Please do that. I have to let my family know where I am. I don’t
want them to worry about me and I won’t be able to sleep in this
big bed tonight if I can’t reach them.” She pointed to the large
four poster bed in the middle of the room, wanting him to know she
wasn’t going to leave immediately.
His face lit up like a child who had been granted
the wish of their heart. “I will.” He stood and left the room.
Shaking her head at how easy it was to appease him,
she wished life’s problems could be handled with the same
simplicity. A smudge of dirt on her pant leg caught her attention.
A bath and clean clothes were in order.
She looked in one of the bags and
removed the undies and oversized tee-shirt she had purchased in
lieu of pajamas. Grabbing her favorite vanilla-scented soap and
lotion, she left her room for the bathroom down the hall. When
she’d checked in earlier today, Olga had informed her there were no
other guests, so she wasn’t surprised to find the bathroom empty.
It wasn’t overly modernized and boasted large claw-footed tub in
the middle of the room.
As she filled the tub, the hottie
from the store flashed through her mind, sending heat in unexpected
places. On one level she was pleased by the confirmation that she
could still get excited. It had been over a year and a half since
anything remotely tingly had tingled her. On the other, she shunned
the idea that the same man who literally took her breath away
through sneezing fits, could be a romantic interest. No, make that
a sexual interest. Sex was necessary, romance or anything involving
that fickle organ called her heart, was not.
On the shelf beneath the window
sat a bottle labeled bath salts. Opening it released rich, spicy
aromas. After spending a few seconds trying to identify the
individual scents, she gave up and decided she wanted the fragrance
in her bath. She poured in a liberal amount, fascinated by the
alka-seltzer fizzle that swirled in through the water. The combined
bouquet of flowers and spices teased and soothed her nose. She
stuck her hand in the swirling eddy and gasped at the tickling
sensation. The next second, she would swear the water penetrated
her skin and reached her nerve endings. The soothing and calming
water throbbed and ebbed like a distant shore, with each wave
relaxing her tired body further.
Refusing to wait a moment longer, she peeled off the
rest of her clothes and slid into the tub, immersing everything but
her head under the water.
“ Ahhh,” she murmured as the bubbly
waters massaged her tired body and soothed away her tension. “I
need to book this room once a month just for this.” She closed her
eyes. Layer by layer, cares and concerns slid away in surrender to
the soothing bath. The odd events of today took a backseat to the
peace that stole over her mind. For the first time in months she
was untouchable. It felt great.
Only God knew how long she
remained in the tub. Each time the water cooled, she’d let out a
little of it and replace it with hot water so she could stay just a
little longer. Best of all, no one bothered her. She was definitely
going to book a room for next weekend once her brother and nephew
returned home. Perhaps she would bring them with her. The moment
that thought popped
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