wearing except in girl style.
His eyes came to me and he called, “Hello?
Nina?”
My body jolted and I asked, “What?”
He grinned and asked back, “Baby, you
awake?”
“Um…”
“Sit down.”
“But –”
“Sit down.”
“All right,” I muttered, thinking that was a
good idea and walked out of the kitchen and to a stool. Then I sat
down.
The toast came up, Max pulled out a plate,
put the toast on it, buttered it (with far more butter than
necessary) and then put jelly on it (with a considerable amount of
jelly, but I wasn’t complaining).
Then he turned and slid the plate in front
of me and went back to the coffeepot.
“Nina, the bluff?” he asked.
“Sorry?”
He poured coffee in a mug, spooned in a
sugar and went to the fridge, pulling out the milk then he said, “I
want you to come with me to the bluff.”
“What bluff?” I asked, my eyes on what he
was doing, the toast close to my mouth, I took a bite.
Grape jelly. Ambrosia.
“Edge of my land, I want you to see it,” he
said, splashing milk into the mug, doing a swirl with a spoon and
then turning to me and setting it in front of me.
I lost my concentration on the conversation
and stared at the coffee Max set on the counter.
Once. He’d poured me coffee once. And he
knew how I took it.
Niles had done it a hundred times and he
never bothered to remember.
“Jesus, Nina,” Max said and it sounded like
he was laughing through the words.
I shook my head and looked at him to see he
was, indeed, laughing through the words.
“What’s funny?” I asked.
“You. You’re a zombie in the morning.”
I felt my brows draw together and I said,
“No, I’m not.”
His response: “Babe,” and then a grin.
He turned to the coffeepot, poured another
mug, black, no sugar, sipped it and slid some more bread in the
toaster.
“Dress warm,” he said, turning back to me
and leaning his hips against the counter, “and bring your camera if
you got one.”
“My camera?”
“Views at the bluff, you’ll want a
photo.”
I decided I needed caffeine so I dropped my
toast, grabbed my mug, took a sip then another one because Max made
good coffee.
Was I going to some bluff with him?
No, I was not .
Yet, I kind of wanted to. I’d never been
to a bluff in the Colorado Mountains. I wasn’t sure I’d ever been
to any bluff anywhere. Actually, I wasn’t entirely certain what a
bluff was .
And I was on an adventure, wasn’t I? I was
living my life, clearing the cobwebs, experiencing new things. I
could move to the hotel in town or drive to Denver after Max showed me his
bluff.
“All right,” I said on another sip of my
coffee and then I took another bite of the delicious buttery,
jellied toast.
Okay, so I was being an idiot. I could be an
idiot for a few hours to see a bluff. Then after allowing myself to
be an idiot, I could go back to being a smart, sane, rational
person again. But being smart, sane and rational was boring, I’d
been doing that for awhile and I could use a break, so I was going
to give myself one.
“That was easy,” Max commented and I took
another bite of toast and looked at him.
I chewed, swallowed and asked, “What?”
He shook his head slowly and muttered,
“Nothin’ darlin’.”
Then he took a sip from his coffee and his
eyes went over my shoulder, his brows drew together and I watched
his body get tight.
It was a fascinating, even thrilling, but
somewhat scary sight to see. He had a powerful body and seeing it
come alert like that in an instant was remarkable.
“What the fuck?” he murmured and I dragged
my eyes away from his body, turned on my stool, toast in hand, and
looked out the window.
Parking by the Cherokee was an army green
SUV, police lights at the top, big star insignia on the door.
At the sight, I, too, felt my body get
tight.
“Is that the police?” I asked, even though
it obviously was.
“Yeah,” Max said softly but I could hear he
was on the move.
A man got out of the
His eyes came to me and he called, “Hello?
Nina?”
My body jolted and I asked, “What?”
He grinned and asked back, “Baby, you
awake?”
“Um…”
“Sit down.”
“But –”
“Sit down.”
“All right,” I muttered, thinking that was a
good idea and walked out of the kitchen and to a stool. Then I sat
down.
The toast came up, Max pulled out a plate,
put the toast on it, buttered it (with far more butter than
necessary) and then put jelly on it (with a considerable amount of
jelly, but I wasn’t complaining).
Then he turned and slid the plate in front
of me and went back to the coffeepot.
“Nina, the bluff?” he asked.
“Sorry?”
He poured coffee in a mug, spooned in a
sugar and went to the fridge, pulling out the milk then he said, “I
want you to come with me to the bluff.”
“What bluff?” I asked, my eyes on what he
was doing, the toast close to my mouth, I took a bite.
Grape jelly. Ambrosia.
“Edge of my land, I want you to see it,” he
said, splashing milk into the mug, doing a swirl with a spoon and
then turning to me and setting it in front of me.
I lost my concentration on the conversation
and stared at the coffee Max set on the counter.
Once. He’d poured me coffee once. And he
knew how I took it.
Niles had done it a hundred times and he
never bothered to remember.
“Jesus, Nina,” Max said and it sounded like
he was laughing through the words.
I shook my head and looked at him to see he
was, indeed, laughing through the words.
“What’s funny?” I asked.
“You. You’re a zombie in the morning.”
I felt my brows draw together and I said,
“No, I’m not.”
His response: “Babe,” and then a grin.
He turned to the coffeepot, poured another
mug, black, no sugar, sipped it and slid some more bread in the
toaster.
“Dress warm,” he said, turning back to me
and leaning his hips against the counter, “and bring your camera if
you got one.”
“My camera?”
“Views at the bluff, you’ll want a
photo.”
I decided I needed caffeine so I dropped my
toast, grabbed my mug, took a sip then another one because Max made
good coffee.
Was I going to some bluff with him?
No, I was not .
Yet, I kind of wanted to. I’d never been
to a bluff in the Colorado Mountains. I wasn’t sure I’d ever been
to any bluff anywhere. Actually, I wasn’t entirely certain what a
bluff was .
And I was on an adventure, wasn’t I? I was
living my life, clearing the cobwebs, experiencing new things. I
could move to the hotel in town or drive to Denver after Max showed me his
bluff.
“All right,” I said on another sip of my
coffee and then I took another bite of the delicious buttery,
jellied toast.
Okay, so I was being an idiot. I could be an
idiot for a few hours to see a bluff. Then after allowing myself to
be an idiot, I could go back to being a smart, sane, rational
person again. But being smart, sane and rational was boring, I’d
been doing that for awhile and I could use a break, so I was going
to give myself one.
“That was easy,” Max commented and I took
another bite of toast and looked at him.
I chewed, swallowed and asked, “What?”
He shook his head slowly and muttered,
“Nothin’ darlin’.”
Then he took a sip from his coffee and his
eyes went over my shoulder, his brows drew together and I watched
his body get tight.
It was a fascinating, even thrilling, but
somewhat scary sight to see. He had a powerful body and seeing it
come alert like that in an instant was remarkable.
“What the fuck?” he murmured and I dragged
my eyes away from his body, turned on my stool, toast in hand, and
looked out the window.
Parking by the Cherokee was an army green
SUV, police lights at the top, big star insignia on the door.
At the sight, I, too, felt my body get
tight.
“Is that the police?” I asked, even though
it obviously was.
“Yeah,” Max said softly but I could hear he
was on the move.
A man got out of the
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