Then I walked downstairs, heated up my oatmeal, warmed up my coffee and sat at the stool, preparing to tackle my problem.
Chapter Three
Buffalo Burgers
After I ate, I did my dishes, Max’s dishes, wiped down the counters, found the extra sheets in the closet and made the bed. Then I found the utility room around the corner from the recess in the living room. The dirty sheets were on the floor. As the advertisement said, washer and drier but also a bunch of man stuff that needed to be organized.
I let that stuff be. I put the sheets in the washer.
I packed my bags and decided that Max could have the groceries. He and Becca and the unknown Mindy could have a party. I didn’t care. I was out of there.
Then I poured myself another cup of coffee and found the phonebook. It was thin; I’d never seen a phonebook so thin.
I realized why it was thin when I looked up taxi companies. There was only one. But one was enough.
I went to Max’s phone, pulled it out of the receiver and punched in the number.
“Thrifty’s,” a woman answered.
“Hello, my name is Ms. Sheridan and I need a taxi to town.”
There was a pause and then, “Nina?”
My body jolted and then I froze with the phone to my ear.
“Hello?” the voice called.
“Um… yes?”
“This Nina?”
“How do you know who I am?”
“Welp, Max called, said a lady with a fancy accent by the name of Nina would call, askin’ for a taxi. You’re a lady with a fancy accent and you’re askin’ for a taxi. Get some of those callin’ with British accents, not a lot. So I’m takin’ a wild guess. You Nina?”
I wondered if I could make it to Denver then to England before anyone discovered Max’s body. Then I wondered if anyone would bother with extradition if they figured out it was me who did the deed. That was a lot of paperwork for one big, tall, domineering, jerky mountain man. Then I wondered, considering Max was so tall and big, how I’d kill him.
Then I decided, poison.
Then I answered, “Yes, I’m Nina.”
“Max said you been down with flu, girl, you need to rest,” the woman advised me.
“I thought I’d check into a hotel room in town.”
She hooted in my ear but said no actual words.
“What?” I asked.
“Girl, Holden Maxwell quarantined me to his house and he was in it, I wouldn’t go lookin’ for no hotel room.”
I felt my brows draw together. “Who’s Holden Maxwell?”
“Who’s Holden Maxwell?” she repeated.
“Yes. Who’s Holden Maxwell?”
“Girl, you’re livin’ with him.”