To Love Someone (Baytown Boys #14) - Maryann Jordan Page 0,58
breakfast.
He walked in, not surprised to see the morning crowd having not arrived yet. He passed a booth with a couple sitting side-by-side, glancing back as his name was called. Seeing Zac and Maddie, he turned and greeted them, shocked to see them out so early. “Hey, are you two okay?”
“Yeah, we’re fine. Sit down, join us,” Zac said, Maddie nodding enthusiastically in agreement. Their empty plates were still on the table and it appeared they were just finishing their drinks.
Sliding onto the bench seat opposite, he waved toward Doneeta, who hustled over to pour a cup of coffee and take his order.
“Twice a month I work a nighttime shift at a suicide hotline center in Virginia Beach,” Maddie explained, stifling a yawn. “Zac doesn’t want me to drive back across the bridge by myself, so he takes me and then picks me up. We started hitting the diner for breakfast before going home. Doneeta knows to give me the decaf tea since I’ll be going to bed right afterwards.”
Since he’d been in town, he’d had dinner with Jason and Rose numerous times because they were directly across the street, but he’d also spent some time with Zac and Maddie.
Zac stared at him with suspicion. “You’re up awfully early.”
Hefting his shoulders in a shrug, he took another sip of the hot brew. “Just woke up and couldn’t go back to sleep.”
“With Maddie gone last evening, I stopped for takeout at The Seafood Shack.”
Zac’s words hung in the air, but Joseph refused to take the bait, instead focusing on his cup of coffee and wishing Doneeta would hurry with his breakfast.
“I haven’t even had a chance to tell Maddie this shit, but I caught a glimpse of you and Sam sitting together on the deck.”
Realizing Zac wasn’t going to give up, he lifted his gaze and speared his friend with what he hoped was a shut-the-fuck-up glare. Zac’s wide grin gave evidence that his hopes were not going to be realized.
“Zac, sweetheart, maybe Joseph doesn’t want to talk about his date with Sam,” Maddie said, placing her hand on Zac’s arm before turning her wide eyes toward Joseph.
An awkward silence descended upon the three, and finally, Joseph shook his head and grumbled. “Fuck.” Ignoring Zac’s bark of laughter, he glanced toward Maddie. “Sorry.”
Maddie’s smile was sincere, and she shook her head. “It’s fine, Joseph. And honestly, you don’t have to talk about Samantha.”
“I’m just glad he got his head out of his ass,” Zac said. “She’s a great woman.”
“I never said she wasn’t,” Joseph huffed, leaning back in the booth. “She’s wonderful. It’s just… I don’t know. She deserves a lot more than what I’ve got to offer.”
Zac rolled his eyes while throwing his hands up into the air, but it was Maddie’s reaction that caught his attention. She cocked her head to the side, her gaze boring deep inside. “Why do you think you don’t have enough to offer?”
“She deserves a man who can offer a future. Who knows where I’ll be when I decide I’ve had enough of Baytown?”
Zac blinked in surprise, his body jerking back as though he’d been hit. “You’re leaving? But… but you just got here!”
“No, man, I’m not leaving. It’s just that… hell,” he swiped his hand over his face and glanced at Maddie, who was now staring at him as though looking even deeper inside. “I never stay anywhere for very long. No roots, you know?”
“Maybe you’ve just never found what you’re looking for,” she said, her voice soft, filled with understanding. “That’s something the two of us understand all about.”
He blew out a breath and remembered what Zac had told him about her. Maddie had been raised in Baytown until her mother finally got tired of her alcoholic husband and left, taking Maddie with her. It was only when her father died and Maddie came back to town to clear out his house that she found Zac and they fell in love. In many ways, her story paralleled Zac’s, with his alcoholic father and mother who abandoned them.
He licked his lips, unable to turn away from her kind expression but grateful when she tugged on Zac’s arm.
“Sweetie, I’m falling asleep, so you’d better take me home.” Zac and Maddie slid out of the booth, and Zac pulled out money to cover their breakfast. Turning back to Joseph, he said, “You’ve got money. Why the fuck don’t you put it to good use? Look around, man. Make a change, don’t run away.”