I laughed, thinking of some of our ornery regulars. “No, not really. Most people are at the library for a good reason.”
Maddox nodded. “That’s good. It’s a smart place to build a life for yourself.”
I smiled. “Thanks. But yeah, I’m glad you all are able to actually do something. I was practically ready to move into a motel.”
Gunner pushed his foot against mine, rubbing our ankles up together. “We’ll take care of you,” he said confidently.
“Is that Maddox?” a voice boomed from across the room. Startled out of our little bubble, I turned to see a guy about Maddox’s age, walking across the diner. His long, dark hair was held back by a pair of sunglasses, and he had a silver chain hanging around his neck. “Shit, man, I haven’t seen you in ages.”
Maddox grinned, standing from the booth. “Hey, Connor,” he said, slapping the other man on the back. “How you doing, man?” He turned to face us, resting his hand on the table. “Sorry, guys. Just an old friend.”
Connor put his hand on Maddox’s shoulder, squeezing it just the way Maddox was always squeezing Gunner’s shoulder. “I was just telling the story the other day about when you stole that horse from Ricky’s crew.”
Maddox waved his hand in the air. “No, man. I rescued that horse from Ricky. That man wasn’t treating his animal right.”
Connor laughed, slapping his leg. “And you gave it to his ex-wife and her kid! Classic move. You and Declan used to get up to some real trouble, man.”
“Anyway, no need for those kinds of stories now,” Maddox said, glancing at us in the booth.
Connor followed his eyes. “Oh, you on a date?” He leaned closer to the booth. “You know, Maddox usually went for older guys when he was your age. Funny that he switches it around now.”
I felt blood rush to my cheeks and tried not to panic about how loud he was being. Maddox clasped him on the shoulder a couple of more times and promised to meet up for a beer sometime, then returned to our dinner.
“So, you used to date older guys, huh?” Gunner teased.
Maddox pointed his thumb toward his friend, now walking away. “That guy’s a liar,” he joked back. “Don’t believe a word he said.”
I took Maddox’s appearance in again, noticing the scar that ran right through his arm tattoos and the creases in the corners of his eyes. He had obviously been through a lot. “You don’t have to hide your past,” I said. “I’m not bothered that you had some wild times.”
I’m not sure what gave me the confidence to say that, but I felt comfortable enough with the guys that it came out before I could think better.
“You’re just hearing the fun stories,” he said. “Anyway, what makes you so sure you can trust me?” Maddox asked.
I smiled and popped the last bite of waffle in my mouth. “I’m a librarian, Maddox. I’m good at paying attention to the details.”
He barked out a laugh and then finished off his beer. “I can’t argue with that,” he said.
Gunner pulled his arm from around my shoulder, then leaned forward on the booth. “How about another beer, Maddox?” he asked. From the way his eyes were flashing, I knew he was nervous about Maddox taking off.
“Another beer? I don’t think so. Aren’t we done here?”
I looked over to Gunner, frowning. I tried to think of a reason to ask Maddox to stay, but I could imagine he might want to get back to the mountains or maybe to meet up with his friend. He was already doing so much for us.
“I guess so,” Gunner said reluctantly.
“Great,” Maddox replied. “I’ll pay the bill up front. Let’s get going.” He rose to his feet, then pointed at Gunner. “I want to check out your place.”
