Madison was not even a third of the way through her burger when Slater had already finished.

Eating fast is a skill bartenders learn early on. If you want to eat, you have to scarf it down while you have a chance. He looked back at the sink behind the bar and cringed a little. There were two bus tubs full of dishes to run.

"I've been slacking tonight." He commented and then looked over at the reason why. "I'm going to grab a smoke while you finish that up."

"You smoke?" She looked up. "You shouldn't."

"I know. I've been trying to quit." He told her. "First one all night."

"That's good!" She said in her perky tone of hers. It was like sunshine, her voice, in this dimly lit empty bar.

"You're a good distraction, tulip girl." He flashed her a little grin as he stepped out from behind the bar. "Be right back."

He stepped outside into the muggy summer night air. He fished his pack of smokes from his pocket and took one out. The streets were quiet and still this late at night. He lit a smoke and leaned back against the side of the building. He took a long drag off it.

A small chuckle passed his lips. The image of that cute girl dancing around behind the bar was still fresh.

She was just so...

'Why wouldn't you want something pretty and delicious?'

He'd love to find out just how delicious she is.

"Fuck." He pushed those thoughts from his mind. She didn't even realize what she said or how he'd heard it.

She seemed so innocent. She was engaged, so she was probably not that innocent. Still, it was cute and endearing.

She was like a breath of fresh air.

Slater Zane crushing hard on a lakeside girl. It was a weird fucking night. He snuffed out his smoke and tossed it in the trash receptacle outside the bar. He popped a piece of gum in his mouth and headed back in.

He didn't see her sitting at the bar when he first stepped in. Her big purse was still on the bar, and her shoes were lying on the floor. He stepped further into the room and saw her behind the bar loading the dishwasher.

Just when he thought she couldn't be anymore... were there even words? She was just Maddy.

"What do you think you're doing, little lady?" He asked in a teasing voice as he made his way back there.

"Helping you catch up." She chirped back. She loaded the last of the glasses into the machine. "I don't know what to do next, though."

"You did not have to do this." He made his way over so he could start it.

"You didn't have to be so kind to me tonight, but you did." She said in a soft tone.

Her light blue eyes were gazing into his as she spoke. He didn't want to look away.

"Everyone should be kind to you, sweetheart." He told her quietly. "It's not okay that that hasn't been the case."

"Thank you for saying that." She let out a small sigh.

"Hey, I mean it." He said intently. "Don't go thinking any crap that asshole said is true."

"Some of it is." She looked down and chewed her lip.

"Maddy -

"No, listen." She cut him off. "Like, he said that I don't have a backbone. That's true. I don't like to confront people. So, I never told him not to..."

She trailed off. "I'm going to go sit back down."

"You want a fresh drink?" He asked.

Her fourth drink was not even a third gone and was clearly forgotten.

"Can I save a cherry coke instead, please?"

"Told him not to what?" He asked as he slid the soda in front of her.

She looked down at the bar and fiddled with her perfectly manicured nails.

"Well, it started when we were younger as a joke, I guess." She said quietly. "I'm not always good at social stuff. I miss things, and I say the wrong thing."

"I suck at social stuff too." He assured her.

"I'm a little ditzy, I guess." She shrugged her shoulders at that. "Logan would always make a big deal. He'd laugh about it with his friends and make me feel dumb."

He was growing to hate Logan Montgomery more and more as the night went on.

She took a shaky breath, and he could see this was hard for her to talk about. He reached across the bar and took her small hands into his large ones. She looked up then with a tiny smile. He squeezed her hands gently to encourage her.

"Then it got worse more recently. Ever since we got engaged, he's been so much meaner. The wedding stuff is awful. It's like I can't do anything right. He always wants to take me to his client lunches and stuff now too, but then he gets annoyed when I talk. He acts like everything I say is dumb. Later, he'll yell at me for embarrassing him."

"I don't like getting yelled at." She added in a hushed voice and her eyes dropped again.

"Of course you don't! No one should be yelling at you."

Who the hell yells at a sweetheart like her? Logan needed to meet his fists.

He hurried out from behind the bar and headed toward her. She looked at him with those teary eyes. The ones that pulled at his heartstrings when he first laid his eyes on her earlier.

"Come here." He walked towards her and held his arms out. She slipped from her stool and walked right into them without hesitation. He wrapped his arms around her small frame. Her head barely reached his shoulder. Her hair smelled like vanilla, and he could catch a hint of her lavender perfume.

"You are not dumb or annoying or any of those things." He told her as he brought a hand up to stroke her hair.

She didn't answer, but her arms tightened around his waist.

"You're a bright light; some people can't stand that. They have to snuff it out. Don't let them, okay?"

"Okay." She looked up at him then and took a slight step back. "I won't."

"Good." He said softly as he stroked a hand over her cheek.

"I blubbered all over you." She laughed lightly when she looked at his wet shirt.

"That's okay." He lightened his tone. "I kind of like you all over me."

She giggled, and her eyes were lighting up as she looked at him,

"You know what?" She asked.

"What?"

She stepped on his boots with her little bare feet and stood on her tiptoes.

"I kind of like you." She whispered it into his ear and pressed a kiss on his cheek. A nervous giggle slipped from her lips as she pulled back.

"Feeling is definitely mutual, tulip girl." He brushed a hair away from her face. She was still standing on his feet, all close to him. What was that about not kissing her?

"I'm not drunk anymore." She said in a soft voice as if she had read his mind. "I am a little vulnerable, but that doesn't mean I don't know what I want."

"And what do you want?" He asked in a husky voice.

"I want you to kiss me." She said as her eyes locked on his. "Even if it's not right yet. Because this has been a weird and wonderful night, it should have a kiss."

"Fucking right, it should."

He leaned in and pressed his lips against hers. Her plump lips were as soft and inviting, and he'd imagined. She tasted like cherry coke and felt like heaven. He kissed her gently and carefully at first. Their lips had just met for the first time on this particular night. He began to deepen the kiss, and their tongues danced together like old lovers. He cradled her head into his hands. Her hair slipped in between his fingers. When they finally parted, they were both breathless.

They stood there for a long moment, simply gazing at each other.

"Listen, Maddy. I know you got a lot of shit to deal with. But whenever you're ready. I'd like to take you out if it takes a long time or if you need a long time. I get it. I'll be here."

He was starting to ramble. She was doing a number on him.

"I would love to go out with you." She said in a dreamy voice.

"Yeah?" A wide grin found his face, and her eyes lit up.

"Yeah, and not in a lot of time, soon!" She added. "As soon as I officially end things with Logan."

"I can end things my way if you want." He offered. He already imagined the various ways to end her ex-asshole.

"I don't think I want to know what that is." She said nervously.

"Probably not." He admitted.

"No violence!" She said she stepped down from his feet.

"Maybe."

"Slater!" She whined.

"It's up to him, really," Slater said. "If he decides to cause trouble for you. I'm going to protect you."

Her eyes widened, and she gulped.

"Don't worry your pretty little head about it right now, okay?" He said softly. "I'm not going to kill him or anything."

As great as that would be.

"Okay." She said with a little sigh. "But - will you talk to me before not killing him?"

"I can do that." He ruffled her hair again and headed back behind the bar, so he could finish cleaning it.

"Slater?"

"Yeah?"

"I don't want to go home." She said quietly. "The second I step inside, reality sets in. I want that to wait until tomorrow."

He wouldn't take her anywhere she didn't want to go.

So...

"I can take you home with me." He offered. "I have a guest room."

"You don't mind?"

"Didn't I tell you I was crushing on you? Of course, I don't mind, honey." He chuckled.

She was blushing again, and it was adorable.

"I think we agreed to crush on each other." She said as she leaned against the stool. She slipped her purse over her shoulder. She reached down to grab her shoes.

"You said the heels don't go back on." He recalled.

"Well, I can't walk outside barefoot, silly." She giggled.

"Give me 'em." She looked confused but handed them over. "I got you."

He easily scooped her up in his arms because she was so little. She squealed and then giggled in surprise.

Her legs were draped over his right arm, and he had her heels dangling from his hand. He had her back supported with his left. She had wrapped her arms around his neck. She laid her head in the crook of his shoulder. It felt oddly natural.

He carried her out into the outside world. He was glad she didn't want to go home because he wasn't ready for this weird and wonderful night to end.