A Summer of Love

Conner and Madaline met in a rather funny way. As many of us know, Conner is a goofy, quick-witted, banter-loving sweetheart of a man. Madaline, on the other hand, is known to go after what she wants and isn't afraid to be blunt—or even bold. The first time they spoke, a coworker of Conner’s complimented Madaline’s top. The first thing out of Conner’s mouth was, “I have the same shirt; we could match.” The top in question was a ruffled, floral, yellow shirt that was, frankly, way too small for a 6’2” man with a mustache. Conner then doubled down, saying, “Come in Thursday; I’ll be wearing it.” Madaline left the store laughing. She had never seen this cashier in their small town before and immediately went home to see if she could find this "mystery Conner" on Facebook. When she couldn't find him, she asked around and talked to friends and family—still nothing. Left with no other choice, she started making up reasons to buy "Southern Peach Lemonades" from Love’s Travel Stop. "Southern Peach Lemonade" quickly became the code word signaling to everyone that Madaline was heading to the gas station to try and catch a glimpse of her favorite employee. Eventually, Conner figured out Madaline was from California, overhearing that’s where she hunted for the cute clothes he surely wanted to "match" with her. Finally, Madaline’s aunt grew tired of her niece beating around the bush and lurking at the local gas station. She presented an ultimatum: “Go and get that boy’s number right now, or I’m never taking you to this gas station again.” Madaline knew what she had to do. With shaking hands, she walked up to the counter and asked if he had an Instagram. When Conner admitted, “I don’t really use Instagram,” she took the leap: “Well, do you have a phone number?” He let her put her number into his phone, and she left—reasonably nervous because, as we all know, Conner is a very handsome man. Now, as many of you also know, Conner is notoriously bad at texting back, and Madaline is... well, impatient. After trying to text him for two days with little to no response, she showed back up at his workplace. She waited in conners line with her snacks, waled up to the counter, and said nothing but: “You suck at texting back, you know.” A shocked Conner apologized, explaining he was just terrible at it. As soon as Madaline got the chance, she texted him: “I’m at work until 6:00. If you’re a coffee person, you should stop by.” And so he did. A man who cannot actually drink coffee showed up, drank a coffee, and talked with Madaline for an hour before he left for California for the weekend...and we all know how this story ends.