Page 112 of Guys Can't Write Romance
Daisy chuckled as she settled back onto the couch and reclaimed her ice cream. “You’re ridiculous.”
“Part of my charm,” Chad agreed. He glanced at the TV, where a golden retriever puppy was now wearing a bow tie. “So we’re going full Hallmark, huh? How bad was it?”
“On a scale of one to catastrophic public meltdown? Somewhere around ‘dignified but definitely final exit from a mansion party while wealthy socialites whispered behind their champagne glasses’.”
Chad let out a low whistle as he shrugged off his jacket. “Fancy. Did you at least get to throw a drink in his face?”
“No,” Daisy sighed dramatically. “I was very mature. Very adult. Very boring.”
“Darn. The drink in the face would have made for a better story.” He hesitated at the edge of the couch, seemingly unsure where to sit.
Daisy rolled her eyes. “I’m not going to bite you, Chad.” She patted the spot beside her. “Here. There’s plenty of room.”
He sat down at the opposite end of the couch, still maintaining a careful distance. Daisy raised an eyebrow at him and patted the cushion right next to her. “I meant here. It’s a Hallmark movie. Rules dictate shared blankets and mutual mockery of the utterly predictable plot.”
Chad’s familiar grin returned as he slid closer. “Just making sure. I didn’t want to violate any sacred breakup protocols.”
“Too late. The rubber ducky was definitely a violation,” she said, lifting the edge of the blanket to invite him beneath it with her.
Chad accepted, settling in beside her. “So, you liked the flowers?”
“They were perfect,” Daisy said simply. “Exactly what I needed today. How did you know they were my favorites?”
“I kinda figured, you know, Daisy, daisies. But I double-checked with Chloe yesterday before ordering them.”
“So, she knew yesterday that you were sending them?”
“Yeah. She promised to keep it a secret.”
Daisy chuckled. “That may be the first time she’s ever actually kept a secret.”
“She knows this week’s rough on you, so she made the extra effort. I wrote it down in my calendar so I wouldn’t forget.”
The thought of Chad making a note of something so personal, so important to her, made Daisy’s chest tighten with unexpected emotion.
“Thank you,” she said softly. “Not just for the flowers, but for this morning, too. For somehow knowing exactly what I needed without me having to say it.”
Chad looked momentarily flustered by the sincerity in her voice. True to form, he deflected with humor. “Well, I figured itwas either surfing or competitive hot dog eating, and I know how you feel about processed meats.”
Daisy laughed, nudging him with her elbow. “And here I thought you were being insightful.”
He laughed. “Don’t tell anyone. I have a reputation to protect for being shallow.”
“Your secret’s safe with me,” Daisy said, settling more comfortably against the cushions. “Though I’m starting to think there’s a lot more to Chad McKenzie than meets the eye.”
“Nope,” Chad assured her, reaching for one of the ice cream containers. “Just a PE teacher who writes about monsters and doesn’t know how to do his taxes properly. And collects an insane number of parking tickets.”
On screen, the heroine was now discovering that the stray puppy she’d adopted was actually owned by the handsome stranger she’d been bickering with for the past hour of screen time.
“So,” Chad said, gesturing at the TV with his spoon, “you want to talk about what happened with you-know-who? Or should we just dissect the utterly shocking plot twist where these two attractive people who hate each other somehow fall in love?”
Daisy sighed, digging her spoon into her melting ice cream. “Not much to tell. I finally realized we want different things. He wants a corporate wife who’ll fit neatly into his New York ambitions. And that’s not me.”
“You’re the teacher, slash writer, who wants people to take her dreams seriously.”
Daisy looked at him in surprise. “Yes. Exactly that.”
Chad shrugged, his eyes on the TV. “Just a guess.”
