Page 43 of Guys Can't Write Romance
As the afternoon turned into evening, the string lights above them flickered on. In the distance, the sun slipped behind the horizon, painting the patio in hues of orange and gold. The rush of the day melted into the steady hum of evening beach traffic.
Daisy leaned back, her posture way less rigid than it had been hours ago. Her hat rested on the table, her carefully styled hair now slightly disheveled from the ocean breeze. The pages in front of her were filled with more writing than she’d managed in weeks.
“So, what’d you think?” Chad said as he closed his notebook and slid it into his backpack. “Was my office everything you hoped and dreamed?”
Her eyes fixed on him for a moment, taking in his relaxed smile and the genuine interest in his question. There was something disarming about Chad when he wasn’t deliberately trying to annoy her. “I think there might be more to you than the chaotic frat boy who never grew up. I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I had fun. And I actually got a lot done.”
“So, you admit I was right?”
She grinned. “I admit nothing. But maybe you’re not the worst writing partner in the world. Let’s meet at my apartment tomorrow and work on your romance plot points.”
“What’s wrong with my romance plot points?”
“Everything. But I’m gonna help you fix them.”
Chapter eleven
Welcome to Hallmark 101
“Welcome to Rom-Com for Guys 101,” Daisy announced as she opened the door and let Chad in. “Tonight’s lesson: The Hallmark Experience.”
“Hallmark? As in mushy chick flicks?” Chad said, pausing in the doorway as he eyed her suspiciously. From inside the apartment came the smell of fresh-baked cookies.
“Yes. And you will behave.”
She led him into the living room, where he was surprised to find a whiteboard with romance plot points sitting on Chloe’s easel. On the coffee table sat a plate of cookies.
“Wow. You really went full teacher on this,” Chad said as he sat down on the couch and found a cup of hot chocolate on the table with a ‘Chad’s Cup’ label stuck to the side.
He grinned. “And I even get my own cup. Does this mean I’m special?”
Daisy shook her head. “That’s so we know which cup to sanitize later.”
He laughed as he fetched a cookie from the plate. “So, is there a syllabus for the class? Required reading? Homework?”
“Nope,” she said, plopping down on the couch. “But there will be a quiz at the end. So pay attention.” Although her tone was serious, there was a playful glint in her eye that Chad wasn’t used to seeing. She pulled a red blanket with ‘Hallmark’ embroidered on it over her lap and curled her legs up beneath it.
“You have a Hallmark blanket?” he said with amused disbelief.
“Every girl does. Now shush.”
Daisy clicked the remote on the DVD player, and the movie started, the Hallmark logo appearing on screen accompanied by a musical jingle that made Chad wince.
“Let me guess how this ends,” Chad said around a mouthful of cookie. “Small-town girl meets big-city guy. Someone owns a bakery. There’s a festival. They kiss in the snow. The end.”
Daisy clicked the remote, pausing the movie. “First of all, that’s ‘A Blizzard of Love,’ and we’re watching ‘The Christmas Inn-heritance.’ Totally different movie.”
“Does someone own a bakery?”
“It’s an inn that makes amazing cinnamon rolls,” she said, as if the distinction should be obvious.
Chad grinned. “Same thing.”
“The inn has historical significance,” Daisy said defensively.
“Does it need saving from an evil developer?”
Daisy’s silence was telling.
