Page 71 of Guys Can't Write Romance
Daisy’s eyes went wide, her imagination immediately conjuring worst-case scenarios. “Does that mean there’s bad news?”
“Not for me.” Chloe’s grin widened. “The good news is, you fixed Rick.”
Daisy sank in her seat and let out a sigh of relief.
“Want the rest of it?” Chloe said, her eyes sparkling with mischief that immediately reactivated Daisy’s anxiety.
Daisy nodded, suddenly uncertain. “Yeah.”
“Okay. So the rest of the good news is, and actually it’s all good, you’re not writing about boring boyfriend anymore.” Chloe leaned forward, as if imparting a delicious secret.
“Rick was never Ethan,” Daisy protested.
“We literary critics beg to differ.” Chloe waved a dismissive hand. “But he’s definitely not anymore.”
“Why do I think you’re about to drop a bombshell on me?”
Chloe grinned. “‘Cause I am. You wrote about Chad.”
Daisy banged her head down on the table with enough force to rattle the coffee cups. “That’s what everyone in the writers’ group said,” she mumbled to the table.
“Look at the bright side, roomie,” Chloe said, patting Daisy’s arm. “We no longer need to have a dinosaur eat him.”
Daisy looked up from the table. “Are you absolutely sure?”
“Oh, yeah. Your male lead has officially evolved from Flat Rick to ‘Secret Chad With Better Manners.’”
“Maybe I just wrote a generic fun-loving male lead,” Daisy said hopefully. “It doesn’t necessarily mean it’s Chad.”
“Honey.” Chloe leaned forward. “You had a whole chapter where, and I quote, ‘Coach Chaos skipped a ski trip with his friends to coach his little league team, and Julie’s heart warmed when she learned about it.’”
“Just because I used your nickname for him doesn’t mean he’s Chad.”
Chloe flipped through the pages. “Here’s one. He organized the equipment shed ‘all wrong’ and she found it ‘infuriatingly endearing.’ Who does that sound like?”
“Oscar the Grouch?”
“Nope. And here’s another one. He has, and I quote, ‘a smile that makes chaos feel comfortable’ and ‘eyes so blue they should come with a warning label.’”
“That’s just character description,” Daisy said. “I embellished a bit.”
“What color are Chad’s eyes?”
“Blue,” Daisy said before catching herself.
Chloe grinned. “I rest my case.”
Daisy groaned and banged her head down again.
“Face it, roomie,” Chloe said. “You’ve got it bad.”
“No, I don’t,” Daisy hissed, peeking up from the table like a turtle reluctantly emerging from its shell. “Chad and I are writing partners. That’s all.”
“Uh-huh. And Rick just happened to develop messy dark hair and a habit of surfing before school? And an obsession with horror movies that the heroine finds ‘secretly charming’?”
“Did I put that in there?”
“Yup.”
