Page 46 of Guys Can't Write Romance
“And how you dabbed your eye when the cat was rescued.” Daisy was having way too much fun with this.
“I had cookie dust in it,” Chad protested.
Just then, Chloe walked in, arms full of art supplies. She stopped dead at the sight of them on the couch, surrounded by empty hot chocolate mugs and cookie plates.
“Hold up.” She set down her supplies, looking between them with exaggerated suspicion. “Are you two still getting along? It’s been two whole days.”
“She’s teaching me about romance,” Chad said, gesturing to the whiteboard and then the TV.
Chloe looked at the frozen image on the TV. It showed Emma and Jake in their final embrace, snowflakes glittering around them. “By watching ‘The Christmas Inn-heritance’?”
“It’s research,” Chad said quickly.
Chloe grinned. “Is that why you’re holding a throw pillow to your chest?”
Chad dropped the pillow like it had suddenly caught on fire. “That was to collect the cookie crumbs.”
“Uh-huh.” Chloe’s grin widened as she walked over and dropped onto the armchair across from them. “You know, they’re gonna make you turn in your man card if word about thisgets out. I mean, watching a Hallmark movie voluntarily? Pretty sure that’s an automatic disqualifier.”
“I’ll deny it.”
“I have a witness.”
Chad groaned, sinking further into the couch cushions. “It’s for the contest. And I was just telling Daisy how cheesy and predictable it was.”
Daisy clicked the remote to the menu. “Does that mean you don’t want to watch ‘Snow Globe of Second Chances’? The male lead in it’s a former hockey player.”
“Well…” Chad hesitated, perking up only slightly at the mention of sports. “It would probably be good for you to get some more exposure to sports for your book. And I could use a couple more cookies.”
“I knew it!” Daisy exclaimed, pointing an accusatory finger at him. “You’re enjoying these!”
“Am not!”
“Are too! You almost cried when Mrs. Butterworth’s cat got lost in the snowstorm!”
“It was freezing out,” Chad said, crossing his arms over his chest. “And no, I didn’t. I got cookie dust in my eye.”
Chloe watched them bicker with growing amusement, helping herself to a cookie. “You know what this reminds me of? That scene in ‘The Christmas Inn-heritance’ where they’re arguing about the proper way to hang Christmas lights.”
“The guy had it right,” Chad said, before catching himself after it was already too late. “You need to leave slack between the hooks instead of pulling them tight. Everybody knows that.”
Daisy burst out laughing. “Oh my gosh, you were paying attention!”
“Was not.” Chad grabbed the throw pillow again and flung it at Daisy. It bounced harmlessly off her shoulder.
“Don’t worry, Chad,” Chloe said, flopping back into her chair and tucking her feet up. “Your secret’s safe with us. But I’m totally telling Rhino.”
Chad turned to Daisy. “She knows about Rhino?”
“I might have mentioned him among the chaotic influences in your life,” Daisy said with a sly grin as she picked up the remote.
He turned back to Chloe, narrowing his eyes. “I know where you hide your good paintbrushes.”
“And I know you teared up at the inn’s grand reopening,” Daisy said, scrolling through the other movies on the DVD’s menu.
“Did not. I already told you it was cookie dust.”
“Oooh, play ‘Valentine’s Puppy Love’,” Chloe said, reading the movies on the menu.
