Page 82 of Guys Can't Write Romance
“Why would I?”
“Because maybe she was hoping you would.”
“She was on a date.”
“And you were at a bar filled with hot chicks. But you still kept your face buried in your phone all night.”
“What would I even say?”
Rhino shrugged. “I don’t know. How about ‘hi’? Or, just checking to see if you fell asleep yet? Or, wanna have my babies?”
Chad nearly fell off his board. “You’re not only annoying, you’re seriously deranged.” As he steadied his board, for a brief, fleeting moment, his memory flashed to the parking lot after practice when he and Daisy had discussed kids. He could picture that, and something unexpected ached in his chest at the thought; something he couldn’t recall ever feeling before.
Rhino watched as Chad’s thoughts briefly played across his face. “You okay, bro?”
Chad snapped from his thoughts and nodded. “Yeah. I’m fine.”
Rhino snorted. “You don’t look it.”
“I look like a guy sitting on a surfboard hoping for a wave.”
“Nope,” Rhino said, shaking his head. “You look like a guy sitting on a surfboard thinking of names for the kids he wants to have with a certain first-grade teacher.”
“I’m gonna drown you, and everyone’s gonna thank me,” Chad said.
“Or, they’ll thank me for getting Chad McKenzie to stop pining and finally admit he has feelings for a girl. Like, real feelings and not just hormones.”
“You’re delusional.”
“Am I delusional about your stash of Hallmark movies?”
“Research.”
“What about the dumb look you get on your face every time you talk about her?”
“That’s just my face,” Chad muttered.
“Naw. It actually gets dumber than usual,” Rhino said, though he didn’t push as hard this time. The sound of the waves filled the gentle pause between them. “Look, bro. Daisy’s a cool chick. There’s not many chicks I would let get away with labeling my protein shakes while I was out.”
“She did that to my protein bars too,” Chad said with a light chuckle.
“See. That right there. That’s the dumb look I’m talking about.”
“I assume you’re getting to the point.”
Rhino eased up as he turned to Chad. “Yeah. The point is, there’s worse things that could happen than being in love with Daisy Fields.”
Chapter twenty
Balancing the View
The morning sun colored the sky as Daisy and Chloe trudged up the winding trail at Runyon Canyon. Chloe, decked out in neon workout gear that looked more appropriate for an 80’s aerobics video, hadn’t stopped shaking her head since Daisy told her about the previous night’s date with Ethan.
“Let me get this straight,” Chloe said, pausing to take a swig from her water bottle. “You wanted to do karaoke, and Mr. Spreadsheet said it wasn’t ‘adult’ enough?”
“He didn’t exactly say that.” Daisy adjusted her ponytail, avoiding Chloe’s knowing look. “He just suggested that, as professionals, we should focus on more sophisticated activities.”
“Oh yeah? Like what? Comparing tax returns? Organizing his sock drawer by thread count?”
