Page 28 of The Love Playbook

“I’m almost afraid to ask, but here we go. What’s this brilliant plan of yours?”

“Well, it seems to me that Charlotte has a chip on her shoulder about relationships. And she’s clearly jaded. So, I got to thinking about my Grinch comment the other day. How did the Whos make the Grinch’s heart grow?”

“Are we seriously basing your plan off a Dr. Seuss story?”

“Ooh, oh!” Brynn pokes an arm out of her cocoon. “I know! They softened the Grinch’s heart by showing the Grinch Christmas spirit was about more than material things and that it was about love and kindness.”

“Love!” I snap my fingers. “Yes! Ultimately, his heart softened because of love, and isn’t love at the heart of the human condition? In the end, everything comes down to love.”

“So, what are you saying?” Jace asks with a sigh.

“I need to make her fall in love. Plain and simple.” I lift a shoulder. “People who are deliriously happy and in love want other people to be deliriously happy and in love. It’s contagious.”

“I’m deliriously happy and in love, and I could give two shits less whether you are or not,” Jace points out.

“Jace!” Brynn smacks his arm, then turns her violet eyes on me. “We want you happy, too, Chris.”

“I know, Pookie.” I wink at her, and I can practically feel the steam coming out of Jace’s ears.

“Call her Pookie again and I’ll cut your balls off.” Jace eyes my groin, and I squeeze my thighs together.

“Noted.”

God, he’s easy to rile.

“Moving on,” I say, holding a hand over my junk because Jace is still glaring. “Think of any romance movie you’ve ever seen starring a grump as one of the main characters. The hero or heroine swoops in, gets them to lower their guard and fall in love, and they magically transform into the version of themselves they were always meant to be, the one before they became bitter and miserable.”

Brynn scrunches her nose. “So, you’re going to make Charlotte fall in love?”

I nod, smugly crossing my arms over my chest.

“By finding her a boyfriend,” she confirms.

“Something like that.” I grin.

“I don’t know . . .” Brynn hedges, chewing her lower lip. “From what I’ve seen over the last year, Charlotte wants casual, like super casual. I’ve seen her mess around with a couple guys since school started at parties and stuff, but she never calls them after. Never pursues anything more. She has zero interest in dating anyone seriously and seems like a one-and-done type of girl.”

“Oh, ye of little faith. That was before Chris Collins.” I wiggle my brows.

Jace barks out a laugh. “Wait a minute. Please tell me you’re not planning on trying to get her to fall in love withyou.”

“That’s exactly what I’m going to do,” I say, feeling my defenses rise.

Brynn winces while Jace continues to laugh like it’s the funniest fucking thing in the world. “Dude, she hates your guts.”

“Hate is a strong word,” I say objectively.

“Brynn, tell him.” Jace turns to her, waiting.

“I mean, these are her words not mine, but she finds you ‘annoying as fuck.’” She makes air quotes with her hands.

I snap my fingers. “Andthat’sthe kind of passion I can work with.”

“You’re delusional,” Jace says.

“No. I’m an optimist. And optimists always win. We get back all of the positive energy we put out into the world. And ambivalence is far worse than loathing. Better for her to feel something for me than nothing at all.”

“Pretty sure the wordsannoying as fuckis a little stronger than ambivalence, but what do I know?” he says.