Page 21 of Guys Can’t Write Romance

Chapter fourteen

Bases, Boys, and Big Questions

“Are you sure he’s coming?” Ava said, checking her watch for the fifth time in five minutes.

School was out for the day, and she, Daisy, and Chloe were waiting in Daisy’s classroom for Chad to arrive for Daisy’s next lesson in ‘Baseball for Newbies.’ Today’s lesson would have her attend practice while he coached his team.

Ava had insisted on being there to finally meet this juvenile delinquent who had become such a distraction for Daisy; and Chloe, of course, came to watch the sparks fly.

“It’s not even three yet,” Chloe said from her desk in the front row, where she was idly flipping through a picture book about dinosaurs. “But if you need to leave to go sue someone whose dog peed on their neighbor’s yard, we won’t mind.”

“Not a chance,” Ava said. She turned to Daisy, who was gathering her things and sliding them into her tote bag. “I still fail to see why you don’t just ask Ethan about baseball.”

“Because Ethan thinks baseball is,” Chloe said, then put on a stuffy British accent, “‘frightfully pedestrian, darling.’”

“Ethan doesn’t sound like that,” Ava said.

“You’re right. He’s much more boring.” Chloe closed the dinosaur book with a dramatic snap. “Less British accent, more human calculator.”

“Chad coaches baseball,” Daisy said, before the two killed each other. “It only makes sense for me to watch an actual practice for research.”

“Research.” Ava’s tone couldn’t have been more frosty. “Is that what we’re calling it now?”

“Yes, actually,” Daisy said, a rare edge creeping into her voice. “That’s exactly what we’re calling it.”

“Though we could call it other things,” Chloe mused, spinning in the child-sized chair. “Like ‘Chad-watching.’ Or ‘Operation Hot Coach’.”

“Not helping, Chlo.” Daisy shot her roommate a warning look.

“Wasn’t trying to, Daze,” Chloe grinned.

A knock at the classroom door made them all turn. Chad stood in the doorway, decked out in his coaching gear of a baseball cap, team jersey, and cargo shorts. His usual easy smile faltered only slightly as he caught Ava’s cold eyes scrutinizing him.

He turned to Daisy. “You ready, Fields?”

“You have no idea how ready I am,” Daisy said, relief filling her voice as she shot from her desk and began pushing him toward the door before Ava could speak. “Bye, girls,” she called back over her shoulder. “We need to run, so we’re not late.”

“Aren’t you going to introduce me to your... friend?” Ava’s sharp voice cut through the classroom.

Daisy paused and took a breath, her shoulders visibly tensing. Oh, crap. Here we go. She turned slowly, keeping a firm grip on Chad’s arm as if afraid he might bolt, or more likely, say something outrageous.

“Chad, this is Ava. Ava, this is Chad, my writing partner.” Her emphasis on the last two words was subtle, but unmistakable.

“Charmed,” Ava said in a tone that suggested she was anything but.

“She majored in bitch in law school,” Chloe said from her front-row seat, “if you couldn’t tell from the glare.”

“Chloe!” Daisy hissed.

“What? I’m just providing context.”

Chad bit back a laugh, his eyes dancing with amusement as he watched the exchange. Rather than seem intimidated by Ava’s frosty demeanor, he appeared thoroughly entertained by the entire situation.

Ava straightened to her full height, which would have been more intimidating if she wasn’t still shorter than Chad, despite her heels. “I understand you’re helping Daisy with her novel.”

“We’re helping each other,” Chad said.

“Chad’s helping me understand sports and guys in general, and I’m helping him with the romance beats of his novel,” Daisy added quickly.

“Which means, she made me take out the monsters and put clothes on my female characters,” Chad added.

“You had a girl shopping in a bikini,” Daisy said. “That was a little much.”

“Maybe you can get her to put the scene in her book where the dinosaur eats Ethan,” said Chloe. “I mean, Rick.”

“Working on it,” Chad grinned, giving Chloe an appreciative nod.

“No. No dinosaurs eating Ethan,” Daisy said, smacking Chad with the back of her hand; a playful move that didn’t go unnoticed by Ava. Daisy quickly corrected, her cheeks flushing. “I mean, Rick.”

“I think you had it right the first time,” Chloe said.

“Shush,” Daisy said, her teacher voice making a brief appearance.

Ava watched this exchange with narrowed eyes, her gaze shifting between Chad and Daisy. Something in their dynamic clearly bothered her. It was the ease, perhaps, or the playfulness that seemed to have developed between them.

“Tell me, Chad,” Ava pressed, stepping closer, “what exactly are your intentions with this partnership?”

“To make our books better. Why?” Chad thought he had an idea where this interrogation was going, but wanted to make sure.

“And that’s all?”

“What else would there be?”

“That’s what I’m asking you. Because, as I’m sure you’re aware, Daisy has a very promising future ahead of her with Ethan.”

“Oh, that’s where you were going,” Chad said, pretending like a light bulb just went off over his head. He snapped his fingers in exaggerated realization. “Actually, I’m kidnapping her, and we’re getting married on my surfboard. We’ll send you and Rick pictures. I mean, Ethan.”

Daisy’s face blushed bright red, while Chloe’s hand shot up. “Oh, can I be the maid of honor? I can make airbrushed bikinis with ‘Team Chad’ for me and the bridal party.”

“No!” Daisy jumped in before this got completely out of hand. “There’s no kidnapping and no surfboard wedding.” She turned to Chloe. “And definitely no airbrushed bikinis.”

“Bummer,” Chloe sighed dramatically. “I was already designing it in my head.”

“Now, Chad and I really need to be going,” Daisy said, slinging her tote bag over her shoulder.

“Of course,” Ava said. “Wouldn’t want to keep the children waiting.” The double-meaning wasn’t lost on anyone, a reference to both Chad’s baseball team and his own maturity level.

“I’m RSVP’ing right now for your surfboard wedding,” Chloe said. “I’m betting it happens.”

Daisy groaned. “Bye, Chloe. Bye Ava,” she said, pushing Chad out the door.

“Oh, and Daze?” Chloe called after her, a mischievous glint in her eye.

“What?”

“I get to be godmother when you have kids.”

“No!”

The late afternoon sun slanted across the baseball diamond, turning everything golden.

From her perch in the bleachers, Daisy watched Chad run drills with his team, her notebook forgotten in her lap.

She’d come prepared to take notes about baseball terminology and player dynamics for her novel, but found herself distracted by something else entirely.

For the fourth time since declaring their cease-fire, Chad McKenzie surprised her. And not in a bad way.

He stood near the pitching mound, a bucket of baseballs at his feet and a whistle hanging lazily around his neck, gesturing animatedly as he gave instructions to his team. The boys hung on to every word like he was part coach, part big brother, part comedian.

“Alright, who’s next?” Chad called, shielding his eyes from the sun as he squinted toward the group of players lounging by the dugout. “Robbie? No? Still scared to bat? Fine, Rory, it’s you. Let’s go. Don’t trip over your shoelaces this time.”

The boys laughed as Rory jogged toward home plate, where Chad helped position him before stepping back and clapping once. “You got this. Oh, and no weird swings this time. Just hit the ball, not the air. Cool?”

The crack of the bat echoed across the field a second later. The ball popped into the sky, spinning toward the outfield, and Chad’s grin stretched wide. “Yes! That’s what I’m talking about! Someone give Rory a medal, or Gatorade, or something. Who’s next?”

Daisy found herself smiling. It was nothing like Ethan’s careful, measured interactions with the analysts at his firm. Chad genuinely connected with these kids, seamlessly blending coaching with life lessons and just enough teasing to keep them engaged.

It was endearing. Endearing enough that Daisy felt a small, unexpected tug in her chest. Something soft.

Maternal. And maybe a little wistful. Between joking with them, tweaking their stances, and offering everything from advice to high-fives, it was clear how much they trusted him.

They looked up to him, but not in a ‘scared of authority’ way.

It was more like they liked him, like he was their friend, their mentor, and their coach, all in one.

“Hey, Coach!” A boy with braces and a mop of curly hair called from the pitcher’s mound. “Watch this!”

He wound up and delivered a pitch with a dramatic spin, sending the ball curving in an impressive arc.

Chad let out a low whistle. “Looking good, Diaz! You’ve been practicing that breaking ball like I showed you, haven’t you?”

The boy’s face lit up with pride. “Every day in my backyard. My mom says the fence might not survive the summer.”

“Small price to pay for greatness,” Chad replied with a grin. “Try it again, but this time focus on your follow-through.”

Something warm unfurled in Daisy’s chest. She’d always wanted kids, a whole houseful, running around with skinned knees and big dreams. But whenever she brought it up with Ethan, he changed the subject to his five-year career plan or the housing market in Boston.

For a moment, Daisy let her thoughts drift, watching Chad high-five one of the kids after a strong pitch. What would it be like to build something like this, something real and messy, but important?

She gave her head a little shake, snapping herself out of it before that soft tug in her chest became something she couldn’t control. This was just research. Nothing more.

As practice wound down, she watched Chad organize the equipment cleanup, turning it into a race complete with ridiculous commentary. “And Smith takes the lead with the bat collection, but wait! Rodriguez is coming up fast with an impressive ball-bucket technique!”