Page 39 of Guys Can’t Write Romance

Chapter twenty-seven

Your Biggest Fan

Daisy arrived at school with slightly damp hair, tired muscles, and a smile that wouldn’t fade. She’d had just enough time after her morning surf lesson to drive home, shower, throw her hair into a ponytail, and make it to school. But it had been worth it.

As she entered the classroom, Daisy stopped short. Sitting on her desk was an arrangement of flowers so beautiful it made her throat tighten. Daisies, her hands down favorites, mixed with blue hydrangeas and sprigs of greenery in a simple glass vase tied with a blue ribbon.

“Oh,” she breathed as she slowly approached them. The colors were perfect — the soft blue, paired with the daisies that never failed to make her smile.

Her fingers trembled slightly as she reached for the card and read it.

‘For the girl who colors the world brighter. From your biggest fan.’

No name. No signature. Just those simple words. She blinked, fighting back the mist forming in the corners of her eyes. Who sent them?

She immediately thought of Chad and their morning surf lesson. He’d been surprisingly perceptive, giving her exactly what she needed; not sympathy or heavy conversation about her loss, but distraction, adventure, and moments of pure joy. She looked at the card again, and its beautiful message:

‘For the girl who colors the world brighter. From your biggest fan.’

She desperately wanted it to be from Chad. She had told him what today was, but that was only a few hours ago. There was no way he could have planned the arrangement and had it delivered so soon. These had to have been ordered yesterday, at the latest.

So who else could have sent them? Not Ava, whose idea of emotional support was offering practical advice and legal resources for dealing with estate matters. And not Chloe, who would have added a bottle of tequila and signed her name with at least three exclamation points.

That left Ethan.

At that moment, the phone in her purse buzzed with an incoming text. She pulled it out and saw that it was from Ethan.

‘Good morning, Daisy. I know we’ve had our differences lately, but I’ve been thinking about you. Would you consider joining me at the Peterson merger celebration tonight? CEO’s house in Bel Air, 8 PM. We should talk about things. Miss you.’

Daisy stared at the phone, then back at the flowers, a softness spreading through her chest. Despite what she considered to be a tentative breakup, despite his single-minded focus on New York, he’d remembered what today meant to her. Maybe he wasn’t as emotionally oblivious as she’d thought.

She quickly texted him back:

‘They’re beautiful. Thank you for remembering what today means to me.’

There was an oddly long pause before the typing indicator appeared on Ethan’s end. Then came his response:

‘Yes, of course I remembered. I know how important today is.’

No mention of the flowers. Nothing specific about what today meant to her. Something felt off. Before she could text back, another text came from him.

‘So, tonight? I’d love to see you.’

Daisy bit her lip, staring at the message. The thought of a fancy party, of making small talk with Ethan’s colleagues while pretending everything was fine between them, made her want to crawl back into bed. She quickly texted back:

‘I don’t know, Ethan. I’m not really in a party mood.’

His reply came almost instantly.

‘Please? Everyone’s been asking about you. And we need to talk about New York.’

Daisy’s fingers hovered over the keyboard. The mention of New York sent another wave of anxiety through her. That, combined with the confusion over her growing feelings for Chad, made everything feel impossibly complicated. She texted back:

‘I just thought I’d stay in tonight. Maybe watch a movie.’

‘Daisy, please. This is important. And you shouldn’t be alone today.’

She sighed. He had a point about being alone, even if the person she wanted to spend time with wasn’t him.

She looked again at the flowers. It was such a beautiful, meaningful gesture.

And not just any flowers — he had remembered her favorites.

Maybe she had been too hasty in writing him off.

Maybe underneath that buttoned-up exterior, he was more attuned to her feelings than she’d given him credit for.

She took a slight breath and texted back:

‘Okay. What time?’

His response came within seconds:

‘Excellent. I’ll pick you up at 7:30. Looking forward to seeing you.’

As she clicked off her phone, Daisy couldn’t help noticing there was still no mention of the flowers; or acknowledgment of what they meant to her today.