Page 45 of Guys Can’t Write Romance

Chapter thirty-two

Chloe Reeves and the Riot Act

“That’s it, Marcus,” Rhino said, holding his hands close to the bar as he spotted his client on a bench press. “Keep it tight.”

Marcus, easily the skinniest guy in the gym at the moment, lowered the bar to his chest, then struggled to extend his arms fully and put it on the rack.

“Nope,” Rhino said, nudging the bar back over Marcus’s chest. “Three more reps before you tap out.”

From the corner of his eye, Rhino spotted a flash of pink hair cutting his way across the gym floor like a shark through water. Chloe, of course.

“Tell your client that’s the saddest bench press I’ve ever seen,” Chloe said as she walked up.

“What’s up, crazy roommate?” Rhino said, taking his eyes off Marcos as he turned to Chloe. “Come to take me up on that workout I designed for you and your roommate?”

“Next time,” she said. “But only if you promise to ogle me in my new yoga pants.”

“You don’t want to be offended first?”

“Naw. They forgot to install my offended filter at the factory. I got the shamelessly flirtatious install instead.”

As with his previous encounters with Hurricane Chloe, Rhino didn’t know what to make of her. But he couldn’t help from grinning. “I like that in a girl.”

“Can we talk about your idiot roommate and why he’s blowing it with Daisy.”

Behind them, Marcus began his rep, lowering the bar slowly to his chest, and then... it stuck.

“How much time have you got?” Rhino said, walking over to a nearby bench. “’Cause there’s a lot to unpack there.”

As he sat down, Rhino was completely oblivious to Marcus, who kicked his legs as the bar wobbled back and forth, refusing to go any higher.

“I’ve got till four, when my pottery class starts,” Chloe said, sitting down beside Rhino. “So, am I crazy, or does he like her?”

“That’s a two-part question,” Rhino said, while the bar dropped onto Marcus’s chest behind him again. “Yes, you’re certifiably crazy. I kinda like that in you. And yes, Chad likes Daisy. A lot. Googly eyes and all.”

“And she has the whole dreamy eyes thing going herself. So where’s the disconnect?”

“It’s with Chad,” Rhino said. “Sob story. You wanna hear it?”

“I’m all ears.”

Rhino took a breath. “You know that actor, Jason Manning?”

“The guy in ‘Fastest and Furiestest?’ Probably makes more in a day than my entire apartment complex makes in ten years?”

“That’s the one. You ever see his girlfriend?”

“Yep. Ashley Thompson. Ridiculously hot blond Pilates instructor with legs for days. Bane of every girl who’s not a swimsuit goddess. Hadn’t noticed.”

“She’s Chad’s ex.”

Behind them, Marcus’s legs squirmed in the air as he struggled to get out from beneath the bar.

“Get out!” Chloe exclaimed. “Seriously?”

“Yup. They dated for two years in college. Everything was going great, then she dumps him two days after he got his coaching job.”

“Ouch.”

“It gets better. A week later, she’s dating Manning. And now, you can’t walk through a checkout line without seeing her face on a tabloid.”

“Double ouch. That had to suck.”

“It burned him pretty bad.”

“What does that have to do with Daisy?”

“Nothing. He’s just afraid of getting burned again.”

Behind them, Marcus tried whistling to get their attention, but only managed a wheezy breath.

“So, he torpedoes relationships just as they’re starting to take off,” Chloe said.

“He usually punches out way before they get this far. Flirting feels safe for him. If the girl bails, he can just shrug it off like it’s no big deal.

But he’s fallen hard for Daisy, and it scares him.

He knows he’s not the richest guy on the block, and all of Daisy’s talk about Ethan providing security and stability is reminding him of how Ashley bailed for a rich guy. ”

“So, it doesn’t matter that Daisy’s totally fallen for him?”

“He thought Ashley had too, right up till the breakup.”

Behind them, Marcus managed to push the bar a couple inches off his chest before it dropped back down with an ‘ooof’.

“We’ve got a couple of dummies for roommates,” Chloe said. “Because you’re not wrong about Daisy. She’s not a gold-digger, but ever since her mom almost lost her house after her father died, security’s high on her priorities list.”

“Which she hammers home with the male leads in her books.”

Chloe nodded, while behind them, Marcus’s arms trembled as he tried to push the bar off his chest, making small squeaking sounds.

“But Chad made her realize that there’s more to life than just security,” Chloe said. “He makes her laugh harder than I’ve ever seen her do. And she even changed her male lead. He’s now basically Chad in clean clothes. Flaws and all.”

“And his female lead is now a hyper-organized neat freak,” Rhino said. “Sound like anyone we know? Between me and you, I think what substitutes for his brain was ready to take a chance with Daisy, but then her friend Ava torpedoed the whole thing with her pep talk.”

Behind them, Marcus managed to get one arm free and began frantically waving to get someone’s attention.

Chloe’s jaw nearly dropped. “Woah. Wait. Back up. Ava talked to Chad?”

“Yeah. Just yesterday. She stopped by his school and basically unloaded on him.”

“What’d she say?”

“Let’s see... I think it started with how Chad wrecked Daisy’s life... how he was a low life surf bum who would never amount to anything... how he didn’t deserve Daisy, and how she would wake up one day and realize this... pretty much confirmed every insecurity he had.”

Behind them, two guys rushed over to Marcus, each grabbing an end of the bar and lifting it off of him. Marcus rolled off the bench and onto the floor.

Chloe just stared for a moment, as an idea brewed in her pink-haired head. “I have an idea on how to un-mess this,” she finally said.

“You do?”

“Yep. But first, I need to go read your dummy roommate the riot act. Feel free to ogle my butt as I walk out.”

As she turned to go, she spotted Marcus on the floor, gasping for breath. “You might want to call an ambulance for your skinny client.”

And with that, Hurricane Chloe hurried off.

“Huh?” Rhino muttered, turning around to see Marcus frowning at him from the floor.

The crack of a bat connecting with a baseball echoed across the field, but Chad barely registered it. Usually, the sound of a solid hit energized him, but today, it only snapped him momentarily from his thoughts.

“Good contact, Martinez,” Chad called out, without any of his characteristic enthusiasm. And the kids were beginning to notice.

“You okay, coach?” asked one of the boys, Jenkins.

“Yeah. Why?”

“You seem kind of out of it.”

Jenkins wasn’t wrong. Ever since the visit from Ava, Chad’s mind had been on an endless loop, replaying her cutting words and Daisy’s confused expression at their writers’ group meeting.

Although he’d traded several texts with Daisy since then, none had the playfulness of his past texts.

It wasn’t deliberate, and he cringed every time he went back and reread them, but he didn’t know how to turn off this defensive instinct he didn’t even know he had until now.

Ashley’s abrupt exit had definitely done a real number on him.

“Hey, coach,” Kowalski called over from the pitcher’s mound, staring at something in the distance. “I think you’re about to be in trouble. Your girlfriend looks pissed.”

Chad followed his gaze over to where a girl with bright pink hair and a paint-splattered apron was storming his way across the field.

Chloe.

“Coach Dumpster Fire!” Chloe hollered, her voice carrying across the field. “A word.”

He was so busted.

“Do you know her, Coach?” asked one of the boys.

“Yeah,” Chad muttered. “Everyone, take five.”

“Can we watch?” asked Kowalski.

“Only if you want to run laps the rest of the afternoon,” Chad said. He jogged over to the approaching storm that was Chloe Reeves, hoping to keep whatever was coming out of earshot of the team. The fierce expression on her face let him know she was in no mood for games.

“Hey, Chlo,” he said, trying to sound casual as he jogged up. “What’s up?”

“You,” she interrupted, jabbing a finger into his chest. “You’re what’s up! I should be at work right now, but no, I’m having to do a ‘come-to-Jesus’ with a twenty-nine-year-old with the emotional maturity of a two-year-old.”

Chad winced, glancing over his shoulder to where his team was pretending not to watch, while obviously straining to hear every word. “Can we do this somewhere a little more private?”

“No,” Chloe said firmly. “Because I’ve been watching my roommate mope around our apartment, checking her phone like a teenager waiting for a crush to text back, and I’m tired of it.”

“She’s been doing that?” Chad said, suddenly feeling about two feet tall.

“Yes, she’s been doing that!” Chloe spat back. “She likes you, dingus. So, I need to know, do you, or do you not, actually like her? Like, emotionally? Or is this just ‘haha, writing group shenanigans’ forever?”

Chad was so stunned it took him a beat too long to respond. When he finally did, he fell back into his tried-and-true deflection strategy. “Is there an option for ‘it’s complicated’?”

“Oh, shut up,” Chloe snapped, crossing her arms fiercely. “You know what’s worse than dating Boring Banker? It’s falling for a guy who’s too chicken to admit he’s all in.”

Chad stiffened as the words hit like a punch in the gut.

“You’re not fooling anyone, Chad,” Chloe continued, her voice unrelenting but not unkind. “You’re just scared.”

That loosened something in him. For the briefest moment, his mask slipped.

“I am,” Chad admitted quietly, surprising himself at how good that felt to finally get off his chest. “I’m in uncharted waters here, Reeves, and I don’t know what I’m doing.” He took a breath, his tone softening into something raw as he added, “Daisy’s not like other girls I meet.”

Chloe stepped back, equally surprised at his honesty. She tilted her head as she studied him with newfound curiosity. “Yeah,” she said, her voice quieter now. “I know.”

“She’s not just...” Chad rubbed the back of his neck. His words faltered for a moment as he glanced out toward the dugout where the team was watching. His voice dropped further until it was barely audible. “She matters to me. A lot. And I can’t screw this up.”

“News flash, coach. You’re already screwing this up.”

Chad took a slow breath and nodded, kicking at a loose patch of grass. “I know.”

Chloe’s expression softened as she studied his pained reaction. “I know why you’re scared, Chad,” she said softly. “I talked to Rhino in the gym this morning, and he told me about your breakup with Ashley and what Ava said.”

Chad frowned. “Did he tell the whole gym, or just you?”

“Just me. Everyone else was helping pull a barbell off one of his clients.”

A slight chuckle escaped Chad. “That would be Marcus.”

“Skinny guy?”

“Yup.”

Chloe snickered. “Anyway, I get it. But Daisy’s not Ashley, and I think you know that. And Ava’s going to die a miserable spinster, so consider the source.”

“So, what’s your advice?”

“Keep being the mangy rescue dog you are, Chad. The one who bounds around, licks people inappropriately, tracks mud everywhere, and makes people laugh uncontrollably. That’s the Chad we all like. The Chad Daisy likes. And for the rest, just kiss her and figure out the rest later.”

“Just kiss her,” Chad repeated, as if testing the simplicity of the solution.

“Preferably soon,” Chloe advised. “Before I have to listen to her reread your texts, looking for hidden meanings for another night. There aren’t any, by the way. They’re tragically straightforward and boring.”

Chad couldn’t help but laugh. “Has anyone ever told you that you’re terrifying?”

“Frequently,” Chloe said cheerfully. “It’s part of my charm.” She glanced at her watch. “My work here is done. Your team is looking restless, and I have a gallery opening to get to. Just promise me you’ll talk to her, really talk to her, tonight.”

“I promise,” Chad said, and meant it.

Chloe nodded, satisfied. As she turned to leave, she called over her shoulder, “And Chad? If you hurt her, remember that I know where you sleep and I have access to many sharp art tools.”

“Noted,” Chad called back, a genuine smile finally reaching his eyes.

As he watched her stride back across the field, her pink hair visible from any distance, Chad felt a weight lift from his shoulders. The fear wasn’t gone, not completely, but somehow Chloe had managed to shrink it down to a manageable size.

He turned back to his waiting team, clapping his hands together with renewed energy. “Alright, everyone! Let’s work on those curveballs!”