The Plan (Capitol Love Series Book 1) Read online

  He went over to the customer and poured him a beer, then he picked up the remote and flipped through the channels until the trivia screen came up. He met Rayne back at her seat just as the hostess grabbed the mic and started going over the rules.

  Rayne dipped a fry into the honey mustard sauce and popped it into her mouth. “Mmmmmm, this is delicious,” she said.

  “Thanks,” he said as he brought her another gin and tonic. “Look, I really appreciate you coming in here and trying to help out, but I’ve had enough of the plans and the games. I’m just going to move on.”

  “Oh, don’t do that!” Rayne said. “I mean, you guys are so great together. She just needs some time.”

  “And what about me? How long am I supposed to wait around hoping she comes to her senses and realizes I’m not a low-life drug dealer?” He glanced around, hoping no one had heard that last part over all the commotion in the bar.

  “There was a guy—in college,” Rayne blurted out.

  Colin looked at her and raised an eyebrow. Rayne glanced around, suddenly afraid that Savannah might be standing behind her. She hadn’t wanted to tell Colin, but Savannah likely never would. And Rayne couldn’t sit idly by and let her friend lose a man she was obviously so crazy about and who was so perfect for her.

  Rayne hunched closer to the bar so she wouldn’t have to raise her voice to be heard, and Colin leaned toward her.

  “When Savannah got to college,” Rayne said, “she had her entire education planned out semester by semester through getting an MA in public administration. First semester of sophomore year, she was right on track—honor roll, club president, the whole deal. Then she met Jake. He was a junior and an art major. So he’s all tortured and dramatic and intense and counter-culture in a way that Savannah had never experienced. The fact that he was gorgeous and sexy as hell didn’t hurt either.”

  Colin winced, but she kept going. “Jake set his sights on her and wooed her with sidewalk murals and terrible poetry, and pretty soon she was head over heels. But he was super needy, and once she was in, he wanted all her attention and all her time. And she gave it to him. Instead of going home for the holiday break, she moved into his off-campus group house. She wouldn’t even go home on Christmas Day, and it’s only a thirty-five-minute drive!”

  Rayne took a long sip of her drink before continuing. “Her parents totally flipped out, but they couldn’t get her to talk to them, so they stopped sending her money to live on. And when that didn’t get any reaction, they threatened to stop paying tuition. She was acting so bizarre that we were wondering if she was on drugs or if she’d joined a cult. It was all so extreme and intense and so…not like her.”

  Rayne stopped talking, suddenly seeing the similarities between then and now, only in reverse: Savannah was so scared of repeating those mistakes that she was acting just as extreme in shutting everyone out and throwing herself into her work.

  “So how did it all end?” Colin asked, picking at a nick in the bar, trying not to let this story make him feel bad for Savannah. “Because obviously she got it together at some point.”

  “She failed most of her classes that fall and missed registration for spring semester, so she was taking these random, leftover classes, like archery and remedial math, and she’d also lost her job so she was flat broke. Everything in her life was a disaster, but all she seemed to care about was Jake. Then one day she comes home and finds him naked with some interpretive dance major.”

  “I could have seen that coming,” Colin said with a shake of his head.

  “I know, right?! And he doesn’t try to hide it or apologize and instead says that she’d been neglecting him and he needed company, and she should just loosen up and join them—”

  “Stop! I get the picture.”

  “That snapped her out of it. She went straight to her parents’ house, withdrew from GW for the semester, stayed in Fairfax, got a job, and came up with The Plan. She took a double course load over the summer and hasn’t strayed from The Plan since.”

  “Until me,” Colin said.

  “Everyone knows you can’t pick your husband based on a random list of checkboxes. But she doesn’t trust her instincts when it comes to men. The Plan is her refuge. And it’s served her really, really well. Until now.”

  Colin got called away by another customer, and Rayne was suddenly tired of being jostled by all the people squeezed around the bar laughing and talking. And she was just tired in general. Fixing things between Savannah and Colin was going to be harder than she thought, and her heart sank at the notion that it might not even be possible. But something Colin had said earlier still nagged at her.

  She watched as the waiters and waitresses came to him with drink orders and realized that he looked totally at home—and in charge. They seemed to look up to him, defer to him even, though he was on friendly terms with all of them. And then she realized that she’d never seen a manager in the place.

  Rayne finally caught his eye, and he came over.

  “I need to settle my tab,” she said. “I’m hoping to meet up with Savannah at home.”

  “On the house,” he said.

  She wanted to argue about the bill, but he was already turning away. “Wait!” she called and almost reached over the bar to grab him by the sleeve. “What you said earlier, about lying about who you are?”

  Diana came up and said something to him, and he nodded.

  “I’m kind of busy now,” he said to Rayne as he started grabbing clean glasses from under the bar. “Maybe some other time.”

  Later that night, Savannah and Rayne sat on the porch swing with a bottle of wine and a box of mini cupcakes from Sweet Happens between them.

  “So. You look like hell,” Rayne said, licking chocolate frosting off her fingers.

  “Gee, thanks.” Savannah had been all sharp edges and grumpy noises since she’d gotten home.

  “I’m just saying, it can’t be productive to run yourself this ragged.”

  “I have no choice. I have so much to prove and my concentration is for shit this week and I can’t sleep anyway, so I might as well be working.”

  “Because of Colin?”

  Savannah gave her a look dripping with sarcasm. “No, because I’m worried about the ozone layer.”

  Rayne laughed softly. “You should be worried about it. But let me handle that while you figure out this Colin thing.”

  “There’s nothing to figure out. I knew better, but I let things get out of hand and this is the price I have to pay. I thought work would distract me, and it does to a point but…” She trailed off, suddenly engrossed in studying the wine in her glass.

  “But you miss him.”

  Savannah rolled her eyes in response. “Yeah, fine, I miss him. Are you happy?”

  “No, I’m not.”

  “I never should have slept with him,” Savannah said. “Maybe we’d still be friends now.”

  Rayne refilled her wine glass. “You don’t really think he’s a drug dealer, do you?”

  Savannah sighed. “I don’t know. Maybe. He’s been lying to me about something. That’s all I know for sure.”

  “It could be something perfectly harmless—or just embarrassing,” Rayne said. “Like, maybe he collects Beanie Babies or listens to barbershop music. Or eats at chain restaurants.”

  Ignoring the joke, Savannah picked up her half-eaten cupcake and got to her feet. “My event is next Saturday, and I’ve got to meet with the caterers first thing tomorrow, so I’m going to call it a night.”

  Rayne nodded, but as Savannah opened the door to the house, Rayne asked, “What did you say Colin’s last name was?”

  “Allison,” Savannah said and closed the door behind her.

  Chapter 22

  For the next several days, Savannah’s whole world revolved around work and sleep. She rarely saw Rayne and then only in passing. As much as she wanted to just be left alone for a while, by Thursday she was tired of thinking about Colin and tired of missing Rayne. She
had everything in order for the event Saturday night and felt justified in taking the evening off.

  She dug her phone out of her bag and sent Rayne a text. Hey you. Wanna do happy hour or something tonight?

  The response came almost immediately. Yes. You name the place and time, I’ll be there.

  Savannah felt a lump form in her throat. She didn’t deserve Rayne. I heard there’s a new wine bar on 7th. Want to go there? 6:00?

  See you at 6! Rayne responded, followed by a smiley face emoji and a clapping emoji.

  Savannah smiled as she put her phone away and finally started to feel a little less miserable.

  At 6:00 on the dot, Savannah walked into Balance&Bite. The polished concrete floor and the high ceilings with exposed metal beams were warmed up with wood planking on the walls and bar, creating an environment that was both rustic and elegant. She saw Rayne sitting at a high two-person table near floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking tree-lined D Street. They were among a handful of customers, but the bar had only been open a few days and Savannah knew that within weeks it would impossible to find a table at happy hour.

  “Wow, this place is swanky!” she said as she got to the table.

  Rayne slid off her chair and pulled Savannah into a hug, which Savannah returned fiercely. After a few seconds, Rayne finally let go and said, “I know. Because if there was one thing this city was missing, it was another fancy wine bar.”

  Savannah laughed as she settled herself into her chair. “We’re going to have to up our game if we want to fit in.”

  After they had reviewed the tiny chalkboard happy hour menu on their table and ordered a flight of wines and a Mediterranean tasting plate, Savannah looked at Rayne and said, “This is...nice. Thanks for meeting me.”

  “Of course!”

  Their waiter arrived with their wine and food, and when he walked away, Savannah said, “I swear that guy looks just like one of the waiters at Zipped.”

  Rayne craned around in her chair to take another look. “Yeah, he does seem kinda familiar. Come to think of it, I think I saw him there last week.”

  Savannah popped an olive in her mouth and tried to sound casual. “You were at Zipped last week?”

  Rayne swiveled back around to face Savannah, and her cheeks had gone a little pink. “Yeah. I was kinda hoping to run into Chase there on trivia night.”

  “Rayney, we talked about this.”

  “I know, I know. But you’ve been so busy and I felt like getting out. And he’s fun to talk to. It didn’t matter anyway because he wasn’t there.”

  Savannah spread some hummus on a square of toasted flat bread and tried to ignore the way Rayne was staring at her.

  “Colin was there, though,” Rayne said.

  “Makes sense,” Savannah said. “Thursday is a busy night.”

  Rayne took a sip of her wine, her eyes still on Savannah. “I think he’s every bit as upset as you are.”

  Savannah didn’t respond. Instead, she gazed out the window at the trees swaying slightly in the breeze.

  “Colin is not Jake,” Rayne said. “And this is not college.”

  Savannah turned to her in surprise and opened her mouth to argue, but Rayne held up a hand to stop her.

  “I’ve given this a lot of thought so just hear me out,” she said. “What happened in college was awful, but you were nineteen years old. And you still pulled yourself back together, and you are stronger and smarter for it. Your plan is mostly solid, except for the life partner part. That’s total crap. You can’t control love like that.”

  “Rayne, please—” Savannah said, but Rayne leaned toward her across the table and kept going.

  “A person’s job doesn’t tell you if he’s going to make you feel loved and valuable and safe. Whether he wears a suit to work or jeans and a T-shirt is not a predictor of how easily he makes you laugh or how you get butterflies in your stomach when you see him. Your whole list is an attempt to control something that isn’t controllable. Colin is honest and caring and funny, and he’s crazy about you. Don’t let Jake take this away from you, too.”

  Savannah was stunned. Rayne wasn’t one for making big impassioned speeches, and she had just reinforced the fears that had been haunting Savannah—that Colin was much more than a fling and she was close to fucking up everything. Tears slid down her cheeks, and she dropped her head into her hands. A moment later, her shoulders started to tremble.

  “Oh! Oh no! Oh, I’m sorry I yelled at you!” Rayne cried, jumping up to put her arm around Savannah. “I was too mean, wasn’t I? And I shouldn’t have done it in public! I’m so sorry, sweetie!”

  Savannah slowly lifted her head to show that, despite the tears, she was also laughing.

  “Oh shit, you’re having a nervous breakdown!” Rayne said. “What do I do?”

  At Rayne’s reaction, Savannah started laughing harder, which made Rayne look even more panicked.

  Savannah finally managed to choke out, “Oh my god, Rayne. You should see your face!”

  Rayne stepped back with her hands on her hips. “What the hell is wrong with you?”

  “I’m sorry!” Savannah said, still shaking with laughter. “I don’t know what happened, but suddenly it felt like this huge weight was lifted and I realized that for you to give a speech like that it must be serious and...I don’t know! It all just seemed really, really funny all of a sudden.”

  She stopped to catch her breath and wipe away the tears. “Maybe I am losing it.” And then she started to giggle again, and after a second, Rayne joined in and they collapsed against each other, overcome with laughter.

  After a few minutes, Rayne finally pulled back. “We’re making a scene,” she whispered, and Savannah looked over to see several customers watching them.

  Rayne went back to her seat, and the waiter stopped by and asked if they’d like to see a dinner menu. Savannah looked at Rayne, who shrugged, and so Savannah said sure. As the waiter was about to leave, she said to him, “You look really familiar. Do you by any chance work at a bar called Zipped?”

  The guy smiled. He had blond hair cut short, pale blue eyes, and a weight-lifter’s muscular arms. “I thought I’d seen you two in there,” he said. “I’m just helping out here until things take off. Though to tell you the truth,” he leaned in close, “I’d just as soon switch to this place full-time. I think the tips will be better here. Different clientele, know what I mean?”

  He tucked his pen behind his ear and added, “But that’s up to Colin, of course,” before heading over to another table.

  “Why would Colin have a say in where else his waiters work?” Savannah said.

  “So you never googled Colin, huh?”

  Savannah looked embarrassed. “It didn’t occur to me because we weren’t dating, and then after…well, I just didn’t want to know.”

  “Well, I did,” Rayne said. “After you told me his last name was Allison, I did some checking around. I’ve worked with reporters long enough that I know how to do some sleuthing of my own. Allison Inc. owns Zipped, and they own this bar, too. In fact, they run most of the profitable bars and restaurants in this town. They’re like the mafia of the restaurant industry.”

  “Are you saying Colin is one of those Allisons? But why would he lie—” Savannah halted in midsentence because Rayne’s eyes had gone wide and she was staring at something behind Savannah.

  Savannah slowly turned to see Chase walking toward them.

  “Well, this place has just gotten a whole lot classier,” he said with a smile. “Hello, Rayne. Hello, Savannah.”

  “Fancy meeting you here,” Rayne said, smiling at him as she fidgeted with the stem of her wine glass.

  “Fancy indeed,” Chase said, grinning back at her. “We’re meeting our parents for dinner. Have you seen Colin? Is he here yet?”

  Savannah’s face went white, and she shook her head no.

  “Weird. I’m never the first one to show up for a family event. Maybe he and Jess are coming over together.”
>
  Savannah felt a rush of heat go through her body. Shit! Not only was she going to have to see Colin, but he was bringing a date. She caught Rayne’s eye and tilted her head toward the door, the universal sign for Let’s get the hell out of here.

  But Rayne returned her plea with a plea of her own and a slight nod toward Chase. Savannah was seriously debating grabbing her bag and leaving, regardless of how rude that looked, when a woman came walking toward them.

  “Hey, bro, don’t hassle the customers,” she said to Chase.

  It was Jessica, the manager of the Lounge, the woman who’d been so kind to Savannah after her disastrous date with Ryan. Jessica recognized her in the same instant.

  “Hey!” she said. “Savannah, right?”

  “Yes, I can’t believe you remembered.”

  “Not all Allisons are mentally challenged when it comes to names,” Jessica said with a pointed look at Chase. “And Colin has mentioned you a time or two,” she added with a twinkle in her eye that seemed very familiar.

  Savannah suddenly noticed the family resemblance and registered the fact that Jessica had just lumped herself in with the Allisons.

  “Wait—you guys are related?” she asked.

  “Jess is my baby sister,” Chase said.

  “I hate when you call me that.”

  “What’s wrong with ‘sister’?” he asked, feigning innocence.

  She rolled her eyes. “See what I have to deal with?” she said to Rayne and Savannah. Turning back to Chase, she said, “So where’s the man of the hour?”

  “Colin?” Chase said, helping himself to a hunk of feta from the plate on the table. “Putting the finishing touches on his PowerPoint slides probably. But he’d better hurry up—I’m starving.”

  The waiter showed up with the menus, but Savannah said, “We changed our minds. We won’t be having dinner.” Then she got to her feet and slung her bag over her shoulder.

  “It was nice seeing you again, Jessica,” she said. “And you, too, Chase.”

  Rayne slid out of her chair reluctantly. “Maybe I’ll see you around,” she said to Chase.